Windows XP Retro Gaming with a Console Sized PC Under $50

Want to get back into retro (but not too retro) PC Gaming? Here's an inexpensive and modestly powerful form factor PC suited for Windows 98 and XP games without a bulky tower. Relive the wonder years of Windows PC gaming with this console sized Thin Client PC.

[SnownelVEVO]

For anyone attempting this in the future, Snappy Driver Installer Origin is the key - I use it whenever I'm trying to get an obscure piece of hardware running on Windows. I'm not sure if it has the iGPU driver because I installed that first, but it installed everything else automatically, except the COM ports (it has drivers for them but they don't install correctly and disappear on reboot).

[BulldogautoGaming]

Never had a PC when I was younger so a lot of classic pc games passed me by! Although at college we did have Duke Nukem deathmatches in the computer suite! After watching this, I think I might have to take a look at classic pc gaming.

[bmwolgas]

There's actually a later version of this model (z90d7 I believe) that bumps up the CPU to a 1.65 GHZ processor and the graphics from HD 6310 to 6320, the graphics upgrade of which gives about a 20% boost to its benchmark. That makes this the fastest XP-compatible thin client I've ever tested.

[ashleyjwilliamshand]

Just stumbled across your channel. Very entertaining. Can't wait to go through your library of videos!

[DionMunk]

I recently started building a library of MS-DOS games that can be run through RetroPie/Emulation Station using DOSBox. I've created a launcher that makes it easy to either launch the game executable or launch the setup executable that many of those old games came with. I've dropped in games like the Commander Keen series, Descent, Duke Nukem, Doom, Wolfenstein, etc. It's been a lot of fun to go back and play some of them. Anyway, thanks for the rundown on this project. I've been thinking about doing something similar for quite some time.

[daveh]

I did a similar thing with some wyse r90lw thin clients. I used to keep an old pc around for vintage games, but by 2019 or so I was concerned about the remaining useful life of hardware made a couple decades ago. The thin clients I found were running the embedded standard version of XP so they played ball with the old programs I was intending to run on them.
I'm sure there are likely ways to get all that stuff to run on a modern pc, I'm too set in my ways and out of date in my computer knowledge to make that happen. It's just easy for me to have a dedicated set up for it.

[oldarcadeguy]

Would love to see the Crusader games run on this but I have a feeling those FMV cutscenes might not care to behave.

[jefferyleaver]

I would install Sound Blaster emulator for all your dos games I had issues with some games myself audio wise and it fixed it

[RetroBuiltGames]

TLDR: Buy a Dell Wyse Z90 series Thin Client. They are pretty interesting pieces of hardware.

[Mickey]

Half-Life was running bad because you are using the software renderer instead of the OpenGL one

[Jackpkmn]

Are you sure that port was a mSATA and not a Mini-PCIe intended for a wifi card?

[timmakuk]

Thank-you. I got my Wyse Z90D7 up and running using this guide. I installed 8GB RAM and a 1TB hard disk. There is no itemised list of drivers in the video or text, but I just had my finger on the pause button and made notes of each driver you installed. I disabled the com1 & 2 ports as they weren't doing anything anyway. It's perfect for DOS, W98 and XP era games. I even did a W10 partition and can run Windows 10 (all drivers installed automatically!) for modern games, surfing and YT on this amazing little computer.

[Jaroartx]

have you tried total war shogun i may become a believer in windows xp gaming with this gem of a mini pc

[shanapagdilao]

try Batocera Linux, its an All in One Emulator OS and make that small machine AiO game emulation machine

[Ragnheiour]

What audio driver did use for that pc cause trying to find it and have no luck with it?

[davidereverberi]

I bought a couple of d90d7 (the smaller and little slower version of this) for retrogaming on windows xp. I read online that xp isn't ideal for ssd, so i also bought an 2.5 hdd. You had any issues with that ssd? And about driver can you explain where to find them?

[badpiggiesinstallerepic]

by any chance, do you have the gpu drivers for the z90sw? if so do you know if it would work on the z90d7?

[RandomPlay]

I remember i used to play doom when i was 12year old... Now games so improved ... Just started channel as well looking for some support :)

[RuiNunesDev]

Hi Ryan, my problem with this console is that you can’t use of the shelf discs.

[RyanAvx]

How does this run DOS games? Through DOS Box?