Alright, so Jace — this fellow from the MetraByte channel, you know? They decided to do something wild: get Windows 95 (yeah, that ancient dinosaur) running on a PlayStation 2. And not just that, they wanted to fire up Doom on it too. Spoiler: Doom didn’t Doom. But hang on, I’ll get to that.
Now, before diving into this tech rabbit hole, let’s remind ourselves of these two relics. Windows 95, ah, the stuff of floppy disks and blurry memories from ’95. And PS2? It made its big entrance in 2000. Imagine expecting a 2000-era console to effortlessly dance with software from ’95. Sounds easy, right? Nope.
Jace tried everything under the sun, moon, and stars to make this work. Hours upon hours condensed into a snug little 30-minute video. Wish studying for exams was like that, right?
So, the tools of the trade? A modded PS2, a game controller with a cute QWERTY keypad (because why not), and let’s not forget the USB stick and hard drive. Essential items, like preparing for a techy camping trip. There’s a USB stick with some mysterious .ELF file — apparently, homebrew magic in action.
The plan was straightforward-ish: use DOSBox first. After a wild ride of 47 attempts at least — that’s some dedication — Windows 95 kind of shook its head in disapproval. Finally, out of options, Jace switches to Bochs, this supposedly precise but slow emulator. Like trading a racing car for… a tricycle.
I tried watching the whole video, but honestly, the struggle was real. It felt like watching paint dry while someone explains the molecular changes in the paint. The PS2 didn’t want to play nice. So many “read errors,” “write errors,” tantrums over missing files… it was chaos. At one point, Jace even reached the Windows 95 setup screen. Hallelujah moment? Sort of.
It took a whopping “14 hours” (yes, like, two workdays) just to see the Windows 95 desktop. Jace, more tenacious than a tech archaeologist, ended up using Paint without a mouse. Drawing with a keyboard? Sure, adds character.
Doom95 on this old beast of a console? Nah, didn’t happen. But this whole escapade — it was something, a walk down memory lane with more pit stops than actual walking.
And that’s Jace’s tech adventure. Who knows what’s next? Installing Windows 95 on a toaster maybe? Stay tuned.
