How enterprising modders installed Windows NT on Nintendo GameCubes

With the current “analog” technology trend encouraging hobbyists to find new ways to exert ownership over hardware, console modding is attracting more and more attention. Although taking apart and putting back together video game technology has long been incredibly popular, the online communities surrounding it are increasingly moving into the mainstream. As more people take up the modding hobby, the limits to which technology can be pushed becomes a competition, leading to shocking advancements.

Typically, consoles are modified to increase their functionality, such as the decade-old mod that grants GameCube controller functionality to the 3DS. However, the spirit of collaboration (and competition) within modding communities often turns the hobby towards experimentation, pushing consoles to their limits (with classics Loss usually involved at some point). A recent example of this has been the effort to bring Windows NT 4.0 to the GameCube, which centers around Entii’s foundations for Workcubes on GitHub and recently gained prominence with a video on the modding process by Jiga Tech.

This endeavor began last year, when a new version of Windows NT for PowerPC (the long-discontinued 1995/1996 operating system) surfaced. Since the Wii and GameCube are built on a similar PowerPC architecture, modders were able to release the aforementioned Entii for Workcubes version, which allows enthusiasts to bring the PowerPC-based operating system from the ’90s to the era of GameCube systems to Wii U. While practical applications here are few and far between, this is undoubtedly impressive modding – and one that will undoubtedly lead to bigger things in the future.

Of course, it’s another thing entirely to see this type of modding in action. That’s where YouTube creator emu_kidid got the ball rolling in February 2025, with a video that demonstrates the software process of getting this version of Windows running on the GameCube. Now in 2026, Jiga Tech and Michael MJD offer videos focusing on hardware installation. This process involves removing the disc drive and installing the mod player underneath, before inserting an SD card Trojan via a GameCube memory card and continuing with the software installation. Both manage to make the system work, with Michael MJD playing “Solitaire” on the machine while Jiga Tech manages to integrate functionality for both the GameCube ASCII keyboard controller and, to some extent, the DK Bongo controller.

This level of integration is undeniably impressive, although it shouldn’t be too surprising given, again, that the Wii relies on much of the same hardware as the GameCube, including the PowerPC architecture. Although the GameCube was not the most powerful sixth generation console, Nintendo did not have to make a massive departure from the console to upgrade to the seventh generation. While the Wii may have been the weakest on the market, it was more than capable of competing.

Indeed, the use of these older consoles is impressive in its own right, but it also indicates how much Nintendo is fighting against modding on newer consoles. While every company equips its current consoles with measures to prevent major modifications, Nintendo’s streak of litigation has earned it a strong reputation in the community and caused modders to focus on older machines. As conversations around technology ownership and game preservation continue to intensify, advancements like this Windows NT mod will likely pave the way for bigger things, allowing those looking to assert their own control over the technology they own to get more power from older hardware.