Run x86 Windows games...on a Raspberry Pi. Not kidding. It really works.
ARM Linux running x86 Windows games? What sort of crazy Mirror Universe do we live in?!
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Check out this screenshot:
Take a good look at what is happening there. Because it is nothing short of technical wizardry.
That is a Raspberry Pi 3. Playing Heroes of Might and Magic IV.
“Hold on a cotton pickin’ second,” I hear you say. “A Raspberry Pi 3? That’s an ARM computer. Running Linux. Heroes of Might and Magic IV is a Windows game. That runs only on x86 computers!”
Yup. And it absolutely works.
Seriously.
This is all thanks to Box86 — an x86 emulator that runs on 32bit ARM systems (like the Raspberry Pi line) — and Wine (the Windows compatibility layer).
There’s a whole slew of games that have already been tested using this setup. Many work great. Some have issues. While performance of cutting edge Windows games is obviously going to be an issue on Raspberry Pi’s (they just don’t have the specs to power through many games), the fact that any game works at all is nothing short of astounding.
Angry Birds. Shovel Knight. Settlers V. Red Alert 2. Terraria. Quite a few others as well. All reported as working and playable.
Getting Box86 setup properly is a pretty simple process outlined on the Github page. Or you can simply grab TwisterOS and drop it on your RaspberyPi SD card.
TwisterOS has Box86 and Wine configured out the box. And is, in general, a pretty nifty system that deserves to be covered on The Lunduke Journal in an in-depth way.
That button just begs to be clicked. Do it. I dare ya.
No. I double-dog-dare ya.