Nintendo 3DS Successfully Boots Windows 95 Using DOSBox—Despite Lengthy Startup Time

A tech enthusiast recently took on a rather intriguing challenge: running Windows 95 on a Nintendo 3DS, specifically using the homebrew port of DOSBox. With the enhanced capabilities of the “New” 3DS—boasting extra RAM and processing power—TechTuber MetraByte managed to install the DOSBox port and then layered Windows 95 right on top. However, the journey wasn’t smooth sailing. The machine’s load times stretched into the night, necessitating an overnight break on the first boot-up. Interestingly, the OS installer itself zipped through in about five minutes, but getting proper mouse support through DOSBox’s touch input proved elusive until after the system was up and running.

You can experience a piece of this journey through MetraByte’s video, intriguingly titled “Installing Windows 95 on a 3DS and Trying to Make Music with it,” available on YouTube. A picture from the video shows this experiment in action, capturing the fascination of trying such an unlikely task.

The upside of this experiment? Windows 95 did indeed run on the New Nintendo 3DS. This is actually quite logical when you consider the specs of Windows 95, which could operate on a mere 4MB of RAM—albeit usually on x86-based systems outside of emulators. The New 3DS, with its 256MB of RAM, would have been cutting-edge back in the day, though admittedly, that’s not much by today’s standards. However, things get knotty when DOSBox has to bridge system memory with the x86 emulation on the 3DS’s Arm hardware, leading to noticeable performance lags.

While it’s technically feasible to launch Windows 95 on a New Nintendo 3DS, it’s hardly practical. The installation process is painstakingly slow, and the end result is a mostly non-functional operating system. MetraByte discovered this firsthand when even simple MIDI audio playback was a no-go. Trying to run his preferred music software resulted in a blue screen crash. That said, the OS managed to stay operational, suggesting that maybe lightweight programs could still operate.

Realistically speaking, if you’ve set your heart on working with DOSBox on the New 3DS, bypass the Windows installation altogether. Instead, focus on classic DOS games. These titles are likely to perform admirably, especially with the New 3DS’s relative strength and the reduced computing burden from not running Windows 95 as a backdrop.

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