Xbox Series X: They install Windows 98 on the console to play the classics of the time

During its short existence, the Xbox Series X has seen a number of projects, to say the least original. It was Microsoft itself that got the ball rolling by presenting a mini-fridge with an image of the console. Others followed, such as the Xbox Series X in Iron Man colors or, more recently, a model over two meters high.

However, if all these unusual structures are focused on the aesthetic dimension, we still do not have a challenge on the software side. This is where Digital Foundry comes in. Visibly inspired by the console’s backwards compatibility performance, the famous YouTube channel had an idea that was as ingenious as it was difficult to implement: install Windows 98 and play the classics from that era.

Nostalgic for Windows 98? Install on your Xbox Series X

To do this, the little geniuses used RetroArch, the integrated emulator of the Xbox Series X. However, Digital Foundry decided to install Windows 98 directly instead of using it to emulate games directly. , Youtubers did not stop here. After the first exploit is available, only a few games are left to launch.

Quake 2, Command & Conquer, Turok all worked pretty well on this relatively primitive setup. To install them, it was still necessary to be creative, then to achieve the desired result the ISO files had to be transferred directly to the Xbox Series X, since the latter cannot read the discs of the time.

In the end, despite some FPS drops here and there, once again, the performances are quite satisfactory considering the fact that the console has to emulate both an entire operating system and a game on top of it. So, we don’t recommend trying the experience yourself, but if you want to embark on the adventure, know that you should join the paid Microsoft Partner program and enable developer mode on your console.