In case you missed it, Nintendo recently opened a Museum in Japan and it’s filled with all sorts of displays featuring the company’s classic titles. For anyone who has been wondering how exactly Nintendo is showcasing these retro games in its museum, it seems it might be making use of emulation on Windows PC.
As highlighted by PC Gamer, an ‘X’ user known as ‘ChrisMack32’ shared a video of a Super Nintendo controller being disconnected (via USB) during a game of Super Mario World at the Museum, and you can reportedly hear the Windows USB disconnection sound play in the background.
Unsurprisingly, this video has spawned mixed reactions on social media. As mentioned by the source, Nintendo has “often legally pursued emulator developers and ROM websites” and the Japanese firm has also previously argued how emulation “stifles innovation”.
Some fans have suggested Nintendo could have an official PC emulator of its own that it’s never made publicly available, but if what we’re seeing here is the real deal, it’s believed the company is more likely using open source emulators to power its retro displays in the new Museum.
To officially experience a game like Super Mario World nowadays, Nintendo requires users to subscribe to the Switch Online service which gives players access to hundreds of the company’s retro titles from the SNES, NES, N64 and handheld eras.