
Microsoft formally bans emulators on Xbox, Windows 10 download shops - _____why
https://arstechnica.com/gaming/2017/04/microsoft-formally-bans-emulators-on-xbox-windows-10-download-shops/
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ysavir
I guess in 10-20 years we will be telling our grandchildren about the old
days, where you can do whatever you want on your computer, limited only the
abilities of the hardware* . And they won't believe us.

*Simplification, of course.

~~~
kminehart
No one has to put up with this though. Use free software and gain control over
your computer again.

~~~
hyperhopper
Its easy to say that, but look at the actual hardware requirements[1] for
running an open and free system. You can count your options on your fingers..

[1]
[https://libreboot.org/docs/hardware/#supported_laptops_x86in...](https://libreboot.org/docs/hardware/#supported_laptops_x86intel)

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waiseristy
Hah, jokes on them. I never use the Windows 10 store.

~~~
vocatus_gate
There's a Windows 10 store?

/s

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and0
I made a 3D NES emulator for the HoloLens about 8 months ago
[http://n3s.io](http://n3s.io) and I pleasantly surprised that a few MS
employees reached out. Some were doing internal hackathons and wanted
assistance, others even contributed to the code base, but I was particularly
shocked when a HoloLens dev that helped run their tutorial + social media
reached out to encourage (and offer resources) to get the app on the store.

My response was "no way that'd get through", but they insisted on me trying
anyway and said they could try to push it through. I didn't bother for a
couple other reasons (the open source libretro core I was using would need to
be reworked for their managed app environment, and HoloLens performance was
actually pretty crap no matter what I did), but a few days later the other
emulator controversy started.

I was expecting this outcome and really don't blame MS. Glad I didn't try to
port my own app over (which would also work on Xbox and desktop).

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Fej
It's not surprising, but still disappointing. Emulators preserve games of eras
past.

~~~
watty
So do "Virtual Consoles" which are releasing more and more past games on
different platforms and charging for it. I'm guessing if emulators weren't so
rampant on the PC then companies like Nintendo would have or would think about
creating a Virtual Console on PC for NES/SNES/N64, etc.

~~~
izacus
Having to rebuy the license to pay the same game over and over and over again
so you can play it on a slightly updated and still working hardware is
downright Kafkaesque.

Nintendo and other copyright holders want to act like you're licensing
software (so they don't have to be beholden to first-sale doctrine, laws
concerning the ability to make local backups and other consumer protections),
but they also want to prevent you from using that licensed software on newer
hardware and want you to pay for 35 year old game over and over and over and
over again. It's downright absurd, how many times do you want us to pay for
the same piece of Super Mario code?!

~~~
gdulli
Well, I've misplaced my receipt for The Legend of Zelda that I bought 30 years
ago. Ideally they'd have had an infrastructure in 1986 to manage my ownership
of the product in perpetuity across media and distribution channels. But they
didn't, so I can either hold on to my feeling of entitlement that Nintendo
owes me the virtual console version for free or I can pay $5 to play it on
there.

~~~
jnky
Or you can download an emulator and a rar with all 721 SNES games for free.

~~~
gdulli
I could also sneak into movie theaters to see all my movies for free. It's not
stealing, right? I haven't deprived them of a physical product? There's no
marginal cost to them to show the movie to one extra person, right? They lose
no revenue because I wasn't going to pay to see the movie anyway, right? And
movies are terrible right now, aren't they? Everything's a sequel or reboot,
there are no more original ideas, right? And the way they show ads before
movies now, they have no right to do that after I've already paid for a
ticket, do they? And people are always talking in theaters and they never do
anything about it, right? And they turn up the air conditioning too high...

I'd really have to be a sucker to pay for movie tickets given all those
reasons not to, right? I think I'll still do it, though.

~~~
Raknarg
idk dude. It's the same argument as pirating Game of Thrones. Most people when
offered a convenient and safer channel would probably just pay for Game of
Thrones, but many have no simple recourse other than paying out the ass for
cable.

e.g. I live in Canada. Pretty sure HBO Go doesn't support Canada, and I'm sure
as hell not wasting my money on cable TV just to see Game of Thrones. I'd
rather pirate it. But if I can watch something on Netflix, obviously I'd
rather just do that and pay for the service.

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kozak
Time to write WebAssembly emulators that will run inside browsers?

~~~
goodplay
Until they white-list websites, you know, for your safety. Good citizens only
use government-approved and microsoft-approved sites anyways.

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douche
I don't know about XBox, but does anybody actually use anything from the
Windows Store? The only app that I have gotten is the SlingTV app, except I
ditched it for the older native app, because the UWP Store one was so
hideously broken and slow.

~~~
pjmlp
Yes, I have been slowly migrating to store apps, specially since they are
sandboxed.

I also own a couple of WP, so I now get to use those apps on the desktop as
well.

~~~
cryptarch
What are "WP"?

~~~
pjmlp
Windows Phone

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Lev1a
Isn't the rule prohibiting "UWP games and apps that "pose a safety risk or
result in discomfort, injury or any other harm" to users." kinda broad
(meaning especially the "discomfort" part)?

Seeing as "discomfort" was not specified in any way, it COULD mean the horror
game you potentially want to release on the Windows Store could be denied a
listing, because it could cause some players/people psychological
"discomfort".

To be clear, I would be mostly fine with this rule if "discomfort" was
specified as "physical discomfort".

~~~
catdog
Welcome to the wonderful world of "App Stores" where some random company which
managed to put itself between you and a substantial part of potential
customers decides what you can distribute under what conditions covered by
their own vague rules which are suspect to arbitrary change at any time
anyways.

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shmerl
Yeah, emulators should switch to Linux, and MS should get lost ;)

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BoorishBears
I've had an Xbox kicking up dust for months now, this is the first I'm hearing
there were even emulators to start with, pretty disappointing.

But then again I guess it shows how often people actually use the App Store, I
never looked at it, and I don't think anyone I know has either

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garganzol
Every UWP app I saw poses a risk, results in discomfort, injures its users
with ridiculous uselessness. Windows Store should be banned altogether, once
and for all, for a brighter future of the humankind.

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ICRqVNmDrU8FDi
I have always seen piracy of media after 17~ years as purely productive. No
jobs are lost and modern generations are enjoying media which would otherwise
have been lost to time.

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bbmario
So what? There are many Javascript-based emulators out there. You just need a
browser.

~~~
ihuman
Or you could just download one from the internet and run the executable
"manually." You aren't restricted to the app store.

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_rpd
And just like that, a new generation of hackers was born.

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systems
bad publicity for the upcoming scorpio system

~~~
ihuman
How is this bad publicity? Why would someone spend >$400 just to play
emulators on a TV?

~~~
systems
why would anyone ins 2016 not have an internet connection, and dont take
advantage of online play

when there was a rumor or intention to make the xbox one require a net
connection (a not so unreasonable requirement) most people took it negatively

anything that give the perception of limiting your freedom and choices, will
be viewed negatively, even if those limits wont really hurt you

and i think you are correct, most people wont use emulators, most people dont
even know what emulators are, so why ban them .. it is just bad publicity

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dovdovdov
Holy poop, and I thought Apple is being quirky with its App Store!

Compared to the Xbox side and its costs, the App Store app review is a walk in
the park.

I might understand this for AAA titles, but for indies this must be a
nightmare.

~~~
hacker_9
They probably have bad memories of their last indie store on Xbox 360 which,
if you visited it, was full of tutorial games and dating apps...

~~~
inetknght
And Microsoft couldn't employ a few people to curate and administer this
service?

~~~
hacker_9
It was community peer reviewed. As long as the 'game' didn't break in any
obvious ways it was allowed on.

