Windows 95 on a PlayStation 2: Almost Functional, But Doom Remains Unplayable

Alright, let’s dive into the chaos. So, there’s this dude Jace, right? Runs a YouTube channel called MetraByte, full of “silly tech” stuff, as he puts it. This time, the madman decides to get Windows 95 — yeah, that ancient relic — and Doom on a PlayStation 2. Totally normal Saturday stuff, right? Anyway, it’s a mess. Windows 95 sort of hobbles to life eventually; Doom? Not a chance.

But like, both these things are dinosaurs now. We’re talking 2025 here — Windows 95 came out when dinosaurs roamed (okay, 1995), and the PS2 isn’t any younger, launched back in 2000. So, theoretically — maybe — the PS2 would eat this challenge for breakfast with some tech-age wizardry. Except — plot twist — trying to make x86 code tango with Sony’s MIPS architecture was like, impossible. Plus, Windows 95 is quirky as heck, stacked on DOS and all that jazz. Moving on!

There’s a video somewhere — I’m not embedding it here, but if you squint hard enough, you’ll find Jace condensing hours of sweat and frustration into 30 riveting minutes. Spoiler: no Doom fun on this ride.

Imagine Jace surrounded by all sorts of gadgetry — a modded PS2 (fat one, mind you), controller with a built-in QWERTY keypad, USB sticks, hard drives, the works. Intriguing, right? So, with a USB stick loaded with all sorts of magic files — PlayStation .ELF files, DOSBox, Bochs, virtual boot disks (my brain’s melting), a Windows 95 setup-ready HDD or ISO, and hopefully some space to install stuff — they set off on this wild goose chase.

Funny bit — Jace tried DOSBox like 47 times, each attempt crying for mercy before they rage-switched to Bochs. DOSBox is like that friend who claims they’re good at everything but can’t keep up, while Bochs is steadily slow and does what it says on the tin.

Watch the whole ordeal and, I promise, you’ll feel Jace’s pain — as in, evaporate into thin air. An x86 OS on a MIPS console, seriously? Every tiny step dragged like watching paint dry, courtesy of sluggish I/O, that emulation layer, and Windows stuck in its old ways.

Bochs wasn’t smooth sailing either. Every possible system hurdle hurled itself at Jace: read errors, write errors — what? — boot orders, drive letters, files went AWOL. Madness. Yet somehow, boom, up pops the Windows 95 setup screen on the PS2. Mind-blown, right?

An incredible 14-hour saga ends with a lonesome Windows 95 desktop appearing. Jace fires up Paint, but without a mouse? Oh boy. Doom95 stays a dream for another day. Yet, this whole misadventure, oddly delightful. Join the chaos on Google News for more!