So, I think the 86box build is really cool but performance just isn't great. Here's a fork of DOSbox-X with PCX2 support: https://github.com/z2k-retro/dosbox-x/releases/tag/pcx2-v1.0
Enjoy raiding some tombs!
Last thing of the night - here's a wrapper to use PowerVR mode on games on modern Windows. It's designed to work with the ddraw.dll which comes with DGVoodoo2 - drop the two files in the same folder as the executable in Windows 10/11 x64 and you should be able to run it in PowerVR/PowerSGL mode. I know others have tried this (or are working on it currently) but with all the time I've spent on this it felt sensible to make this too. In testing it's essentially identical to the output from the real card.
To be clear it's made with the research done for the 86box version, the code released by Imagination, and a adaptation of the drivers written by Claude for this wrapper. No other wrapper projects were used.
ubertrout wrote on Yesterday, 04:58:Last thing of the night - here's a wrapper to use PowerVR mode on games on modern Windows. It's designed to work with the ddraw.dll which comes with DGVoodoo2 - drop the two files in the same folder as the executable in Windows 10/11 x64 and you should be able to run it in PowerVR/PowerSGL mode. I know others have tried this (or are working on it currently) but with all the time I've spent on this it felt sensible to make this too. In testing it's essentially identical to the output from the real card.
To be clear it's made with the research done for the 86box version, the code released by Imagination, and a adaptation of the drivers written by Claude for this wrapper. No other wrapper projects were used.
My friend, you are a genius! I've just tested this wrapper through Lutris, running vanilla Unreal, and the results are absolutely incredible!!
Thank you so much for all your hard work and for sharing this with the community. Really appreciate it!
ubertrout wrote on 2026-10-29, 02:31:Version 0.3.2 released - this now correctly emulates all PowerVR PCX2 hardware features, even the ones pretty much no games use: https://github.com/z2k-retro/86Box/releases/tag/pcx-v0.3.2
All throughout the reference repository has also been updated: https://github.com/z2k-retro/powervr-pcx2-tools/. This is intended to be a resource for anyone who wants to create their tools without needing a physical card to build on this project.
What should I do next with this project? What are your experiences using it?
Fantastic, thanks! I’ve been sticking with v.0.3.0, which has already served me very well. *Unreal* has very stable gameplay, as do *Quake* and *Quake 2*. *Tomb Raider*, however, crashes frequently; I’ve only managed to reach the fifth level by emulating a processor no faster than a 100 MHz Pentium. If I increase the power—which makes the game run beautifully, with perfect fluidity—it crashes very often. I suspect it struggles when emulating CD audio; for some reason, opting for a less powerful CPU, like the 100 MHz Pentium, makes the problem almost entirely disappear. Thanks again!
EF PC Vintage Planet wrote on Yesterday, 16:22:ubertrout wrote on 2026-10-29, 02:31:Version 0.3.2 released - this now correctly emulates all PowerVR PCX2 hardware features, even the ones pretty much no games use: https://github.com/z2k-retro/86Box/releases/tag/pcx-v0.3.2
All throughout the reference repository has also been updated: https://github.com/z2k-retro/powervr-pcx2-tools/. This is intended to be a resource for anyone who wants to create their tools without needing a physical card to build on this project.
What should I do next with this project? What are your experiences using it?
Fantastic, thanks! I’ve been sticking with v.0.3.0, which has already served me very well. *Unreal* has very stable gameplay, as do *Quake* and *Quake 2*. *Tomb Raider*, however, crashes frequently; I’ve only managed to reach the fifth level by emulating a processor no faster than a 100 MHz Pentium. If I increase the power—which makes the game run beautifully, with perfect fluidity—it crashes very often. I suspect it struggles when emulating CD audio; for some reason, opting for a less powerful CPU, like the 100 MHz Pentium, makes the problem almost entirely disappear. Thanks again!
How does the DOSbox-X version I uploaded last night work for you with Tomb Raider?
xabarax wrote on Yesterday, 15:28:ubertrout wrote on Yesterday, 04:58:Last thing of the night - here's a wrapper to use PowerVR mode on games on modern Windows. It's designed to work with the ddraw.dll which comes with DGVoodoo2 - drop the two files in the same folder as the executable in Windows 10/11 x64 and you should be able to run it in PowerVR/PowerSGL mode. I know others have tried this (or are working on it currently) but with all the time I've spent on this it felt sensible to make this too. In testing it's essentially identical to the output from the real card.
To be clear it's made with the research done for the 86box version, the code released by Imagination, and a adaptation of the drivers written by Claude for this wrapper. No other wrapper projects were used.
My friend, you are a genius! I've just tested this wrapper through Lutris, running vanilla Unreal, and the results are absolutely incredible!!
Thank you so much for all your hard work and for sharing this with the community. Really appreciate it!
My pleasure! I feel like the wrapper might be the ultimate output of this project. I feel like I should tell more people about it but I'm not sure who to tell 😀
Made a release 0.1 of the wrapper and you can see source code as well. Output is excellent - even POD (after a update to the wrapper) runs fine.
Please send bug reports. What I'm seeing is mostly problems of running the games generally in Windows 11 rather than wrapper problems.
https://github.com/z2k-retro/pvr-sgl-wrapper/ … leases/tag/v0.1
ubertrout wrote on Yesterday, 17:12:EF PC Vintage Planet wrote on Yesterday, 16:22:ubertrout wrote on 2026-10-29, 02:31:Version 0.3.2 released - this now correctly emulates all PowerVR PCX2 hardware features, even the ones pretty much no games use: https://github.com/z2k-retro/86Box/releases/tag/pcx-v0.3.2
All throughout the reference repository has also been updated: https://github.com/z2k-retro/powervr-pcx2-tools/. This is intended to be a resource for anyone who wants to create their tools without needing a physical card to build on this project.
What should I do next with this project? What are your experiences using it?
Fantastic, thanks! I’ve been sticking with v.0.3.0, which has already served me very well. *Unreal* has very stable gameplay, as do *Quake* and *Quake 2*. *Tomb Raider*, however, crashes frequently; I’ve only managed to reach the fifth level by emulating a processor no faster than a 100 MHz Pentium. If I increase the power—which makes the game run beautifully, with perfect fluidity—it crashes very often. I suspect it struggles when emulating CD audio; for some reason, opting for a less powerful CPU, like the 100 MHz Pentium, makes the problem almost entirely disappear. Thanks again!
How does the DOSbox-X version I uploaded last night work for you with Tomb Raider?
Hi ubertrout, I just tested the DOSBox-X PCX2 build you provided on my Ryzen 7 5800X3D (Windows 11 Pro), and I am happy to report that it works beautifully!
I mounted the game files along with the TR1 CD image for the audio tracks. The gameplay is extremely fluid and smooth, much more responsive than on 86Box. The slow-motion/time-dilation issue is completely gone, and Lara finally moves at her native, correct speed. I just played through a whole level with full CD music and Sound Blaster effects, and the experience is fantastic. I am also planning to test this build on my second PC with the older Core i5-3470 very soon to see how it performs there.
I really want to complement you and the author for the amazing work done on this project, thank you so much for providing this alternative solution!
EF PC Vintage Planet wrote on Yesterday, 21:50:Hi ubertrout, I just tested the DOSBox-X PCX2 build you provided on my Ryzen 7 5800X3D (Windows 11 Pro), and I am happy to repor […]
ubertrout wrote on Yesterday, 17:12:EF PC Vintage Planet wrote on Yesterday, 16:22:Fantastic, thanks! I’ve been sticking with v.0.3.0, which has already served me very well. *Unreal* has very stable gameplay, as do *Quake* and *Quake 2*. *Tomb Raider*, however, crashes frequently; I’ve only managed to reach the fifth level by emulating a processor no faster than a 100 MHz Pentium. If I increase the power—which makes the game run beautifully, with perfect fluidity—it crashes very often. I suspect it struggles when emulating CD audio; for some reason, opting for a less powerful CPU, like the 100 MHz Pentium, makes the problem almost entirely disappear. Thanks again!
How does the DOSbox-X version I uploaded last night work for you with Tomb Raider?
Hi ubertrout, I just tested the DOSBox-X PCX2 build you provided on my Ryzen 7 5800X3D (Windows 11 Pro), and I am happy to report that it works beautifully!
I mounted the game files along with the TR1 CD image for the audio tracks. The gameplay is extremely fluid and smooth, much more responsive than on 86Box. The slow-motion/time-dilation issue is completely gone, and Lara finally moves at her native, correct speed. I just played through a whole level with full CD music and Sound Blaster effects, and the experience is fantastic. I am also planning to test this build on my second PC with the older Core i5-3470 very soon to see how it performs there.
I really want to complement you and the author for the amazing work done on this project, thank you so much for providing this alternative solution!
I'm glad! DOSbox was the answer for Tomb Raider I think.
