GitHub programmer ports playable Doom to DSLR camera with 3-inch TFT LCD display — Canon EOS 550D with open-source Magic Lantern firmware uses camera's button as controls, even plays sound
A developer posted their Doom port for the Canon EOS 550D on GitHub. The game uses the Magic Lantern firmware add-on to run on the camera, and uses various camera buttons to play the game directly from the SD card.
A creative programmer has managed to turn a Canon EOS 550D digital SLR camera into a playable platform for the classic video game Doom. The developer, known as lauris-nl, utilized open-source Magic Lantern firmware to adapt the camera for the task. This particular DSLR model, launched by Canon in 2010, features an 18-megapixel APS-C sensor, a DIGIC 4 image processor, a 3-inch TFT LCD display, and a rear mono speaker.
The Magic Lantern firmware unlocked the necessary capabilities to run Doom on the camera, with the camera's buttons serving as controls for navigation and gameplay. The set button acts as the fire and select button, while the Menu button opens the in-game menu and DISP. button returns to the main menu. The in-game sounds can be heard through the camera's speaker, enhancing the immersive experience.
However, this unique port is limited to the Canon EOS 550D with firmware version 1.0.9. The developer explicitly states, "Do not install this binary on another camera model or firmware version" to avoid potential issues such as bricking the camera. Despite this limitation, the process for users with the compatible camera is relatively straightforward.
They need to obtain a compatible Magic Lantern 550D build on an SD card, copy the released module to ML/MODULES/doom.mo, and create the ML/DOOM/ folder to paste their Doom-compatible files into it.
Once set up, users can simply plug the SD card into their Canon camera, turn it on, select Doom WAD in the Magic Lantern Games menu, and restart the camera. From there, players can immerse themselves in the world of Doom, blasting demons and undead creatures directly from their camera. This innovative adaptation provides a unique form of relaxation after a day of photography, although it is recommended to keep the Doom game on a separate SD card from the camera's photos.
For those without a Canon EOS 550D, there is an alternative Doom port available for the Canon PowerShot SD1000 / IXUS 70 point-and-shoot camera from 2007.
Written by urgent.news from Tom's Hardware's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
