Report: Xbox Series's Retail mode no longer allowing emulators. Xbox starts banning users.

[John Elden Ring]

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Xbox has reportedly started issuing temporary suspensions to players who use emulators in retail mode.

Previously, users were able to download emulators as applications directly from the Microsoft store, which would allow them to play retro game ROMs on any retail Xbox Series console.

Microsoft then later disabled the loophole that would let these applications run on the retail mode of the system (though users could still run the applications in developer mode).

Hikikomori Media cites a Discord server called the Xbox Emulation Hub, which is dedicated to the running of emulators on Xbox consoles.

VGC joined the server to corroborate the claims, and found an announcement posted on Thursday from staff member GoldenSky – who specialises in creating retail access to the RetroArch emulator – informing users that “retail mode is dead”, and that the Discord server’s retail mode channel will be deleted within a week.

Effective immediately, we are halting any and all retail mode emulation, permanently, This channel will be deleted within the week, and this announcement will be moved to [the server announcements channel] for preservation purposes.

 

[Shmunter]

They don’t want to be subsidising hardware not used for a gampass sub

 

[Dabaus]

Features dont matter.

 

[Systemshock2023]

That's too bad but expected. These guys really thought they could publish an Xbox 360 emulator on a console that sells Xbox 360 games and get away with it.
Everything was fine until xenia released.

 

[KnittedKnight]

All Xbox consoles are a tweaked Windows PC. Always gonna be easy to jailbreak and run emulators on it.

On the one hand the emulation is for old X360 games so I always have mixed feelings about old emulators. Up-to-date modern ones (Yuzu and Switch emulators) are the ones I'm completely against. It's Microsoft's box, ultimately they get to make the call. If you're running a business and selling old games then emulation becomes direct competition at no cost. Gotta pull the plug.

 

[thicc_girls_are_teh_best]

Only a matter of time. How MS got away with basically enabling piracy on their console (yes I know emulators themselves are largely perfectly fine and can be used as preservation, but let's be real: most people were using these to play ROMs and ISOs of games they never purchased) I will never know.

But, it's basically been a legal grey zone with the systems for a while and I'm guessing Sony & Nintendo are not too keen with Microsoft enabling emulation of their systems on what is not sold as a PC (and even there, they have issues with the practice. It's just that they can't really do much about it on PC). It is what it is.

 

[ethomaz]

Emulator in a console is a big legal issue imo.
I think MS allowed for sometime only to gain some word of mouth before some 3rd-party reach them.

I don't blame MS here for what it is... they actually are following the legal path (if you guys disagree the law needs first to be changed before consumer consoles can allow emulators).

 

[JAHGamer]

What about in dev mode?

 

[Old Gamer]

What about in dev mode?

Dev mode is intended for, well, dev. The policy only applies to retail mode.

 

[Alabtrosmyster]

Well, given that the dev mode is a non starter, because it's inconvenient... The only reason I might have gotten an Xbox for is now out of the way.

 

[Alabtrosmyster]

What about in dev mode?

Dev mode is garbage for regular use, it's not convenient at all.

Regardless, it will be used as a cop out excuse to defend the fact that MS threaten to use the ban hammer on consoles that were uses to do something that was tolerated until now.

Bans, this is not even just taking it away. Complete garbage move on the part of Phil... But given their numbers they probably have no choice but to clean up their act and sell Xbox.

 

[anonpuffs]

Lmao. I tried telling some idiots who told me the series s was a good emulation machine.

No you absolute crater brains, if you want to emulate you get a pc. A console is never what you want to do questionably legal things on because your entire machine is at the mercy of a corporation that does not give a single fuck about you or whether you "legally" emulate games.

The only place you have absolute autonomy is on a platform that you own. By yourself. Hell get a raspberry pi before getting an xbox for emulation.

 

[Yurinka]

Rising prices of the console or GP, shutting down the $1 deals and now the emulators... seems that after they spent a lot on acquisitions and putting games day one on GP now they are starting to squeeze their players to monetize them better.

Emulator in a console is a big legal issue imo.

Well, there are many consoles like Retron, Polymega, Mister, Analogue, Aya Neo etc. focused on emulation and none of them seem to have legal issues. Even all these chinese ones from Ambernic and similar who even come with -i assume illegal, not licensed- preinstalled roms.

 

[Alabtrosmyster]

Lmao. I tried telling some idiots who told me the series s was a good emulation machine.

No you absolute crater brains, if you want to emulate you get a pc. A console is never what you want to do questionably legal things on because your entire machine is at the mercy of a corporation that does not give a single fuck about you or whether you "legally" emulate games.

The only place you have absolute autonomy is on a platform that you own. By yourself. Hell get a raspberry pi before getting an xbox for emulation.

Nah, emulation on consoles gives you a pretty good experience compared to PC. I mean, Retroarch started as a PS3 project, emulation on the OG xbox was ground breaking for the time, so was it on the Wii and 360. The difference is that you needed to hack these consoles to get your homebrew fix. Once hacked you had full autonomy.

Every homebrew thing is "you are on your own" by definition, only an idiot would think that because it's on a console it's different. The thing is, there was something that could be done for years and MS decided to block it, not only block it, they are threatening to block consoles that use it. They played the nice guy and now they made their platform less interesting, potentially a tempting target for hacking now that they lost the good will they may have had with the homebrew community... These people are not the kind to just sit down and take it when a platform owner says "no".

So, yes the complaints are warranted.

 

[anonpuffs]

Nah, emulation on consoles gives you a pretty good experience compared to PC. I mean, Retroarch started as a PS3 project, emulation on the OG xbox was ground breaking for the time, so was it on the Wii and 360. The difference is that you needed to hack these consoles to get your homebrew fix. Once hacked you had full autonomy.

Every homebrew thing is "you are on your own" by definition, only an idiot would think that because it's on a console it's different. The thing is, there was something that could be done for years and MS decided to block it, not only block it, they are threatening to block consoles that use it. They played the nice guy and now they made their platform less interesting, potentially a tempting target for hacking now that they lost the good will they may have had with the homebrew community... These people are not the kind to just sit down and take it when a platform owner says "no".

So, yes the complaints are warranted.

The point is that if you actually did emulation on hardware that you own, and not just lease via terms of service that are broad enough to be revocable... none of this would be an issue. You can build a pc for the price of a series s that does just as good emulation if not better.

 

[Alabtrosmyster]

The point is that if you actually did emulation on hardware that you own, and not just lease via terms of service that are broad enough to be revocable... none of this would be an issue. You can build a pc for the price of a series s that does just as good emulation if not better.

I buy something I own it, could not careless about what the manufacturer think he can do with it.

This is why people hack their devices.

 

[anonpuffs]

I buy something I own it, could not careless about what the manufacturer think he can do with it.

This is why people hack their devices.

Why buy something you have to hack instead of having full control day 1? I also don't need to compromise my ability to buy digital games, play online multiplayer, or anything else on my pc. I would if I wanted to emulate on xbox.

 

[Nhomnhom]

Do these people not have some sort of notebook or PC that they use? Pretty much anything will be better at emulating games than a Series console.

 

[Zzero]

Do these people not have some sort of notebook or PC that they use? Pretty much anything will be better at emulating games than a Series console.

Compared to an older computer or shi-top a modern console actually probably pretty powerful, and connected to a tv by default. Obviously its a niche but I can see the appeal. I'm also old enough to remember when XBMC was a "big deal" among certain people way back in the day, so thats a very old tech community they have there breaking Xboxes.