Windows 95 Running on a PlayStation 2: A Modding Achievement That Can’t Play Doom

Whoa, okay, so here’s the thing about Jace from MetraByte—a so-called “silly tech” channel, but honestly, it feels more like an insane tech odyssey. This time, Jace throws down the gauntlet to get Windows 95 and Doom running on a PlayStation 2. Yeah, you heard that right. Windows 95. On a PS2. It’s like trying to fit an elephant into a phone booth, but hey, why not?

The PS2 and Windows 95 are practically ancient tech artifacts by now (how are we even doing a tech archaeology dig in 2025?), but here we are. The PS2’s got five years on Windows 95, so you’d think it’d crush this challenge. Spoiler: it didn’t, thanks to crazy stuff like trying to make x86 code dance on a MIPS machine. Plus, Windows 95 isn’t exactly what you’d call cooperatively inclined—built on DOS and all that ’90s jazz.

Anyway—wait, hang on—I got distracted. Oh right, the video. Jace packs the experience of zillions of hours mucking around with the PS2 and sqeezes it into, like, a 30-minute video. Imagine trying to boil the ocean, but with more tech jargon.

So, Jace brings out this modded PS2, a game controller with a keyboard tacked on (because why make life simple?), a USB stick, a hard drive—the whole darn toolkit. Somewhere in the chaos, there’s a PlayStation .ELF file, DOSBox, Bochs emulators—a smorgasbord of retro-tech goodies.

The saga kicks off with attempts, and I mean “count-the-stars” level of attempts, using DOSBox. But Windows 95? It’s just not having it. Jace, the mad scientist, throws in the towel and shifts to Bochs. By then, I’m already exhausted, and I’m just watching. The switch is like trading a butter knife for a Swiss Army knife—more suited for hacking away at this monstrous task.

Watching Jace struggle with Bochs is like experiencing the agony of setting up IKEA furniture with missing instructions. There are screams from the machine about read errors, write fails, boot order issues—everything but the kitchen sink. But, a miracle (!)—the Windows 95 setup screen appears on the PS2 like some ancient deity. Cue the choir of angels.

Now, if you’re in this deep, stick around. Jace, against all odds and the universe’s wishes, gets Windows 95 installed in what feels like an eternity but claims about “14 hours.” Yes! Imagine Paint—a triumph!—though without a mouse, granted. But Doom95? Yeah, that rebel still refuses to run.

Overall, was it worth the journey? Who knows. But it was definitely a rollercoaster—complete with the agonizingly slow climb and the “Oh no, why am I doing this?” moments. As for me, I’m just gonna go find me some popcorn.