Earlier this month, an intriguing development occurred with the release of a new build of Windows NT for PowerPC, which had been largely forgotten. Remarkably, it has now been fine-tuned to work with the Nintendo GameCube and Wii, thanks to their PowerPC architecture—originally supported by Windows NT’s PowerPC releases. Dubbed Entii for WorkCubes on GitHub, this build also theoretically works with the Wii U. However, it doesn’t make use of the Wii U’s additional PowerPC cores, expanded RAM, or its robust AMD GPU, but rather, it operates via the virtualized Wii function. The early development boards are either not supported or remain untested.
For those curious about running Windows NT on a GameCube, YouTuber @emukid_id has captured some fascinating footage. The videos show the installation process of Windows NT, a bit of basic system usage, and even some gameplay from The Ultimate Doom at an incredibly low resolution of 320 x 200. Unfortunately, these videos come without any accompanying sound.
Despite this lack of sound, Windows NT seems to be functioning as one might hope. It can configure classic wallpapers like 3D Maze, open Notepad, and even navigate to the basic Internet Explorer homepage. The system also supports PC-like peripherals adapted for Nintendo consoles—consider a GameCube controller that’s joined with a full-sized keyboard, transforming the original game controls. Additionally, the available USB ports on the Wii and Wii U allow for broader compatibility with USB peripherals.
There’s definitely a trade-off here. In reality, even if someone were using a standard Windows NT PC today in 2025, finding modern web pages that work would be a challenge. This limitation also applies, even if the GameCube or Wii’s Ethernet adapters are working. Online functionality is notably restricted.
However, this project offers a glimpse into Windows NT and PowerPC from the era before Windows NT 3.5, with Doom still playable on a GameCube—which is rather impressive. Meanwhile, the Wii functions as an overclocked GameCube with an upgraded GPU, distinguishing it from its predecessor.
Fully supporting Wii U with NT 3.5 or a newer version of Windows could significantly enhance the experience by tapping into its substantial 1GB of DDR3 RAM and triple PowerPC CPU cores, compared to the single-core structure on the Wii and GameCube. The GameCube also managed with a mere 24MB of system RAM, supplemented by small allocations for video memory and I/O.
In summary, this development opens new doors to nostalgia and technology experimentation by merging classic Windows NT functionality with beloved Nintendo hardware.
