How about a little blast from the past? Windows 98, one of the fan-favorite versions of the OS, is now 24 years old. It is an eternity in the operating systems age, with this classic platform now living a comfortable retirement.
But it has found new life in the unlikeliest of places.
That’s because running Windows 98 on the Xbox Series X and Series X consoles is now possible.
This feature is a reality thanks to the RetroArch emulation system with a little help from DOSBox Pure. Using emulation software violates the terms and conditions that Microsoft has in place, and can also result in a ban from Xbox Live.
However, those of you who are adventurous can refer to this guide, which Archades Games put together, that walks you through the process.
If you want to see this in action, though, there is no better video than the one below. Put together by the awesome people at Digital Foundry, it shows off the vintage Windows 98 operating system running on the latest Microsoft consoles.
Fun fact: the script for the video was also written using the classic Microsoft Word on an Xbox Series X.
If you have to do something, better go the distance, I always say!
Of course, as you would imagine, this setup has a few limitations. For example, you can’t use a mouse and will have to make do with a controller instead to move your cursor around. Plus, there are some performance issues as DOSBox Pure relies on CPUs rather than GPUs.
Meaning, you can’t use these powerful consoles to run intensive — for their time — games like Turok, Half-Life, and more. But other tiles run fine.
