Look, I know that with a 900MHz celeron processor, integrated graphics, and just 512MB of RAM, the Eee PC isn't going to be a speed demon. But that doesn't mean you can't still have some fun with it. Cas at ScaleGamer has posted a series of YouTube videos showing the Eee PC running everything from Far Cry to Mario 64 using a Nintendo 64 emulator.

Of course, good luck playing these games on a stock unit. You're going to want to install Windows XP, or at least install WINE and hope that it will work with the games you want to run under Linux. And I'd certainly recommend upgrading your RAM.

Dan at UltraMobileGeek even posted a video showing World of Warcraft running on an Eee PC. (Thanks TheCuso!)

Since bringing my Eee PC home last month, I've probably spent most of my time using Firefox, GIMP, and Pidgin for productivity and communication. Well, not counting the many many hours I've spent tweaking Xandros or testing out alternate operating systems.

But sometimes you've got to set aside your grownup endeavors and make some time to play. With its small screen, low resolution, and integrated graphics chip, the Eee PC is hardly a killer gaming rig. But it's still probably faster than any PC you had just a few years ago. So it's plenty capable of running some older strategy, RPG, or action games, whether you're running Windows or Linux.

After I decided that I'm just no good at Tux Racer (or Planet Penguin Racer, as it's called on the Eee PC), I cast about looking for a good strategy game. I love me some Warcraft/Starcraft style action. And then I remembered Wargus, an application I had installed on my PocketPC ages ago. Basically, Wargus uses an open source game engine called Stratagus to emulate Warcraft 2.

One of the most popular games developed for Stratagus is Bos Wars, and the developers have halted development of Stratagus to focus their attention on Bos Wars as a standalone project. While I was able to download Bos Wars 2.4.1 from the project website, I couldn't figure out how to install it on my Eee PC. I'm sure there's a simple way, I just didn't take the time to find it. Instead I fired up the Synaptic package manager and made sure I had my Xandros repositories enabled and then did a search for Bos.

Sure enough, there's a package called Bos, and when you install it, Synaptic (or apt-get if you're using the command line) will install the Stratagus engine. What you get is an older version of the game, but it runs great on the Eee PC. By default, it loads up in a 640 x 480 screen, but if you click full screen it well... fills the screen.

I'm not a huge fan of the Eee's trackpad, and this game requires a lot of scrolling around, so I don't see myself playing very often unless I'm sitting at a desk or table with a mouse plugged in. But it's certainly playable using the trackpad.

One of the best things about Stratagus/Bos Wars is that it takes up just 24MB, making it a light weight alternative to installing Windows XP and Starcraft.

The Eee PC may not be a cutting edge gaming machine, with its 900 MHz celeron processor and integrated graphics. But it's probably faster than the machine you were using 5 or 6 years ago. So if you load Windows XP, you might be surprised to see how well some classic games run.




EeeUser forum member Spl put together the above video showing an Eee PC running Age of Empires 2, Unreal Tournament, and Half Life. The only problem is that AOE assumes you have a minimum screen resolution of 800 x 600 pixels, while the Eee PC has a 800 x 480 screen. That means you'll have to do some scrolling to access all of the games menus, but other than that, this strategy game looks great on a small display.