Emulation out of the box is no longer possible on the Xbox Series X and Xbox Series S, available since November 2020.

While Microsoft used to be a big advocate of preserving games, it went against its word when the Redmond tech giant decided to prevent emulation of platforms such as the PlayStation 2, the Nintendo GameCube, or even the Xbox 360 on the consoles’ Retail mode, so emulation can only continue in Developer mode, especially if you get the 0x87e1002d error message. (The downside of this solution is that it costs $20, and not all regions have this method.)

This error message means the game or app cannot be launched because it violates the Microsoft Store’s policies. According to clause 10.13.10, “Products that emulate a game system or game platform are not allowed on any device family.” The rule has been active all this time, and yet there’s PPSSPP (PSP) or RetroArch (which can emulate a lot of platforms) on the storefront.

The rumors were started by Alyanna McKenna, a Microsoft Azure developer, who received an email from the Xbox quality assurance team explaining the reason for the ban. Nothing from this email has been shared, but supposedly, Nintendo has expressed its displeasure. (The very Nintendo that EMULATES old games on Virtual Console platforms and now Nintendo Switch Online!?) Allegedly, the team wrote that they would look into making safe and legal emulation on Xbox and therefore talk to emulator developers to get their programs on their platform, following security policies.

No wonder the hashtag #LetUsEmulate has been going viral on Twitter. It’s used by gamers keen to preserve games and those supporting emulators. They want it to be easy to emulate Xbox Series again. (Because it’s easier to emulate a game from a developer and/or publisher that no longer exists if it’s not even released in your region… isn’t it?)

Source: WCCFTech