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Mirai98

awemorris

Mirai98 turns a modern x86-64 PC into a PC-98 hypervisor by booting from USB, allowing users to create and manage virtual PC-9821/PC-9801 machines accessible via a web browser.

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Last updated

2026-07-28

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FR-AI / ANALYSIS

Why it is worth attention

It runs entirely from a USB stick without installing anything on the host, provides a web-based console for guest display and sound, supports real PC-98 ROMs, and includes built-in tools for disk image management and conversion.

Who it is for

  • Retro computing enthusiasts interested in PC-98 software
  • Hobbyists running legacy Japanese applications or games
  • Virtualization developers exploring niche platform emulation
  • IT professionals needing a portable PC-98 testing environment

Use cases

  • Running PC-98 operating systems (e.g., MS-DOS, Windows) on modern hardware
  • Experiencing classic Japanese games and software without original hardware
  • Creating portable, plug-and-play virtual machine labs for education or preservation
  • Testing and debugging software in a PC-98 environment from a browser

Strengths

  • Fully portable – boots from USB and copies itself into RAM, allowing the stick to be removed after startup
  • No installation required on the host; only a folder is created on a chosen drive if needed
  • Web-based interface for guest screen, sound, and system log – accessible from any device on the network
  • Supports multiple disk image formats (raw, qcow2, hdi, fdi) and includes FAT image inspection and drive read/write tools

Considerations

  • Compatible BIOS is still in development and not yet stable
  • Best Windows virtualization requires specific PC-9821 Xa7C9W ROMs (not included)
  • Requires hardware virtualization (VT-x/AMD-V) for acceptable performance; minimum 2 GB RAM and x86-64 CPU

README quick start

Mirai98

Yet another AI slop for PC98 virtualization.

Boot a PC from a USB stick and it becomes a PC-98 hypervisor: create virtual PC-9821s, run them, and drive their screens from a browser on another machine. Nothing is installed on the PC unless you ask for it.

Note:

  • The compatible BIOS is becoming better, but not stable for now.
  • Please use PC-9821 Xa7C9W ROMs for better Windows virtualization.

How to use

  • Write the USB image file to a USB stick.
    • Use rufus.exe or BalenaEtcher
  • Insert the USB stick to your PC, then turn on the power.
  • Enter the boot menu and select the USB stick.
  • Mirai98 will show its IP address and a URL. (e.g. http://192.168.1.10:8098)
  • Access the URL via a browser on another PC.

First run

The browser asks three things, once:

  • Language: English or Japanese.
  • Where the machines live: the free space on the stick is the default and needs no thought. Pick another drive and Mirai98 makes a Mirai98 folder on it; only that choice is kept on the stick, so taking the drive away costs you the machines and nothing else.
  • A password: leave it empty on a private network. Set one and it becomes the root password, so the web console, the shell and ssh all ask for it.

A FreeDOS(98) machine is already there to try.

What you get

  • Create and edit virtual machines: PC-9821 or PC-9801, memory, disks, sound, network, real or compatible ROMs.
  • The guest's screen in the browser, with its sound.
  • Disk images: upload, download, convert (raw/qcow2/hdi/fdi), look inside a FAT image, write one to a real drive or read one off it.
  • A shell on the host, and the system log.
  • Install to an internal disk, or keep everything on the stick.

Requirements

  • An x86-64 PC that can boot from USB (BIOS or UEFI).
  • 2 GB of RAM or more. The system copies itself into RAM, so the stick can be pulled once it is up.
  • Hardware virtualisation (VT-x/AMD-V) if you want the guests to be quick. Without it they still run, only slower.

The data partition grows to fill the stick on the first boot, so a larger stick simply gives you more room for disk images.

Building it yourself

See BUILD.md. One script builds the whole image; QEMU comes from qemu-pc98.

Description

Mirai98: A Debian Live USB for KVM-based QEMU PC98 Virtualization

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