When we first booted up the Xbox Series X|S, Microsoft’s new-gen console had an unexpected advantage. The PlayStation 5 has a lot of advantages, but the Xbox series packs an amazing emulation punch – making the retro depths of the video game world your oyster.
We previously covered how the addition of emulation to the Xbox meant we could play a smorgasbord of Nintendo GameCube games before Nintendo fans could turn on the Switch. Given the potential in the idea, Microsoft quickly shut down these capabilities. They’re back now… but it will cost you.
Microsoft locks emulation as a $2 fee.
We’ll admit it’s not worth paying much to access hundreds of thousands of games, but still, there’s a sting that the previously free Xbox emulation fee is now locked behind a $2 paywall. Back in April, it was reported that you can only emulate games if you put your console into developer mode instead of retail, which you (obviously) have to pay for.
With some wizardry, you can bypass Microsoft’s emulator restrictions, but that too comes with a price tag. As Modern Vintage Gamer pointed out, UWeaPons Store has figured out how to bring emulators back into retail mode. You can get access to Patreon for $2 and learn the secrets of confirming it works with the modern vintage gamer.
Although the modern vintage gamer still prefers the work of developer mode, the fact that the UWeaPons store has worked on the likes of the admirable Dolphin emulator is something you should check out. After all, who doesn’t want to play? The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker On xbox?
Why did xbox block emulators?
Click to enlarge.Radical Entertainment
Modern Vintage Gamer speculates that the Xenia emulator “flew a little too close to the sun” and possibly led to the blocking of Microsoft Universal Windows Platform (UWP) emulators. As it is known for its Xbox 360 games, it is encroaching on Game Pass and Xbox backwards compatibility territory.
The new method is effectively the same as the old method of getting your Xbox certified for UWPs on retail mode, but by paying a $2 monthly Patreon fee, the group does it all for you. Correct methods are currently strictly locked, presumably because Microsoft will block it if it gets out in the open.
For now, you can stump up $2 a month or wait for the method to leak online and use it until Microsoft comes down hard. Either way, Nintendo will try to extinguish these emulators with a flamethrower. If we don’t have the gamecube version. The Simpsons: Hit and Run On Switch, why should you keep it on Xbox?