Running Windows 95 on a PlayStation 2: A Mod That Almost Works (But Not for Doom)

Alright, here we go, diving into the rabbit hole with Jace from MetraByte, because honestly, who even thinks of getting Windows 95 running on a PS2? But here we are. Picture Jace wrestling with this vintage tech, coaxing it to life. It’s kinda like persuading an ancient cat to play fetch. Surprisingly, Windows 95 sort of came to life, but trying to play Doom on it? Nah, that’s like expecting your grandma’s old typewriter to send emails.

The whole deal is like watching a retro episode of MacGyver. I mean, we’re talking about a PlayStation 2—a gadget from the year 2000—and Windows 95, which is, well, older than some folks reading this. You’d think the PS2 had a secret hidden advantage, but no. It’s like trying to run a marathon with shoes made of Jell-O. The MIPS architecture in the PS2 is no friend to the ancient x86 code.

And then there’s the video—crazy amounts of tech sorcery crammed into less than 30 minutes. Jace is essentially a sorcerer, with their modded PS2, a QWERTY game controller (yeah, they exist), and this heap of USB sticks and hard drives. Oh, and ever heard of a .ELF file? Neither had I until this moment. It’s like a magical script that pulls all the strings.

They experimented with DOSBox—it’s like a Swiss army knife for old games, but not a sturdy one. Forty-seven attempts later (imagine the caffeine intake), Jace switches to Bochs. This wasn’t exactly a walk in the park either. Imagine fiddling with a cabbage that’s stubbornly refusing to become coleslaw. The struggle with errors, boot orders, and even missing files is real. And then, finally, Windows 95 graces the screen. Cue the hallelujahs and maybe a dramatic sigh of relief.

Now, if you stick through the full video, you almost feel the slow burn of frustration paired with determination. Ever tried convincing a MIPS console that it can handle an x86 OS? It’s like convincing a cat that baths are fun. Not happening smoothly. Every click and command carrying the weight of eternity, slowed down by the glacial pace of the PS2’s hardware.

In this world of chaos, Jace battles a storm of system complaints—read errors, write errors, you name it. The moment the Windows 95 setup screen shows up? Pure gold. Although, let’s not talk about trying to run Paint without a mouse—picture a painter without a brush. And Doom? Forget it. But somehow, this crazy attempt was worth the chaos.

At the end of this epic saga, you get the sense that it wasn’t about the destination but the journey—kinda cliche, but totally true here. Want more? Dive into Jace’s world and get ready for a ride through gamer nostalgia with a twist of tech madness. It’s not every day you see someone trying to breathe life into vintage circuits.