Are emulators on Xbox Series X|S really over? Not quite…

Emulation seems to be picking up the slack on Xbox Series X|S, consoles visibly appreciated for this use.

This practice had more or less died out last April, when Microsoft decided to take a tough stance and ensure that Universal Windows Platform (UWP) emulators could no longer be launched on Xbox Series, with the exception of Developer Mode.

Emulation is resisting on Xbox

Victims of their success with regard to emulation, Xbox consoles (and especially the Series S) could no longer have access to UWP emulators for a few months, at least in their classic configuration. Launching such a program instead opened a window stating that ” This game or app can’t be launched because it violates Microsoft Store rules “.

The UWeaPons Store community has since worked on a way around these Microsoft restrictions. It recently achieved this, again allowing the use of emulators such as Dolphin (GameCube and Wii), Xenia (Xbox 360), XBSX (original Xbox) and RetroArch (cross-platform).

This new workaround is inspired by the exploitation of a flaw in the way a program is analyzed by the Microsoft Store. Previously, this consisted of making a registration request on a Discord dedicated to emulation on Xbox. Once the request was approved, it was possible to open a site on its console to access the download of UWP emulators from the Store.

A not very legal method that has a cost…

The new method from the UWeaPons Store developer team works more or less the same, but unfortunately not in a selfless way. You have to go through a Patreon page and subscribe to it in order to access a root application called “La Bomba”. This allows you to go to the four emulators mentioned above.

The fact that the group benefits from this illegal practice in many respects, however, may again make Microsoft’s ears warm. It is therefore quite possible that further restrictions will block this new attempt to run emulators on Xbox.

The heyday of emulation on Microsoft consoles could thus still be numbered. In the meantime, nostalgic people have already taken the plunge and registered on the Patreon page of UWeaPons Store. Maybe they will be quiet all summer to indulge in a little retrogaming.

Source : Modern Vintage Gamer on YouTube