[UPDATE] Emulators are back and running in Xbox Series' Retail Mode
UPDATE: It seems like this new method has been removed and blocked yet again, similar to last time. It took Microsoft just a meager few hours to counter this new method, though it remains to be seen if this will continue in any case. Some reports from after the 1st down mention that this method is back again, which means that a possible game of cat and mouse between Devs and Microsoft will be on the frontline again.
Back in April, several users started reporting that their emulator applications in UWP format were getting blocked from running under the Xbox Series' retail mode. It all came down to Microsoft locking down the applications from running with the following message showing up when attempting to boot them: "This game or app can't be launched as it violates the Microsoft Store Policy."
However, emulator apps could still be installed and run under Dev Mode for both Xbox Series S and X consoles, but that didn't stop several developers to still dive in and attempt a new method for Retail mode viability.
After a couple of months since the news, developers SirMangler and TRW have started work on a new method for being able to install those emulators into retail mode, bypassing Microsoft's security. A new app store, called UWeaPons Store, has opened up in Patreon, and offers a way to install those applications (like Dolphin, RetroArch, Xenia, XBSX2) back into the Xbox Series' Retail Mode:
About UWeaPons Store said:
It must be taken into consideration, however, that if you previously had emulators installed through the new method, your configuration will most likely not carry over to this new apps installed through UWeaPons Store. This does NOT mean that Microsoft has lifted up the previous ban on the apps, as those previously installed apps will still be locked in the console.
While the full method in which this is possible hasn't been disclosed by the developers themselves (probably to mitigate Microsoft's action to an extend), the way the new method works for the user is similar to a previous one, meaning the user has to provide an email to be whitelisted and be able to download the app from the UWP App Store, and adding to its, there's now a $2 fee from their Patreon, which then allows access to this new store.
There seems to be two key differences here, with one being that a lot of the metadata and the manifest of the application has scrapped off almost everything related to emulation, as to not trigger Microsoft's security, and that the UWeaPons Store utilizes only one download for all emulators, making uploads/downloads easier for both devs and users, and this also seems to help with the detection mitigation for the app.
Additionally, there's the uncertainty of whether or not Microsoft will, or rather, when they will counter this new method, as there's always the possibility of them finding out about the new homebrew store and working to remove it and/or lock it, just as they did with the previous method.
UWeaPons Store Patreon
