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[Bullet Club]

Windows 98 played host to a massive collection of truly iconic PC games - and now you can play them all on your Xbox Series console thanks to virtualisation of the entire OS, plus emulated support for 3dfx Voodoo Graphics! So, how do you get it set up, how well does it work, and how does it compare against real hardware of the era? Alex Battaglia reveals all.

 

[tusharngf]

 

[Danknugz]

voodoo 2 SLI back in the day. ran quake 2 at a staggering 1280x1024 reaching 60fps at most times with occasional dips.

 

[intbal]

I bet the Build Engine games run great on this.

 

[amigastar]

These Ballmer videos remind me of a Sect or something.

 

[Fake]

Slow news... I was expecting DF Retro this weekend.

 

[adamsapple]

That's cool.

Probably not something I'll ever do but it's cool to see the option.

 

[cyberheater]

Wow. Very impressive.

 

[nkarafo]

I bet the Build Engine games run great on this.

These don't need Windows. They run on DosBox Pure alone fine.

 

[ManaByte]

 

[CatLady]

It's amazing all the things you can do on the Series consoles. Pretty damn versatile.

 

[intbal]

These don't need Windows. They run on DosBox Pure alone fine.

DosBox Pure is a native Xbox app?

 

[YCoCg]

DosBox Pure is a native Xbox app?

It's a core on RA.

 

[nkarafo]

DosBox Pure is a native Xbox app?

Xbox runs RetroArch and DosBox Pure is a RetroArch core that runs DOS games.

You can also install Windows through DosBox Pure, which is what this video is about.

So basically the chain is like this: RetroArch - DosBox Pure - Windows - Game

However, Build games don't need windows. So you can remove that layer and it's like this: RetroArch - DosBox Pure - Game.

 

[Drew1440]

Ahh it's Dosbox, was hoping 86Box or PCem was posted to the Series siblings, those can emulate both a Voodoo and the S3 ViRGE for early Direc3D titles.

 

[DenchDeckard]

Series consoles are insane.

 

[intbal]

Xbox runs RetroArch and DosBox Pure is a RetroArch core that runs DOS games.

You can also install Windows through DosBox Pure, which is what this video is about.

So basically the chain is like this: RetroArch - DosBox Pure - Windows - Game

However, Build games don't need windows. So you can remove that layer and it's like this: RetroArch - DosBox Pure - Game.

I don't need any of it. I still have plenty of old PC hardware and numerous copies of Windows.
I was really just referring to Alex's observation that software rendering works better through this configuration than the CPU-emulated Voodoo hardware.

 

[bender]

Tell me the tested Tribes.

 

[BennyBlanco]

That’s sick. Xbox Series seems fun to tinker with.

 

[PaintTinJr]

Looks interesting, but from me fast-forwarding to the turok section, I don't think it is actually accurately mimic-ing 3dfx/Glide, and is just using a Glide emulator on Direct3D/Opengl, like the later modified versions of the Ultra64 N64 emulator did - that originally needed a 3dfx accelerator - which results in less than 1:1 rasterization method and fxs. The give away in the video IIRC is that Turok on actual 3dfx Glide hardware with native glide drivers does Gourand shading on the textured walls - with fog too - in games like that - and SW Shadows of the Empire game (level 3?) I suspect they haven't tested.

 

[ShadowNate]

Let's go Windows 98 Solitaire on Xbox Series X

 

[lostinblue]

just occurred to me that that may be why Microsoft wanted to buy TikTok.

 

[MidGenRefresh]

Xbox Series PC

 

[Kilau]

It’s really cool but I don’t know why I would ever do this over using my PC.

 

[YCoCg]

It’s really cool but I don’t know why I would ever do this over using my PC.

Choice, seeing what crazy shit the Xbox Series can be pushed to do. Right now as a Games Console you've got multiple generations of various systems covered under emulation, either via native apps or RetroArch cores, so fuck it, why not also include old era PC games running off DOS up to Windows 98, you've got that extra catalogue as an option too.

 

[Starhowl]

This is great; would love to see so much more of this!

Once a Series X Pro comes out, I will plan to dedicate my Series X to emulation and it's gonna be awesome!

 

[Kilau]

Choice, seeing what crazy shit the Xbox Series can be pushed to do. Right now as a Games Console you've got multiple generations of various systems covered under emulation, either via native apps or RetroArch cores, so fuck it, why not also include old era PC games running off DOS up to Windows 98, you've got that extra catalogue as an option too.

Yeah it’s cool but I wouldn’t want to put the extra wear on my XSX for an inferior experience.

 

[Panajev2001a]

Pretty cool. Hopefully this leads to either more optimised DosBox (GPU HW acceleration and mouse support be nice) or maybe hey… MS will add its own Dos + Windows emulation lol.

 

[Esppiral]

I've installed windows 98 SE on a 16gb HDD image now on to trying some old school PC Games.

 

[Bo_Hazem]

 

[TintoConCasera]

 

[adamsapple]

 

[spartan30gr]

 

[sinnergy]

K

Xbox! For the players !

 

[MikeM]

That is the whitest crew I have ever seen.

 

[TintoConCasera]

Cocaine, not even once.

 

[Dr.D00p]

It makes me shudder to think of all the hours of my life I've lost to having to sit there and re-install Windows 98, back in the day...

 

[MidGenRefresh]

It makes me shudder to think of all the hours of my life I've lost to having to sit there and re-install Windows 98, back in the day...

I had a disc image with a clean install of Windows 98 and all drivers. Saved me a lot of time.

 

[Craig of War]

Need to get the GOAT Windows XP somehow running on Series X
Imagine Space Cadet Pinball on Series X

 

[Craig of War]

 

[Dr.D00p]

I had a disc image with a clean install of Windows 98 and all drivers. Saved me a lot of time.

I didn't discover that particular kind of sorcery until Windows XP came along.

 

[AREYOUOKAY?]

At last Starcraft on Xbox.


Someone has tried it right?

 

[The_Mike]

It’s really cool but I don’t know why I would ever do this over using my PC.

Some people hate pc, and would probably like a versatile console.

 

[jezhumphrey75]

pretty cool, be awesome if windows 98 was an actual app though.....

 

[Esppiral]

Well It was worth a try

 

[squarealex]

BUT WHY?

 

[TLZ]

pretty cool, be awesome if windows 98 was an actual app though.....

This. Yes. This.

Or XP.

 

[T-Cake]

I think this is the most enjoyable of Alex's videos so far. Got real joy from sitting there and remembering my old gaming days on PC (although I was a bit of a snob - I refused to use Windows 98/Me and had Windows NT Workstation 4.0 for gaming and it was a fucking brilliant OS).

 

[Bogroll]

BUT WHY?

Hard to explain for me. But all i can say is. You either like tinkering or you don't.

 

[Cryio]

Ah yes. Devs are dropping W7, W8 and earlier W10 builds but some are trying to run them on Windows 98, lmao.