Earlier this year, Microsoft started shutting down the use of game emulators installed on Xbox consoles when those consoles are running in retail mode. Now a group of Xbox emulator developers believes they have come up with a way to bypass Microsoft's emulation detection modes.
Ars Technica reports that these developers have launched a Patreon page to offer access to these emulators for a small monthly fee. In return, the people who sign up get on an email whitelist that lets them download a software package.
This package combines several popular emulators to install them on an Xbox console and allow it to run games made on older Xbox consoles and also games made for other companies' consoles.
One of the developers of this new Xbox emulator collection, who is referred to in the article by his nickname "SirMangler", claims the team has created "a new package from scratch and stripped as many identifiable elements as possible" so that these emulators can be merged into one download.
He did not comment on what the "identifiable elements" that were taken out were actually like but claimed that the team's work should keep Microsoft from finding it immediately. He added:
Short of Microsoft enforcing manual reviews for every upload, I can't think of any countermeasure they could employ that I couldn't work around.
Even if Microsoft does find the download package and deletes the account, "SirMangler" claims that the team should find a way to re-upload a new version "without too much trouble."
Microsoft does look the other way with installing Xbox emulators if the console is set to Developer Mode. Having said that, it also requires the console owner to establish an Xbox developer account which costs $20. However, residents in some countries don't have that option available to them for their consoles.
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