Getting 2ksbox
Where to get it
Section titled “Where to get it”The ready-to-run app comes from the app stores:
You can also build 2ksbox yourself from the source code. Once the tools are installed, one command builds the same launcher, player and guest tools disc as the store builds. The steps are in the project’s README. Linux distributions and other packagers are welcome to ship it.
What your computer needs
Section titled “What your computer needs”- A Mac with Apple Silicon (M1 or newer).
- macOS 26 or newer for the App Store app.
- A build of your own also runs on macOS 12 to 15. There, Direct3D runs through Wine if you have it installed. Without Wine, the machine has no Direct3D, but OpenGL games and the Voodoo 2 still work.
Your Mac emulates the old PCs, because it can’t run x86 code natively. They still run faster than a real PC of the time. Windows 11 for Arm runs on the Mac’s own hypervisor.
- 64-bit Windows 10 or 11.
- The Windows App Runtime 2.4 or later. Microsoft installs it once per PC.
- For fast Windows XP, 7 and 11, turn on the Windows Hypervisor Platform under Turn Windows features on or off. Windows 98 is always emulated, on purpose.
- A graphics card with Vulkan 1.3 for the fastest Direct3D. Without it, Direct3D games run on Windows’ own Direct3D 9.
- A 64-bit x86 PC with GTK 4.10 or newer.
- KVM, for Windows XP, 7 and 11 at close to full speed. It is optional. Windows 98 is always emulated, on purpose.
- A graphics card with Vulkan 1.3 for the fastest Direct3D. Without it, Direct3D runs through Wine if Wine is installed. Without Wine either, the machine has no Direct3D, but OpenGL games and the Voodoo 2 still work.
What else you need
Section titled “What else you need”- Install media for the operating system: your own Windows 98, XP, 7 or 11 CD or ISO, or a DOS floppy or CD.
- Your games, as disc images (dumps) of discs you own, or folders.
How fast is it?
Section titled “How fast is it?”On an M1 Mac or a Ryzen 7 5700X, an emulated Windows 98 machine runs about as fast as a 1.7 GHz Pentium 4 from around 2001. That’s quicker than most of the games of the era expect. Windows XP, 7 and 11 run close to your computer’s own speed wherever your computer can virtualize them.