Whether it was done to directly annoy Nintendo or simply bait haters, @YellingMadman on X has taken to showcasing Mario Kart Wii running at 4K60 on the Xbox Series X.
The user later followed it up by demonstrating PS2 emulation on the console, which went quite viral on X. It is all possible thanks to a feature not many people talk about, yet it remains one of the more compelling reasons to own an Xbox Series console, provided you can find one at a reasonable price.
The overlooked reason to own an Xbox Series?
Xbox Developer Mode is a feature that allows you to turn your console into a development kit for free as of late 2025, but prior to this it cost $20. It lets users install and run unapproved applications that are not available in the standard retail environment.
In this case, users are installing Universal Windows Platform apps onto Xbox. That has led to popular emulators being ported over to the console.
As of now, players using Dev Mode can install emulators for:
- Nintendo GameCube
- Nintendo Wii
- Nintendo 3DS
- PlayStation 1
- PlayStation 2
- PlayStation Portable
- Xbox 360
There are others as well, but most of them are much older systems.
Nintendo Wii emulation
@YellingMadman first took to X to showcase Mario Kart Wii running at an impressive 4K60 on the console. It highlights just how well emulation can perform on modern Xbox hardware.
Mario Kart Wii running on my Xbox Series X in 4K 60fps 🤯 pic.twitter.com/IKKMPLfslQFebruary 16, 2026
Given Nintendo’s track record with emulation, including recent action against GitHub repositories hosting Switch emulators, it is a risky move from the self-proclaimed madman.
That said, emulators themselves are legal. Legal issues usually stem from how ROMs are obtained. If someone legally sources their game backups, the act of emulation is generally lawful.
It's also worth pointing out that while it's the Series X is being showcased here, the Series S also performs extremely well. It may not always hit native 4K, but it remains one of the cheapest ways to emulate multiple systems at strong performance levels.
There may also be a Nintendo Switch emulator for Xbox Series consoles, if Xbox Emulation Hub is to be believed. If that becomes viable, it will almost certainly attract attention from Nintendo.
PlayStation 2 emulation
In a more viral clip, @YellingMadman appeared to showcase Vice City Stories, if the selected ROM is accurate, despite the post itself referencing Liberty City Stories. The PlayStation 2 title was shown running at 4K60 on Xbox Series X, attracting more than 19k likes and over 2 million views on X.
"There's literally no reason to buy an Xbox in 2026" Idk man I kinda like being able to play Liberty City Stories in 4k 60fps 🤷♂️ pic.twitter.com/WM5zeoYQMgFebruary 17, 2026
If you can legally source your titles, Xbox Series can actually play more PlayStation 1, PlayStation 2, and PSP titles than Sony’s own console, all thanks to emulation.
Hopefully neither Sony nor Nintendo chooses to lash out here. Emulators can play an important role in preserving games that are now resold at inflated collector prices, while the original developers see none of that resale revenue.
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