An N64 emulator made it onto Xbox One

It’s starting to look as if Xbox One has an emulator problem.

Well, arguably it’s not a problem if you’re an owner and have an interest in retro gaming. But it may well be a problem if you’re Microsoft or a rights holder that could be affected by your games being feely playable on a rival’s hardware.

Earlier this month a NES emulator very nearly made its way onto the Xbox version of Microsoft’s Universal Windows App. In that instance the platform holder stepped in at the last moment to block its release.

However, Eurogamer reports that this week an N64 emulator called Win64e10 was actually released for the machine. Although the app was hidden as it was awaiting Microsoft approval, word quickly spread that it could be found if searched for, ultimately leading to an unspecified number of 7.69 sales.

It has of course since been removed, but those who managed to download it prior o this are now able to run pirated ROMs of cult games such as Super Mario 64 and Mario Kart 64. These ROMs can actually be uploaded onto Microsoft’s OneDrive cloud storage platform, eradicating the need for USB flash drives.

These complications may be typical of the sort of price Microsoft will have to pay for its drive toward cross platform interoperability between Xbox One and PC. However, don’t be surprised to see Microsoft clamp down on its approval procedures in an effort to tighten some loopholes.