The Nintendo GameCube is known for playing the best version of Smash Bros. and its vaguely rectangular aesthetic. It’s not particularly known for running a workstation OS from the mid-1990s. However, with a little work, your diminutive purple console could also boot up Windows NT if you really wanted it to.
This is fundamentally possible because, once upon a time, Microsoft built a PowerPC version of Windows NT. The work to make it compatible with the GameCube was performed by a group of contributors—[Rairii], [NTx86], and [stonedDiscord]—with the resulting port made available on Github. It won’t just run on the GameCube, either. You can also boot it on the Wii, and within the Wii-U’s vWii mode, as well.
If you’re interested in seeing what this looks like, there’s a great video from [Jiga Tech] on YouTube that outlines the install process. Just note that the GameCube never really came with a proper keyboard. If you want textual input, you’ll have to fuss with a range of controller-entry methods, or get one of the rare GameCube controllers that had an entire keyboard in the middle. We’re not even kidding, they did exist.
If you’re still obsessed with this generation of consoles, consider trying to order pizza from your Sega Dreamcast. Video after the break.
