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Emulation (Games) Microsoft Operating Systems Software Windows

Microsoft Will Not Bring x64 Emulation to Windows 10 on ARM (thurrott.com) 46

Microsoft has confirmed that x64 emulation will no longer be offered in future Windows 10 Insider Preview builds (or release builds). Paul Thurrott reports: "We have received questions about the status of x64 emulation in Windows 10," a Microsoft spokesperson told me. "Microsoft wants to share an update that x64 emulation for Windows is only generally available in Windows 11. For those interested in experiencing x64 emulation, a PC running Windows 11 on Arm is required. Microsoft is committed to supporting customers on Windows 10 on Arm through October 14, 2025."

Microsoft announced the availability of x64 emulation in Windows 10 on ARM in the Windows Insider Program last December, before Windows 11 existed, but the original post has now been updated to note that this support is only available in Windows 11 on ARM. "x64 emulation for Windows is now generally available in Windows 11," Microsoft says. "For those interested in experiencing this, a PC running Windows 11 on Arm is required." And let's get real here. Windows on ARM won't be viable until Qualcomm ships its next-generation Nuvia-based chipsets for PCs anyway. And today, the firm revealed that that won't happen until the end of 2023 at the very earliest.

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Microsoft Will Not Bring x64 Emulation to Windows 10 on ARM

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  • Not surprised... (Score:5, Interesting)

    by sconeu ( 64226 ) on Tuesday November 16, 2021 @09:08PM (#61994961) Homepage Journal

    A lot of things were announced for Windows 10 21H2 but got moved to Windows 11 instead when they decided to do 11.

  • Bad title (Score:5, Insightful)

    by idontusenumbers ( 1367883 ) on Tuesday November 16, 2021 @09:20PM (#61994979)

    The title of this post should be "Microsoft will make x86 emulation on ARM available for Windows 11 only"

    • That makes very poor clickbait and doesn't allow for quite the same mock outrage.
    • The title of this post should be "Microsoft will make x86 emulation on ARM available for Windows 11 only"

      That would not be accurate because 32-bit x86 emulation will still be supported on Windows 10. What is lost is 64-bit x86, or what is often called x64, emulation for Windows 10. This means people running their old Windows apps will still be able to do so if there is a 32-bit version, and I suspect this is true for a great many apps on the market.

      I have to wonder how long it will take for someone to write some kind of emulation layer for running x84 apps on Windows 10 for ARM. Just how many people are aff

      • by 93 Escort Wagon ( 326346 ) on Wednesday November 17, 2021 @01:06AM (#61995257)

        I have to wonder how long it will take for someone to write some kind of emulation layer for running x84 apps on Windows 10 for ARM.

        Well, Codeweavers already did it (32 and 64 bit Windows emulation) for the M1 Mac, and I would expect it'd be somewhat easier for ARM Windows...

        • by Anonymous Coward

          I have to wonder how long it will take for someone to write some kind of emulation layer for running x84 apps on Windows 10 for ARM.

          Well, Codeweavers already did it (32 and 64 bit Windows emulation) for the M1 Mac, and I would expect it'd be somewhat easier for ARM Windows...

          Not really, they run their Crossover product atop Apple's Rosetta 2 which does the actual x86-atop-Arm emulation.

  • I wonder what the implications are for VMware, et al, supporting Windows VMs on Apple silicon. VMware indicated their Fusion product supports Linux, but had been in a holding pattern until Microsoft announced what their level of support would be. Sounds like it'll be Win11 only?
  • by phantomfive ( 622387 ) on Tuesday November 16, 2021 @10:01PM (#61995043) Journal

    It's a chance to move away from Windows.

    • Re: (Score:3, Insightful)

      by Anonymous Coward
      why the fuck would you move away from windows for a feature that as of yet no one uses?
      • Re: (Score:1, Redundant)

        by phantomfive ( 622387 )

        Why the fuck wouldn't you move away from windows?

        ftfy

        • I can't wait for the "Valve Index 2.0" or whatever the name's going to be, because (relatively) low-cost Linux-based VR means future games will either be for Facebook, Apple and Valve headsets. Since we still haven't heard anything about XBox VR support, that means XBox will die within a decade unless they change direction.

          Microsoft Windows is going to disappear from homes and stay in the corporate world where it belongs, where there's an IT team to manage all the security and all that crap.

  • by takionya ( 7833802 ) on Tuesday November 16, 2021 @11:26PM (#61995147)
    Enough already with the free adverts for the MICROS~1 corporation !!!
    • If you are having problems with news about things nerds are interested in, I suggest you join a knitting forum instead. The rest of us are actually interested in the movement from x86 / x64 to ARM on the desktop and what unreasonable impediments vendors are putting in the path of users.

  • Otherwise, pretty much everything would be mandatorily executed on cloud servers by now. Every keystroke, every mouse movement.

    • Yeah, it would be really really terrible if my PC at home was the size of a USB Thumb drive and I could use it from any screen that I own from any device maker: Apple, Microsoft, Dell etc.... /sarcasm

      Since the pandemic broke out I've been working over Parsec on my workstation in the office. It's awesome. My home work PC is just a thin client fast enough to decode 4:4:4 h265. If I could have an ultra low latency h.265 decoder and a USB hub for webcams, microphones, speakers and things I would be set.

      • Yes, it would - that thumb drive would be how commercial interests keep you under their thumb in the interests of protecting revenue. Everything important would be only available remotely.

        Thanks for the pointer to Parsec - looks like Unity's buying it.

  • It just means 99.99% of the software you could run on Windows has to do so through emulation. And most likely the emulator has a heap of limitations about what it can run and what it can't.
  • I can buy an ARM laptop for $999 that beats a quad core Intel processor at running x86 code. Actually, I could do that a year ago. So I wonder why Microsoft is so hesitant licensing Windows 11 for ARM for these machines.
    • I can buy an ARM laptop for $999 that beats a quad core Intel processor at running x86 code.

      At running what x86 code?

  • I'd understand that Microsoft would want as many users as possible to use Windows 11, but are they also screwing over old customers that got on the bandwagon too early?

    * Are there Windows 10/ARM machines can't be upgraded to Windows 11?
    * Is there any reason that you'd not want to upgrade a Windows 10/ARM machine to Windows 11?

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