A new video reveals that it is entirely possible to runDoomusing only a calculator and potatoes. The method requires far more effort than most people would be willing to put in, but reinforces thatDoomreally is playable anywhere.
One of the longest-running endeavors in gaming is portingDoomto every possible device. Although the game has received a huge number of official ports, fans have ported it to devices on which no one would ever feasibly use. In recent weeks, this has includedDoomrunning on a pregnancy testand a refrigerator. Still, not all fan ports are gimmicks. Some, like a fan-made port to the TI-84 graphing calculator, have likely been enjoyed by thousands worldwide.
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YouTuber Equalo posted their unique potatosetup earlier this month, in what is not the only potato-related gaming news of 2020 given aPokemonpotato chip brand deal. Equalo relied on the fact that inserting a galvanized nail into a potato causes a reaction that generates a very small amount of electricity.
Over the course of a few days, Equalo boiled a huge number of potatoes and cut them into over 750 slices total. Equalo had initially intended to runDoomon a Raspberry Pi Zero, but when that failed instead used a TI-84 graphing calculator to runDoom, which was a successful venture.
Although Equalo’s achievement may seem humble in comparison tosome majorDoomfan projects, there were unique constraints. His garage could only hold so many potato slices. If he had the space, money, and patience to boil a greater number of potatoes, Equalo would likely have made the game work on the Raspberry Pi Zero. Equalo also had to work under a strict time limit, as the potatoes became less able to generate electricity as they rotted, and apparently the smell almost made Equalo physically ill.
It is possible that someone might repeat this experiment with more resources, andrunDoomon more devices as a result. Bethesda recently worked with a group of overclockers to runDoom Eternalat over a thousand frames per second. This shows that the creators and publishers behind theDoomfranchise are willing to help enthusiasts push games to their extremes.
Not all changes to the originalDoomcome from fans. For example, id Software addedbrand-new features to current-genDoomportsin September, including support for gyro controls and a new difficulty setting. WhereverDoomgoes in the future, one thing is clear: The game will appear in unexpected formats, potato-driven and otherwise, but it’s still the same game fans know and love.
