Microsoft Bans Game Emulators from the Windows Store

Megalith

Megalith

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The joke is on Microsoft, since nobody uses the Windows Store enough to realize it even carries game emulators, but these apps are now officially banned after a policy update. The first casualty appears to be NESBox, but it can just be easily downloaded from the web.

The change to the store policies was picked up by NeoGAF, and it’s already affected emulator NESBox. This particular emulator was removed from the Xbox Store last year, and is now entirely unavailable on any of the Microsoft-operated store. It’s unclear why Microsoft chose to do this now, though the upcoming release of the Creators Update could have something to do with the timing. The Creators Update aims to further unify the Windows and Xbox Stores, simplifying the process of publishing apps.
 
Damn, the shills are here already.

Anyways, looks like once again, they need to copy apple and remove value, instead of adding.

But of course, they dont do anything wrong.
 
rgMekanic said:
Who the hell uses the windows store anyway?



Agreed as well
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Not I, haven't even looked at it much less bought anything.
This is one reason MS knowing what programs are installed/ran is dangerous.
I can see someone suing and trying to get the names of all the people who have a specific program installed.
Not to mention the government having free reign over it. Have encryption programs installed, your on the list!
 
rgMekanic said:
Who the hell uses the windows store anyway?
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While the Windows Store is far from great, there are number of very useful apps out there. If you're on Windows 10 and use Netflix, Hulu or YouTube, there's no reason no to use those apps, even on the desktop. There some really good PDF readers out there, Xodo is excellent and fast as hell, beats Win32 PDF apps in performance.
 
grtitan said:
Damn, the shills are here already.

Anyways, looks like once again, they need to copy apple and remove value, instead of adding.

But of course, they dont do anything wrong.
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I don't know if you refer to me or not, either way..
I do get what you are saying, but in the end emulators are too much of a tool to circumvent DRM, and there is that DRM law or whatever, and all that jazz.
Looked long time ago and was surprised google carried them to be honest (don't know if they still do)
 
Uvaman2 said:
I don't know if you refer to me or not, either way..
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They know who they are, unless the shoe fits.... ;-)
Uvaman2 said:
I do get what you are saying, but in the end emulators are too much of a tool to circumvent DRM, and there is that DRM law or whatever, and all that jazz.
Looked long time ago and was surprised google carried them to be honest (don't know if they still do)
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The DRM is actually blocking your legal right of having a backup of your media. But we know that is also abused.

The reality is, emulators are mostly used to play games that not even the owner cares at this point and it is a way to preserve those games, since the original device that allowed us to play with it, is long dead and not replaceable.
 
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And so begins the UWP age. And a dark age it is. I consider it the extinction of the Windows desktop.
 
A step that goes along with Microsoft converging Windows and Xbox. I don't believe any console maker allows third party emulators.
 
ManofGod said:
Hi All!

Here we go again! :D
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Where are we going!? I wanna go!

To me, they are protecting their asses. Like Apple. Emulators aren't illegal on their own, but they can open the doors for it. Like torrent sites, you're not hosting the pirated files, but they don't like those either. I can see the legal reason to ban them from the store. Apple does, too.

I just use the desktop versions. If Windows 10 bans those, then I'll use the Windows 7 version or even jump to Linux. I have no problem doing that. Microsoft would just lose a few more customers if they did that. I love Microsoft, but I use their software because it does what I want it to. Take that away and I have zero issues with using an alternative OS. I use gaming emulators almost daily (lunch time, arcade cab, etc.), so it's a big thing for me. Take that option away (I wouldn't use one from the store, anyway), and I'm moving on.
 
Microsft is now telling you what software you can run on their ad delivery platform, that clashes with what I want my operating system to do.
Ur_Mom said:
Where are we going!? I wanna go!

To me, they are protecting their asses. Like Apple. Emulators aren't illegal on their own, but they can open the doors for it.
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Internet Explorer has opened the doors to more illegalities than any other browser yet I don't see them removing Edge from the OS.
 
davethehedgehog said:
Jeez, do you ever stop? Who's talking about Apple, Google or Amazon here?
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Because it's a perfectly legitimate point especially since there's a hell of a lot more people downloading a hell of a lot more apps from these sources. If app store downloads are dangerous from the Windows Store they're then they'd have to be a whole lot more dangerous in these much large app stores.

Telemetry, cloud services, app stores, these things have been overwhelmingly approved in the market place, right or wrong. And the distinction between a PC and smartphone is meaningless considering just how much data and activity goes through smartphones these days, smartphones are today's PCs. The idea that app stores are ok on smartphones but dangerous on a desktop or laptop doesn't make any sense. Indeed what about an app store like Steam or Origin? Some people are saying a lot stuff and aren't thinking it through.
 
heatlesssun said:
Because it's a perfectly legitimate point
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No it's not. Nobody's saying "look at how evil Microsoft are. Google, Amazon and Apple are just SOOO much more awesome". They're all scumbags. Every single time someone criticises MS that's your first port of call. You sound like that annoying kid on Southpark bleating on about how "Simpsons did it".
 
Jim Kim said:
Microsft is now telling you what software you can run on their ad delivery platform, that clashes with what I want my operating system to do.

Internet Explorer has opened the doors to more illegalities than any other browser yet I don't see them removing Edge from the OS.
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No, they simply are blocking some stuff on their e-store. It has nothing to do with running what you want on your own. Go whine at Google and Apple too.
 
davethehedgehog said:
No it's not. Nobody's saying "look at how evil Microsoft are. Google, Amazon and Apple are just SOOO much more awesome". They're all scumbags. Every single time someone criticises MS that's your first port of call. You sound like that annoying kid on Southpark bleating on about how "Simpsons did it".
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Nope. You can't single out the Windows Store and just ignore app stores with a lot more users. You can't honestly say "The Windows Store is bad because Microsoft knows the apps you're using." and not expect a reasonable and object person to ask "Isn't that also an issue with the App Store?"
 
heatlesssun said:
Nope. You can't single out the Windows Store and just ignore app stores with a lot more users. You can't honestly say "The Windows Store is bad because Microsoft knows the apps you're using." and not expect a reasonable and object person to ask "Isn't that also an issue with the App Store?"
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When I was a little kid I got upset one time because my brother got something and I didn't. When I complained to my mom she asked me if she should also slap me upside the head every time my brother got in trouble.

"But they did it too!" Is a pathetic and childish excuse for accepting the artificial limitations Microsoft wants to place on users to milk more profit out of them. It's clear that the long term goal is to kill the traditional desktop.
 
heatlesssun said:
not expect a reasonable and object person to ask "Isn't that also an issue with the App Store?"
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Yes I can. You, however, portray yourself as being unreasonable in every damn thread. This story is about MS. MS did something, some people think it's bad, some people think it's good. They say that. You then chime in with "but... but.... muh goooooogle. Muhhh appp stooorrrrrr" every bloody time. You're like a flipping cracked record man.
 
cptnjarhead said:
Microsoft has a store?... isnt that in Redmond?
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For the gift shop, sure. Microsoft Store itself is in Bellevue. There's a lot of them, though. Portland is the closest one to me.

Oh, the other store. Yea, it looks like a shopping bag on the taskbar in Windows 10 unless you took it off (I did). There's a few decent things in there, especially if you bought a game that's on XBO and PC. A TON (SHIT TON) of trash. Moreso than the Android store last time I was there. iTunes isn't too bad.

I'm just happy that Microsoft is doing SOMETHING to work on the store issues. So much bullshit apps in there. They need to seriously work on cleaning it up before banning other things...
 
DeathFromBelow said:
"But they did it too!" Is a pathetic and childish excuse for accepting the artificial limitations Microsoft wants to place on users to milk more profit out of them. It's clear that the long term goal is to kill the traditional desktop.
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What artificial limitation? All of the desktop apps I've used under Windows 7 still work fine under Windows 10. Even this emulator didn't go away. But in this day and age some things just aren't going to be desktop apps. Netflix was never going to write a Win32 app. Well the clunky WMC plugin that kind of sucked might count. But they did make an app which is the only legal way to get downloads on non-mobile devices.

Windows is hybrid OS. It works as desktop, can work on a tablet even resource constrained ones where desktop apps do work so well. Bottom line, there's just more choices of devices, input methods and distribution points. As long as it's additive, more instead of less, not sure what the complain it in having the Windows Store. More software, more choice. You don't have to like it if it gives others things they like without taking anything away.
 
davethehedgehog said:
Yes I can. You, however, portray yourself as being unreasonable in every damn thread. This story is about MS. MS did something, some people think it's bad, some people think it's good. They say that. You then chime in with "but... but.... muh goooooogle. Muhhh appp stooorrrrrr" every bloody time. You're like a flipping cracked record man.
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Yeah, the story is about an app being removed from the Windows Store, NOT WINDOWS.
 
davethehedgehog said:
What are you even talking about now? What does that statement mean? I don't know now if you're confused, but I am. Are you a bot maybe?
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Megalith said:
The first casualty appears to be NESBox, but it can just be easily downloaded from the web.
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Not a bot, I actually read the article. So people complain about how bad the Windows Store is and just, gee, you can still download this just like Windows apps forever and still works on 10. Ok, Microsoft might have ulterior motives as it relates to the Xbox but nothing is being taken away, just a source of distribution.
 
DeathFromBelow said:
When I was a little kid I got upset one time because my brother got something and I didn't. When I complained to my mom she asked me if she should also slap me upside the head every time my brother got in trouble.
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There is no coherent logic there. It's just an incredibly stupid thing to say, especially to a kid.
 
Snowdog said:
There is no coherent logic there. It's just an incredibly stupid thing to say, especially to a kid.
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Weird, as I read near perfect logic there, in that analogy. Which is what it was. It also didn't mean the mother actually slapped her children either. You're under-thinking this while at the same time taking it too seriously. Life isn't fair in its negatives and positives.
 
heatlesssun said:
Windows is hybrid OS. It works as desktop, can work on a tablet even resource constrained ones where desktop apps do work so well. Bottom line, there's just more choices of devices, input methods and distribution points. As long as it's additive, more instead of less, not sure what the complain it in having the Windows Store. More software, more choice. You don't have to like it if it gives others things they like without taking anything away.
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No, it really isn't. Not outside of marketing brochures. It's a desktop OS with a mobile/social identity crisis that fails at everything else. It failed at mobile and it fails as a tablet OS.

If it was really additive then I'd agree there'd be no problem and people would just continue as they have been - ignoring the mobile/social/cloud crap that adds no value. But Windows 8 and no 10 have been subtractive to the desktop experience in too many ways, and MS is continually subtracting and trying to pave over the desktop stuff with inferior mobile App stuff, and systematically blocking the removal of those "features" useless to desktop users. What once were uninstallable Apps became unremovable, and now in the latest update there are more items that can't even be removed/unpinned from the start menu. It's a creeping erosion of what made Windows great.

This Metro era of suck has been all stick and no carrot. They've done everything BUT created new software and features that the userbase would find useful or interesting. People don't "hate" the Store, they just try it once or twice, or use an App once or twice, and realize it sucks and does nothing better than superior Win32 predecessors the Apps are attempting to replace, and these users never return. That's been the fundamental problem.
 
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while I am no fan of MS in many ways, their store, their rules and unfortunately as we all know emulation is for pretty much one thing only....
 
DPI said:
No, it really isn't. Not outside of marketing brochures.
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Brochures and real life. I use this stuff everyday and have for years dating back to Windows XP Tablet PCs from 15 years ago. Virtually any desktop app that runs under 7 works just like it always has, and in some cases a lot better consider the high DPI nature of some of these hybrid devices where 7 just falls apart because of all of the DPI issues. 8.1 is better but 10 CU is considerably better than that though still not perfect. And as a tablet, yeah the app count isn't there but watching movies, web browsing, what games are there, it all works very much like an iOS or Android device in tablet mode.

DPI said:
It's a desktop OS with a mobile/social identity crisis that fails at everything else. It failed at mobile and it fails as a tablet OS.
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Ok, but everything I ever did under Windows 7 works like it pretty much always has, a lot better on a 4k screen than even 8.1. And web surfing, Netflix, Hulu, etc. pretty much work like any tablet.
 
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