Nintendo has a complicated relationship with emulators and a clear opinion on them. This makes it all the more absurd that the company is currently using them itself – and doing so in public.
What is Nintendo’s stance on emulators? The Japanese company takes a rather critical view of playing its titles on systems other than its own consoles. On the official website, Nintendo clearly states that it is not acceptable to download ROMs of old games and play them via emulators, for example, on a PC.
Even those who purchased the original game back in the day are not entitled to emulate it. According to Nintendo, users violate copyright by doing so. In the past, emulator developers have already been taken offline. This happened to the creators of the Switch emulator Yuzu – they were sued by Nintendo. Later, they reached a settlement, and the creators of Yuzu paid $2.4 million to the video game giant.
It seems all the more strange now that Nintendo apparently uses emulators on Windows computers. This was discovered by an observant fan.
Nintendo is not only suing the creators of emulators, but currently also the makers of Palworld:
Emulators in its own museum?
What did the fan discover? The user @ChrisMack32 visited the newly opened Nintendo museum in Kyoto. There, fans of the company can learn about its history and play well-known titles at various stations.
Among other things, at an SNES station, where the user played Super Mario World. However, when he unplugged the iconic controller, he heard a familiar sound that didn’t quite match the old SNES console.
As can be heard in his video on x.com, the Windows sound, which always plays when a device is unplugged from the PC, is heard. This suggests that Nintendo relies on emulators in the museum.
The reason for this might be that it allows for a more stable and secure gaming experience. Given Nintendo’s position on emulators, however, the matter seems a bit strange nonetheless.
How are users reacting? On x.com, the discovery has prompted amusement. Some fans, however, also express frustration with Nintendo’s handling of emulators. For many, it’s not even about free access to games.
The user @FedCom_Security summarizes it well when he writes on x.com: “Sell us the ROMs and no one will care. Also sell us a functioning emulator. You will still sell the new systems.”
Whether the company’s approach to emulators will change in the future is questionable. Aside from that, Nintendo is probably currently working on a Switch successor. MeinMMO editor Benedikt Schlotmann has a clear idea of what the console should look like: If Nintendo listens to some fans, the Switch 2 will lose its greatest strengths
