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N64 Emulator Pulled From Xbox One, Windows 10 Store

By David Cornell
Published on: 04:39 PST, Sep 28, 2016

An N64 emulator was discovered on the Windows 10 Store, an application which allowed gamers to play Nintendo 64 titles on their Xbox One. However, Microsoft never approved it and has taken it down.

Could this be a sign that we will never get an official emulator to play classic Nintendo games on a Sony or Xbox console? Some classic Nintendo 64 titles have found their way into Xbox Live, such as Perfect Dark, but that seems to be as far as the nostalgic gameplay will go, unless you want to buy a Nintendo console with the games already available.

Last week, Microsoft released an update for the Xbox One which allows apps from the Windows 10 Store to be run on their latest console. As most PC gamers are aware, this also likely allowed illegal software to make its way through. Unfortunately when that happens, emulators are only the borderline legal result. Trojan Horse viruses could also make their way in and ruin your console’s programming. Along with the enabling of the Windows Store on Xbox One, an N64 emulator known as Win64e10 snuck in. It wasn’t easy to find, but those persistent enough to look were rewarded with the ability to play games like Super Mario 64 and Mario Kart 64, according to Gamerick.

The games might still be glitchy, though, and even though Microsoft has pulled it from the Store, those who have downloaded it can still use it. There won’t be any more patches or updates, however, so whatever problems you have with the games will be there permanently.

Of course, the N64 emulator isn’t the only one the Xbox One is known for, as Microsoft decided to change their mind about backward compatibility. The console had launched with some horrible PR, including a now ex-employee stating that “if you’re backwards compatible, then you’re really backwards.” Now a slow trickle of Xbox 360 titles have been getting enabled on the console, so late adapters don’t have to let go of their previous library.

Emulators themselves are only borderline legal, as the consoles the games are meant for are often old and outdated. Very often, you have to map the controller buttons to recreate a similar feel on a different controller.

It’s unknown if Xbox might release their own cheap ports of older Nintendo games, though with Nintendo’s stance on copyrights it’s unlikely. YouTube had made a point of that when Nintendo decided to claim all earnings from videos featuring their games and other materials. Much like the Xbox One N64 emulator, if a video was posted of gameplay, Nintendo wanted to get their share of the earnings. Later they ended up sharing the earnings with the people posting the videos, possibly due to backlash from gamers who had lost substantial income.

The N64 emulator was a mostly unknown app which might have gotten legal attention from Nintendo for the same reason, so its popularity might not have been that great. As a result, we might not get a miniature version of the console eventually, like we are in November with the NES Classic Mini. Nintendo doesn’t even have plans to do the same thing with the Super NES, so there won’t be a collection of miniature Nintendo consoles from the past sitting in our entertainment centers any time soon.

For now, the N64 emulator on Xbox One will have to do unless you’re a hacker who wants to risk voiding the warranty on your console. If you don’t have it yet, you’ll need to find another way. Microsoft removed it from the Windows 10 Store less than a week after it appeared.

[Featured Image via Nintendo]

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