As per NProtect Customer Support, SEGA has enabled a "Virtual PC Environment Blocking Policy" within the GameGuard configuration. With this policy enabled, GameGuard will throw Error NP1013 (i.e. "conflicting software"), or other errors, when attempting to play the game.

As there is no indication of this policy on the Windows Store, or known issues listed by SEGA here on pso2.com, do not try to install this game if you are running Windows inside a virtual machine. This includes macOS, and Linux users wishing to play this game on other platforms, and covers known VM technologies (Hyper-V, Parallels Desktop, VMWare, Virtual Box).

Here is a copy of the message text, per NProtect Support:

Note the final sentence "If you have any questions or inquiries regarding the Virtual PC Environment Blocking Policy, please contact the game company.", as well as the use of the term policy throughout the email, indicating that this is a policy enforced by the game developer, and not something enabled by NProtect themselves.

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I[1], and others[2], have experienced issues with NP1013, and there is nothing indicating this policy being enabled on any front officially. Only through contacting the developer of NProtect, by sending them a blank email attached with only the ERL error logs, was I able to understand that this policy had been made/configured by SEGA.

I have filed a ticket via support.pso2.com, and urge others with this issue to do so as well, asking SEGA to remove the Virtual PC Environment Blocking Policy.

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Can a mod pin this so people can see it? I feel like this is important to know before someone goes through hours downloading 80+ GB for a game

This was likely to be expected, since they want it to be a Microsoft Exclusive for a time. We don't know how long, though. If they allowed the game to run in a virtual environment, that would make it impossible to remain Microsoft exclusive.

If the game doesn't run on ReactOS because of this, then nProtect is laughable. Wine is also not VMWare / virtual machine / Hyper-V, nor is Proton.

There is a lot of irony in blocking VMWARE considering that a single Windows build VM was likely the way they tested this launch.

I am sure there will be a spike in Google searches for GG bypass.

@Ragnawind said in PSA: Virtual Machines Are Blocked By SEGA (Mac, Linux):

This was likely to be expected, since they want it to be a Microsoft Exclusive for a time. We don't know how long, though. If they allowed the game to run in a virtual environment, that would make it impossible to remain Microsoft exclusive.

Not really? Like, you're still running it in Windows. That's the whole point of the VM. You're still using the Windows Store, still using Microsoft Servers, and still running it on Windows. You're just running another OS at the same time as Windows. Not like you're running it in Wine on Linux. — You're still using Windows. It's just running on virtual hardware instead of physical hardware. Theres a layer of abstraction.

Hehe, thats interesting. And especially b.s. on the vulnerability/hackability statement. I mean if for no other reason that it is a VM its another layer which is a security increase unto itself. To me anyway. Markedly at least one bit more safer than running on a physical host. Eitherway whatever if any M$ Exclusivity it still maintained because as has been stated its Windows OS no matter how you slice it.

Its like VPNs. The "other side" isn't suppose to know/be able to tell its a VM unless they have the extra detection logic, as with VPN detection/blocking, to do so. Sounds like in the meantime those that need/want to do this will need to try things like changing up the virtualized hardware layer if they can. Or has also been said look for virtualization providers that aren't as obvious to the world as "I can haz iz VMseseses!!" ;0 ;~)

o/ =^.^=

So how do you contact nprotect for support because i went there and looked for cobtact info or even an email address and i couldn't find any contact info and also im not play pso2 on any kind oof virtual machine I've been having this issue on my main desktop.

@EeryHealer8871 http://gameguardfaq.nprotect.com/eng/con_13.html this was literally a first page result on bing for "NProtect GameGuard"

But as the email says, it's not them, it's sega. It's an option Sega enabled, not an issue with GameGuard. Have to visit https://pso2.com/support#contact-us and contact the game devs and ask them to remedy the situation.

Maybe if they get enough support tickets on VM users they'll lift the block.

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@KnightHarb1nger said in PSA: Virtual Machines Are Blocked By SEGA (Mac, Linux):

Or has also been said look for virtualization providers that aren't as obvious to the world as "I can haz iz VMseseses!!"

Unfortunately, that's nigh impossible, at least on Macintosh systems. VMs have to use special drivers for graphics display, and Windows itself checks if it's running in a hypervisor so it may adjust behavior accordingly. I don't think a VM can "ghost" it's presence unless it's a "bare metal" VM; that is, it's basically a virtual machine as an OS itself, rather than as a program.

Yeah, I mean between awareness of nearly all the well known and perhaps some of the lesser known paravirtualization providers and very easy to document HALs (Hardware Abstraction Layers). It probably isn't terribly difficult to check/respond for such standardized virtual hardware devices and throw ye olde hammer down.

Which coincidentally makes them a lot less safe security wise as they were once purported to be. Granted still difficult but no longer the bastion of a Host/Virtualization security barrier people once had/thought they had. Not without as you said providing and defining your own HAL to achieve that "bare metal"/Host feel. So that programs and host OSes alike can't and shouldn't be able to tell.

¯\(ツ)/¯

o/ =^.^=

Well thanks for info unfortunately though my desktop uses windows 10 pro and i don't use Linux or a mac or virtual machine and if i do use a virtual machine it's through the newer sandbox feature that Microsoft introduced and i don't even use that.

I should mention that a certain virtual machine software works perfectly on Linux. Name starts with Q and shouldn't be hard to find.

You will need a GPU Passthrough (VFIO) setup for the game to run at decent speeds, but after it's set up it works perfectly. Have fun

PS.: JP PSO2 also works just fine

@TricolorBloom74 said in PSA: Virtual Machines Are Blocked By SEGA (Mac, Linux):

I should mention that a certain virtual machine software works perfectly on Linux. Name starts with Q and shouldn't be hard to find.

You will need a GPU Passthrough (VFIO) setup for the game to run at decent speeds, but after it's set up it works perfectly. Have fun

PS.: JP PSO2 also works just fine

+1

o/ =^.^=

@TricolorBloom74 this is a problem for Mac users. GPU passthrough does not exist on the macOS platform. Parallels Desktop 15 provides Metal GL translation, turning Windows GPU calls into Apple's own Metal graphics library, which yields significantly improved performance, provides eGPU support, and allows for proper DirectX 12 support. Other VM applications are not designed for this (as it would require writing a graphics driver just for Macs in a new language only supported on newer hardware. Parallels has no worries as it is a Mac only program).

It's nice to know at least Linux users have a "way around" it, but it's still a workaround, not a solution.

@MisutaaUrufu said in PSA: Virtual Machines Are Blocked By SEGA (Mac, Linux):

@TricolorBloom74 this is a problem for Mac users. GPU passthrough does not exist on the macOS platform. Parallels Desktop 15 provides Metal GL translation, turning Windows GPU calls into Apple's own Metal graphics library, which yields significantly improved performance, provides eGPU support, and allows for proper DirectX 12 support. Other VM applications are not designed for this (as it would require writing a graphics driver just for Macs in a new language only supported on newer hardware. Parallels has no worries as it is a Mac only program).

It's nice to know at least Linux users have a "way around" it, but it's still a workaround, not a solution.

There is no bypass as of the release of Big Sur (11.0), and Apple already tighten by forcing third parties to use their Hypervisor.framework as the base of operations.

So I suggest getting yourself a bare-bone hypervisor (a certain VMware hypervisor or other open-source Type 1 hypervisors), do some PCI passthrough, modifying config as needed, install Parsec and be done with it.

After a couple of testing, GG only checks by looking at CPUID mask (Task Manager, and probably using blacklist to terminate if found any strings matched as virtualized), MAC address of the ethernet card and the presense of VMware Services (found in VMware Tools).

Sauce: I do sysadmin for a living.

@M1kuCh4n said in PSA: Virtual Machines Are Blocked By SEGA (Mac, Linux):

After a couple of testing, GG only checks by looking at CPUID mask (Task Manager, and probably using blacklist to terminate if found any strings matched as virtualized), MAC address of the ethernet card and the presense of VMware Services (found in VMware Tools).

Sauce: I do sysadmin for a living.

Can you tell us why GameGuard terminates/blocks use of WINE or Proton? Since they're not emulators/VMWare/HyperV.