For a good while, there was a bit of hype built around the Xbox Series S, in particular for the retro gaming scene. It was a cheaper device that offered a small form factor. Likewise, it allowed consumers to download emulators and enjoy various retro video games. But while this process was available, some consumers were skeptical. Of course, it didn’t take Microsoft too long before they outright banned emulators from being available in the marketplace, making it impossible to download and enjoy. That’s just the emulators being used in the Xbox Series X/S retail mode.
It turned out that players could pay a one-time fee to get a developer mode attached to their console. From there, you could gain access to emulators. In fact, it looks like that option is still readily available. You will lose out on features made only for retail mode, which could mean going back and forth between the modes. But while Microsoft initially took down the ability to download and play emulators on the Xbox Series X/S platforms, a new group uncovered a bypass. The information came out that this method was available through the group Patron page, which sparked excitement over again on emulators being accessible for the Xbox console lineup.
But now, thanks to a report from HikikomoriMedia, it looks like Xbox is cracking down hard. Any account running these emulators in retail mode will get a fifteen-day suspension on their account. That’s a warning from Microsoft, and it looks like reuploading these emulators will result in a ban. As a result, the scene for emulators running on the Xbox Series X/S platforms through retail mode is considered dead. Again, it looks like developer mode still offers this feature, but it could be a matter of time before that also gets taken down.
Emulators have always been a bit of a gray area. Some feel that through emulators, we can preserve video games and gain access to titles that are impossible to enjoy today. That could be due to limitations in hardware a consumer might need or the fact that these games have skyrocketed in price. Meanwhile, emulators, such as the Nintendo Switch Yuzu, are available today that actively work on game hardware currently being sold.
With that said, if you enjoy emulators and playing retro games, you will have to look somewhere else besides the Xbox console platform. There are plenty of alternative retro-focused consoles available online that are dedicated to just providing players an easy means to enjoy these retro games, but then again, you would have to deal with ROMs which is another iffy subject.
