Move over, wedding photographers, there’s a new way to use that DSLR camera! A 12-year-old gamer has taken the internet by storm after showcasing an incredible feat of technical wizardry: playing Doom directly on a Canon 550D. Forget capturing memories; this kid is obliterating demons!
DOOM on a DSLR? You Bet Your Bottom Dollar!
Yes, you read that right. Thanks to the ingenuity of Github user Lauris-nl, DOOM is now running natively on a Canon EOS 550D digital SLR camera. This isn’t just some theoretical exercise; it’s a fully functional, playable version of one of gaming’s most iconic titles.
The Canon EOS 550D, released back in 2010 and sometimes known as the Rebel T2i, might seem like an unlikely candidate for gaming, but apparently, its image processing hardware is powerful enough to handle DOOM at a playable frame rate. The camera’s controls have been cleverly repurposed to function as game inputs.
Gameplay Controls: Repurposing Camera Functions
The radial controls on the camera body provide up, down, left, and right movement, while the “Set” button handles both selection and firing. The “Menu” button, unsurprisingly, opens the in-game menu. It’s a testament to how much can be achieved with a bit of creative hacking.
Important Considerations and Compatibility
Lauris-nl has explicitly stated that this port is intended solely for the Canon EOS 550D and warns against attempting to install it on other camera models or using any Canon firmware versions other than 1.0.9. Doing so could potentially damage your expensive photography equipment.
Getting Started: Installation Guide
For those brave enough to try, the process involves transferring a Magic Lantern 550D.109 build to an SD card, copying in the provided Github module, and placing compatible Doom .wad files into a designated folder. The Github page doesn’t include any commercial DOOM files, but Lauris-nl suggests that Doom, Doom II, and Final Doom: TNT Evilution (among others) should work. Unfortunately, Heretic, Hexen, Strife, and Doom64 are not supported.
Despite the limitations, the original DOOM games remain classics for a reason. This ingenious hack offers a unique way to experience them, and who knows? Maybe it’s the perfect excuse to ditch those boring wedding photos and sneak in some demon-slaying action instead!
Source: PC Gamer
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