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Xbox / Microsoft Developer Account Portal Now Free in Australia (was A$22)

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Xbox / Microsoft Developer Account Portal Now Free in Australia (was A$22)Affiliate
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TheDukeOfNukem on 08/10/2025 - 15:55 storedeveloper.microsoft.com (1271 clicks)
Last edited 08/10/2025 - 22:59 by 1 other user
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This was announced a good while back, though it took some time to come to Australia. Not entirely sure when it did, but now you can use your existing Aussie account and convert it to a developer account for the princely sum of $0 (and zero cents). Got another Series S the other day (third S, plus an X) and as far as I know, the limit for 3 consoles as dev units is still in place, so I had to make a new dev account, fortunately, I could just make it on my real account now, for free, which is swell. A good few steps easier than signing up a Turkish account to get the discount like I did a couple years back.

I'm not 100% if I'm allowed to link to the emulation scene, but with DevMode, your Series console can do PS2 era games flawlessly, can also do 90% of the Wii library (albeit usually with flawed controls) and a good portion of 360 games, hell, there's even a work in progress PS3 emulator now. Anyway, Google XBSX2.0 and you'll find your way ;)

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Comments

  • Hybroid on 08/10/2025 - 15:58
    -1

    Got another Series S the other day (third S, plus an X)

    This explains so many of your comments on PS5 posts now.

    • TheDukeOfNukem on 08/10/2025 - 15:59
      +6

      Don't worry, I have a PS5 too.

      Though it gets used less than any Xbox, or the two Switch 2s ;)

  • 789 on 08/10/2025 - 16:02
    +2

    Pardon my ignorance, but didn't MS crack down on emulation etc. through dev accounts? I remember a following a patreon whose account got banned / flagged.
    Edit: just googled, and looks like I've been living under a rock! Apparently the "unsupported" apps were only blocked on retail mode. So it's presumably safe to do this on my primary account, as long as it's a dev account?

    • TheDukeOfNukem on 08/10/2025 - 16:09
      +2

      I would assume you're perfect safe to do it on your primary account. If you feel unsafe, it's free, just make a new account, I guess. I've had a Turkish account setup with it for years, and it's faced no punishments or anything.

      I did the retail mode ones too, every new version I kept jumping on too. Then they gave me a week ban or something from Xbox Live (never had a ban before, or since, may have been a month, I don't remember) and that was the kick in the arse I needed to go DevMode all the way.

      That Turkish account I use for it, is literally called "CALLAMisGAY", it's name is "Paul Shart Mall Cuck" and it's only ever been used to boot a PS2 emulator for over 2 years. No other sign ins on any other devices for any other purpose. Now while this is all anecdotal, I'd say you're likely going to be fine. :)

      • 789 on 08/10/2025 - 17:44
        +1

        Thanks! Time to dust off the old xbox!

  • mboy on 08/10/2025 - 16:06
    +1

    Cool, I was considering this a while back, and now I suppose the $0 Dev Account fee makes it slightly more appealing.

    Are there risks of this kind of access being revoked though? When you boot into the Series S in dev mode, does it need an active internet connection? Cause if so, hypothetically speaking, it's something that MS could revoke if they wanted to, right? Just thinking of the risks before I invest in a Series S for this purpose.

    • TheDukeOfNukem on 08/10/2025 - 16:10
      +3

      You don't need an active connection, in fact, the first time you boot DevMode it won't even have an internet connection saved, it runs in it's own little sandbox, and you will need an Xbox account signed in to actually boot games and shit, but beyond that, you're fine. I've played offline plenty of times, just that initial setup is needed.

      If you were buying an S just for this, go pre-owned honestly. My latest one I picked up on Marketplace the other day for 150 and flogged the remote to EB for just under 20 (it had MAD stick drift).

      • mboy on 08/10/2025 - 16:19

        Appreciate the reply, but I'm still slightly confused.

        you will need an Xbox account signed in to actually boot games and shit

        When you say games, do you mean the emulators in DevMode? Or do you mean booting back into the Xbox OS and playing Xbox games?

        Like for example, if my purpose for the Series S was only as an emulation box (ie. always in DevMode) and absolutely nothing else, does it need to be online and/or signed into an Xbox account to do that?

        • Bretttick on 08/10/2025 - 16:38
          +1

          You just need to be Logged into your profile, you don't need an internet connection.

          You won't get retro achievements this way.

        • TheDukeOfNukem on 08/10/2025 - 17:26
          +1

          To initially setup DevMode you will need an Xbox Live account. To play games in retail mode or DevMode / emulators, you will need to be signed into an Xbox profile, yes.

          But once that profile is signed in, you don't need the Internet anymore. So you can signin, set it all up, get it going, then rip your cords out and live on the desert island with Spider-Man 2 and Tony Hawk 3 happily.

      • miicah on 09/10/2025 - 09:29

        Do you mean a 'Xbox One S' or a 'Series S'?

  • marshmall0w2 on 08/10/2025 - 16:11
    -4

    Microsoft doing damage control

    • dr-collossus on 08/10/2025 - 17:17
      +2

      What damage? (Serious question)

      • netsurfer on 08/10/2025 - 17:29
        +2

        GamePass Ultimate now $35.95 per month. The price increase is more than the cost of buying a COD game per year.

        Also, prices of Series S|X consoles were increased recently.

    • MatHeadGetz on 09/10/2025 - 08:37
      +1

      um no… this has been free for the last few months.

  • bcYield on 08/10/2025 - 16:15

    Any other fees when you publish an app/game and to maintain it later on?

    And I can ask chat gpt to write me an app to post?

  • Rated3 on 08/10/2025 - 16:21
    +1

    That's cool, I remember buying this back in 2022. Been emulating on and off, works flawlessly.

  • Shazam82 on 08/10/2025 - 16:24
    +3

    Honestly the PS2 emulation is unreal. Runs extremely well upscaled and maps all your buttons. Wii/Gamecube is good but PS2 is super impressive.

    • TheDukeOfNukem on 08/10/2025 - 17:24

      I've bought every back compat game I want that's available on Xbox, but even with that, there's a few I keep on the PS2 emulator for save states and other perks. It's brilliant, hey.

  • stealth on 08/10/2025 - 16:26

    Wow! This has gotta be the best value in gaming.

  • Far Cough on 08/10/2025 - 16:31
    +4

    Ready to verify your identity
    To complete verification, you'll need to:

    • Take a live photo of your government-issued photo ID and selfie
    • Ensure the ID is non-expired and all text is clearly readable
    • Present the original physical document (not scanned copy)

    • Rated3 on 08/10/2025 - 16:45
      +1

      I don't think I remember doing that when it was paid. May be wrong though.

    • TheDukeOfNukem on 08/10/2025 - 17:23

      Yeah, it did ask me for this, I should have mentioned but didn't think to. It definitely didn't need any verification when I did the paid version a few years back. Not sure if you need it across the board now or just the free version.

    • SquareCereal724 on 08/10/2025 - 17:37
      -8

      I hope that people don't do this

      • Nom on 08/10/2025 - 18:56
        +2

        You hope that people don't sign up for dev accounts?

        If it's not for you, why are you commenting in this thread?

        • SquareCereal724 on 09/10/2025 - 11:57

          Yes I hope that people don't verify their ID to make a dev account

      • Nillionaire on 08/10/2025 - 20:36
        +1

        just did it, go womp womp

      • TheDukeOfNukem on 08/10/2025 - 21:35

        To be fair, I'm sure it has something to do with selling stuff. DevMode isn't intended for enthusiasts or emulators or anything, it's a test bed for people who are actually looking to sell games on the store. It even says you'll have to provide tax info and stuff if you want to sell anything

        • SquareCereal724 on 09/10/2025 - 12:05

          It's weird to me that people will verify their ID to install emulators on their xbox but not verify their ID to use social media. Isn't there similar privacy risks here? I will never understand people smh.

          • TheDukeOfNukem on 09/10/2025 - 20:52

            @SquareCereal724: Xbox developer accounts aren't known for selling your data, using your data for targeted ads, holding onto your data without consent, or really anything bad…whereas social media very much is.

            Also social media doesn't offer any benefit really. For any social app, there's 17000 alternatives that do the same and or similar stuff. There's only one real way to play emulators on your console (that being said, in browser emulation is pretty sweet these days)

            • SquareCereal724 on 09/10/2025 - 22:15

              @TheDukeOfNukem:

              Xbox developer accounts aren't known for selling your data, using your data for targeted ads

              I'm pretty sure microsoft does that anyway.

              There's only one real way to play emulators on your console

              In my opinion its not worth trading your ID, nor is it a smart idea to link your ID to an account where you are playing games that you may or may not legally own…

              • TheDukeOfNukem on 09/10/2025 - 22:57
                -1

                @SquareCereal724: In my opinion, it's not worth giving the government your ID.

                Drive unlicensed. Wear a mask everywhere for the facial recognition stuff. Never work a proper legal job, only cash in hand. Don't go to school. Don't get vaccinated. Live in a cave. Build a big fence in front of that cave. Nuke the rest of the world. Move to another planet. Nuke the rest of the galaxy too to be safe.

              • Nom on 10/10/2025 - 13:08

                @SquareCereal724: If you trust Microsoft enough to buy and use the XBox that they control, why would you not trust them with your ID ?!

                You're using their XBox - you've already given them a backdoor into your network and accounts.

                • SquareCereal724 on 10/10/2025 - 23:50

                  @Nom:

                  If you trust Microsoft enough to buy and use the XBox that they control, why would you not trust them with your ID ?!

                  Its not about the device. If you trust Huawei enough to use their phone would you trust them with your ID? What about if you trust a random amazon seller enough to buy a android tablet, would you trust them with your ID? If you buy a $30 emulation console on temu, would you trust them with your ID? They all can control the device. They are probably all spyware. Might as well give them your ID because you purchased their device. Might as well leave a picture of your ID on the Desktop of your computer so that hackers can get it too because if you get hacked they can control your device and they will get all your info anyway right?

                  you've already given them a backdoor into your network and accounts.

                  Windows maybe, but not Xbox.

          • Nillionaire on 10/10/2025 - 12:38

            @SquareCereal724:

            • Social Media = Personal
            • Developer = Professional

            I value my personal privacy. I concede my privacy when operating professionally. What would be weird is someone having access to developer controls without verifying their ID.

  • SmileSydney on 08/10/2025 - 17:07

    Okay I've successfully signed up for an account. What are the perks?

    • mrjaytee on 08/10/2025 - 17:19

      Emulation

    • TheDukeOfNukem on 08/10/2025 - 17:22

      Emulation and some other fun apps mostly.

  • Misterbumpy on 08/10/2025 - 17:14
    +1

    Does this mean I can finally play the leaked GoldenEye 007 Remaster Xbox Arcade on my Xbox One S as intended?

    • TheDukeOfNukem on 08/10/2025 - 17:22
      +2

      Yes! And it actually runs really really really well on the Series units! Absolutely love that game, recently picked up an N64 to play it with the real remote (emulated it for years, 1000GS on the official Xbox version and countless hours on the Switch port too) and it's aged like wine.

  • BargainBogan99 on 08/10/2025 - 18:03

    How well do they do switch emulation?

    • TheDukeOfNukem on 08/10/2025 - 18:15

      0

      • BargainBogan99 on 08/10/2025 - 21:18

        Bummer

        • TheDukeOfNukem on 08/10/2025 - 21:33

          Sorry, hands were full earlier.

          The way DevMode works is it's basically a locked off part of the console that (afaik) doesn't have access to anywhere near the full power of the machine, and it can only run things made for UWP which severely limits your options, and the people making Switch / modern emulators aren't likely to take the time to port their shit over in a compatible way. Especially with how often they get taken down all together at the moment.

          Theoretically it's possible, I'd have said impossible not that long ago, but then they went and got PS3 running on it. And then my 30 dollar game boy from Ali Express became able to play game cube. The shit these people can pull off is always amazing.

          Buuuut I do sincerely doubt we'll ever see switch emulation on a series console. Here's hoping I'm wrong though

  • Quivorir on 08/10/2025 - 23:35
    +1

    This is completely safe to do on my daily used xbox? I can flick between dev and retail mode at will without causing issues?

    • netsurfer on 09/10/2025 - 20:36

      You can switch between dev mode and regular / retail mode. However, do check out some youTube videos on how to install the dev mode (it helps you understands how it works). Normally, you install an app to prevent you from losing apps you installed in dev mode (i.e. install save exit).

      It's mostly for running emulators because 2 years ago, Microsoft stopped / deleted unapproved emulator apps from Xbox store. Microsoft left the dev mode loophole opened. If you love playing old games on TV, then it could be worth it. I'm just too lazy and if I need to play old games through emulators, I just do it on my old spare PC or those cheap handheld ones.

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