Many of us have fond memories of playing DOOM. For some of us, it was our first game ever. With the rise of porting DOOM to things, it’s amazing what sort of hardware you can find that runs the game.
1 A Pregnancy Test
At least one person has thought: “You know what would be cool? Playing DOOM on a pregnancy test!” By replacing the original chip with a small microcontroller and rewriting the display driver, a developer managed to play DOOM on this tiny screen. The primary limitations are the minuscule display size and a lack of traditional controls, making it more a feat of ingenuity than a practical gaming experience.
The process involved significant hardware modifications, including soldering a microcontroller onto the test’s PCB and creating a simplified version of DOOM. The screen’s size and monochrome display severely limit the gameplay experience, turning it into a pixelated and slow-moving version of the game. Congratulations, it’s a space marine!
2 An ATM
You’ve heard games being refers to as a money sink, but playing DOOM on a cash dispenser is another level of investment. This hack involved exploiting the ATM’s hardware to run custom software, including DOOM. While it raises questions about the security of such machines, it’s mostly seen as a quirky achievement, illustrating the flexibility and enduring legacy of DOOM.
Hacking an ATM to run DOOM requires bypassing its security systems and installing custom firmware capable of supporting the game. This hack highlights potential vulnerabilities in ATM software, though in this case, it’s more of a demonstration of technical prowess than a security threat. Imagine having to actually slip your card into the machine to open a door. Wild!
3 Smartwatch
Smartwatches are pretty amazing little devices, but can they run DOOM? Of course they can! Porting the game to a smartwatch involves significant modification to adapt the game’s code for the watch’s operating system. Despite the tiny screen and cumbersome controls, playing DOOM on your wrist showcases the game’s adaptability.
Arguably the biggest challenge to engineers working on this port this was making the code fit into the small pool of available storage space. It’s a good test of how much efficiency an engineer can wring out of the code.
4 Digital Camera
This hack takes the notion of “Point and Shoot,” to the extreme, but we’ll take it. Running DOOM on camera hardware requires rewriting the camera’s firmware and using its small screen as the display. Although it affects the camera’s primary functionality, it’s a testament to the creativity of tech enthusiasts.
Rewriting the firmware of a digital camera is complex, often involving reverse engineering and custom code. Developers typically use external tools to load the game onto the camera, leveraging its small screen for display.
5 Thermostat
The DOOM franchise is no stranger to hell, where everything’s supposed to be scorching hot, so maybe it’s fitting to see the game running on a thermostat. Porting DOOM to the device involves reprogramming the thermostat’s interface to run the game’s software. While playing DOOM on a thermostat is more of a novelty than practical, it certainly adds an unexpected twist to home climate control.
This hack involves installing custom firmware on the thermostat. Developers often use lightweight versions of DOOM for this purpose. While they’re still better than the tiny devices of yesteryear, they still don’t have a ton of processing power to dedicate to a game.
6 Printer
No, we’re not talking about printing out individual frames (which one can possibly do). We’re talking about running DOOM on the printer’s tiny display. By hacking the printer’s firmware, developers have managed to use small, often monochrome, displays to run DOOM. The playability is extremely limited, but it serves as a unique proof of concept.
Hacking a printer to run DOOM involves using security bypasses and utilizing its control panel for gameplay. It’s cool to see it running, but the gameplay experience leaves a lot to be desired.
7 E. coli Cells
Talk about ambition! Escherichia coli, or E. coli for short, is a type of bacteria responsible for getting people sick. It has also been used to render each frame of DOOM. This was achieved by translating the game’s visual output into patterns that the culture could grow through, essentially using the bacteria’s natural foraging behavior to trace the game’s images.
This process is not only fascinating but also incredibly slow. Rendering a single frame takes hours, and running the entire game would theoretically take half a millennium.
8 Graphing Calculator
Scientific calculators are pretty powerful, so seeing them run DOOM is less surprising than some other entries on this list. This hack involves programming the TI-83+ to handle the game’s graphics and controls. For students, this transforms a mundane educational tool into an unexpected source of entertainment.
Porting DOOM to a graphing calculator requires detailed knowledge of the device’s hardware and software. Even so, there are handy guides that teach people how to turn their TI-83+ into a DOOM machine. The result is a playable, if rudimentary, version of DOOM that brings a bit of fun to the classroom.
9 McDonald’s Cash Register
Playing games at work is usually forbidden so installing DOOM on a cash register probably counts as a fireable offense. This hack exploits the register’s hardware to run custom software. It’s probably not going to fly in a retail outlet, but it’s better than serving customers.
Hacking a McDonald’s cash register to run DOOM involves accessing its operating system and installing the game’s software. McDonald’s registers run a custom operating system called PC POS. This often requires bypassing security measures and adapting the game’s controls to the register’s interface.
10 Flipper Zero
This fringe hacking tool is another surprising location that can run DOOM. The developers, fully aware that the question, “Can It Run DOOM?” would come up, have included the app as downloadable. This version of the game is barebones but it’ll run on the device without any issues. It even has sound!
DOOM is a cultural phenomenon. Since its inception in 1993, it’s remained a cultural touchpoint for gamers everywhere. In addition to its numerous ports, there’s even a roguelike version of DOOM. As processors get smaller and more powerful, we’re probably see a lot more crazy places that can run the game in the near future.
