Nintendo Caught Emulating Its Own Games

Recent findings have revealed that the Nintendo Museum is utilizing emulators for at least some of its interactive displays, sparking irony among fans. This is particularly noteworthy given Nintendo's longstanding opposition to emulation practices.

After some delays, the Nintendo Museum officially opened its doors on October 2 in Kyoto, Japan. This innovative center offers visitors a chance to explore the company’s extensive library of consoles and games, while also enjoying hands-on experiences with many of its classic titles.

Evidence Points to SNES Emulators in Use

However, not all interactive exhibits rely on original hardware. Twitter user ChrisMack32 made a surprising discovery after unplugging a controller from a station displaying the 1990 SNES classic, Super Mario World. This action triggered the familiar "Device Disconnect" sound, a hallmark of Microsoft's operating systems dating back to Windows XP in the early 2000s.

When the gamepad was reconnected, the equally recognizable "Device Connect" sound played, strongly indicating that the Super Mario World station operates on a Windows-based SNES emulator. This revelation ignited discussions online, with many users calling out Nintendo for what they perceive as hypocrisy in using emulation while opposing it publicly.

Nintendo’s Stance on First-Party Emulation

Despite the backlash, it’s important to note that Nintendo's anti-emulation stance has primarily targeted third-party projects. The company has consistently embraced emulation for its internal purposes. For instance, the vast majority of the Nintendo Switch Online game library relies on emulated content, and Nintendo previously offered a successful 3DS emulation service called Virtual Console.

Thus, the use of emulators at the Nintendo Museum aligns with the company's established practices. Currently, there is no indication that the interactive exhibits utilize anything other than Nintendo's proprietary emulators, of which the company has a significant supply.

Ongoing Battle Against Third-Party Emulators

The reaction from fans, however, is understandable, especially considering that it has only been a few weeks since Nintendo took action against yet another popular emulation project. In early October 2024, the company reached out to Riperiperi, the lead developer of the Switch emulator Ryujinx, demanding that they cease development on the app and delete its GitHub repository, as reported by one of the project's Discord moderators.

Just six months prior, Nintendo had also successfully shut down the Switch emulator Yuzu, a case that was simpler for the company due to its ability to argue piracy violations against the app's creators.