Microsoft scraps Xbox feature: players lose awesome feature

Microsoft recently took strict action and is now preventing a notable feature on the Xbox Series. Until now, players have been able to use emulators on their consoles without any problems, but that has now come to an end. But there is another way for retro fans to continue using their console as an emulator.

Microsoft bans emulator apps on Xbox Series

Not only games from the Xbox One and Xbox era can be played on the Xbox Series X and Series S, old Nintendo and PlayStation games could also be played on the modern Xbox consoles if you managed to download one of the emulator apps from the Microsoft Store in good time, before Microsoft blocked them and removed them from the online store. Because once the app is installed on your Xbox, you can still start and run it even if it is no longer available.

But that’s the end of it now, isn’t it? kotaku reported. Because recently, Xbox owners who still have the corresponding emulator apps on their Xbox these no longer start. Instead, they are confronted with the following error message:

“This game or app cannot be started

The game or application you are trying to launch violates Microsoft Store policies and is not supported. (0x87e1002d)”

A Microsoft spokesman told Kotaku about the change as follows:

“We are continually evolving our mechanisms for reviewing and enforcing content distributed through the Store to ensure compliance with our Microsoft Store policies. Per 10.13.10, products emulating a gaming system or platform are not eligible for any device family.”

Which is actually better – the Xbox Series or the PS5? We asked you:

Continue using Xbox as an emulator: Developer mode makes it possible

Good to know: This change only affects retail mode of the Xbox Series. This is the mode your Xbox ships with by default. Anyone who activates developer mode on their Xbox Series X or Series S can continue to use their console as a powerful emulation station. To do this, however, interested parties must download the so-called “Dev Mode Activation” app to their console in the Microsoft Store and have it activated. There is a one-time fee of around $20 for this (source: Microsoft blog).

In this mode, Xbox Series S and Series X can run a variety of UWP apps, effectively turning the Xbox into a small mini PC. Only problem: In this mode, players can no longer play normal Xbox games. In order to be able to start them again, the console must be restarted and booted into retail mode.