“Doom” just runs everywhere – watson

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Printer, pregnancy test, calculator: “Doom” just works everywhere

You don’t need much to play games: a computer or optionally a console, a screen, a controller, games, maybe a steering wheel or joystick, a pregnancy test. Stop. Second. No, this is not a typo or a nasty autocorrect error. Recently someone managed to start the classic ’90s shooter “Doom” on a digital screen pregnancy test. But it doesn’t stop there.

“Will it run Doom” has become something of a joke among tech-savvy gamers in recent years and shows just how far computing power has developed in everyday objects. As the name suggests, it’s all about making the game work on any device that has a computer. And that applies to a pregnancy test and many other things. However, one by one.

“Honey, we are going to have a shooter”

The Californian programmer “foone”, as he calls himself, took apart a digital pregnancy test to see how it actually worked with the two strips. And although there is only one “yes” or “no” answer, the content of that test is surprisingly complex. In it 8-bit microcontrollers are used, processors used in mice, for example. Lots of technology that ends up in the trash after one use.

“Foone” probably looked the same and he manipulated it so he could play “Doom”. Track your progress in Twitter threads. You can see its result here:

Unfortunately, he had to cheat. As soon as it was over, there wasn’t much left of the test. Could not reprogram the processor. The test strip must also swell in order to close a circuit and start the processor. But that doesn’t work with water, I should have peed. A little cheating might be okay.

However, additional processors or a keyboard are not always required. We have other examples of the “Will it run Doom” scene, if you can call it that.

Would you make a copy?

With a software update it is also possible to reproduce “Doom” on a printer. The original goal of the project was to discover vulnerabilities in wireless printers. The project was a bit boring.

Calculate or shoot?

The game also runs on graphing calculators. Because they have a processor, some RAM and, unsurprisingly, a graphics chip. Playing in math class is not an option. This drains the batteries in a few minutes.

please smile

Someone even managed to start Doom with an old Kodak camera. Which is fun since it came out in 1998, so it’s only a few years older than the game.

“Doom” in “Doom”

A little silly, but true. Using software, it is possible to play the game “Doom” in the game “Doom”. How does the protagonist feel about it?

Well, “Doom” feels like it’s running everywhere. If you know of other devices that you can play the classic on, write them down in the comments. (tk / watson.de)