Modified Nintendo GameCube Runs PowerPC Windows NT and Doom

Earlier this month, an intriguing development emerged with the discovery of a new build of the outdated Windows NT for PowerPC. This version has been fine-tuned to run on the Nintendo GameCube and Wii consoles. It’s a bit of a surprise, considering these consoles were never intended for such software, but they do share the PowerPC architecture with the original Windows NT PowerPC releases. This software, named Entii for WorkCubes and available on GitHub, can technically also run on the Wii U. However, it doesn’t take advantage of the Wii U’s enhanced hardware, like its extra PowerPC cores, expanded RAM, or its more robust AMD GPU. Instead, it operates through the console’s virtual Wii mode, and as for early development boards, they either aren’t supported or have only been theoretically suggested, without any hands-on testing.

For those who get a kick out of homebrew projects and want to see how this setup works on a Nintendo GameCube, YouTuber @emukid_id has shared some footage. The videos capture the Windows NT installation process on the console, along with some basic operations, including gameplay of The Ultimate Doom at a very low resolution of 320 x 200. However, there’s a catch—none of these videos have audio.

Aside from the absence of sound, Windows NT seems to function more or less as anticipated. You can set classic Windows NT 3D wallpapers like the 3D Maze, use Notepad, or even browse to the basic Internet Explorer home page. There’s also smart support for several peripherals more commonly associated with PCs but adapted for Nintendo systems. For instance, there’s a GameCube controller with a keyboard sandwiched in the middle, turning the outer parts into handles. The USB ports on the Wii and Wii U come in handy here too, as they allow for USB peripherals to be used.

While this setup presents an exciting novelty, it doesn’t come without limitations. For instance, even if you were using a typical Windows NT PC in 2025, you probably wouldn’t be able to access many modern web pages. Even if the Ethernet adapters for the GameCube or Wii work properly, the practical online utility is very limited.

Still, this experiment serves as a fascinating time capsule of Windows NT and PowerPC from back before Windows NT 3.5 stopped supporting PowerPC. Plus, it’s quite an achievement to see Doom running on a GameCube. It’s worth noting that the Wii is essentially a beefed-up GameCube, sporting a faster CPU and a fresh GPU compared to its predecessor.

If Windows NT 3.5 or a subsequent version could support the Wii U, it would be a game changer. The Wii U’s impressive 1GB of DDR3 RAM and its triple PowerPC CPU cores would offer a significant performance boost over the single-core setup of the Wii and GameCube. The GameCube, for its part, operates with a mere 24MB of system RAM, though it does have small dedicated RAM partitions for functions like video and input/output.

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