In need of a conversation starter for a late-summer event? A fill-the-silence trick for a lull at a backyard barbecue, or an emergency plan for the three seconds after you accidentally lock eyes with a stranger at a party? Here\u2019s an idea: Bring your DSLR. Don\u2019t take a single photo with it. Instead, whip it out, hand it to somebody, and challenge them to clear a level of Doom<\/em> \u2014 the classic 1993 version \u2014 on the camera. Enjoy their confusion\u2026and then the double-take as they realize that, wait, you can indeed play Doom<\/em> on a DSLR.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Provided that you own a very specific, very old device, this is a real thing you can do. The Canon EOS 550D, also known as the Rebel T2i, is an entry-level DSLR Canon that was released back in 2010. While that might seem recent to some \u2014 I, personally, cannot comprehend the idea that 2014 was not in fact yesterday \u2014 in the tech space, this is ancient history. Recently, developer lauris-nl built a working Doom<\/em> port for this camera. This might seem out of left field, because it is, but also, running Doom<\/em> on old hardware is a thing<\/em>. (There\u2019s an entire subreddit dedicated to it!)<\/p>\n To make this work, lauris-nl used something called \u201cMagic Lantern,\u201d an open-source firmware add-on that initially helped photographers unlock extra shooting features on their Canon cameras. While Magic Lantern likely wasn\u2019t meant<\/em> to turn the device into a demon-slaying handheld, the software and hardware seem to handle the game fairly well. The camera\u2019s directional pad moves your character around, the Set button fires your weapon, and the Menu and Display buttons open and close Doom<\/em>\u2019s own in-game menu. It\u2019s wild how intuitively that worked out \u2014 but what\u2019s even wilder is that the Canon EOS 550D can also handle sound. The camera has a built-in speaker, so while you\u2019re at your hypothetical event playing Doom<\/em> on your device, heads up, there will be gunfire and zombie groans. This is, turns out, not exactly a subtle activity. (Although you could turn down the volume if you\u2019re going for undercover gaming while allegedly taking vacation photos.)<\/p>\n If you\u2019re interested in replicating this for yourself and you don\u2019t happen to have a Rebel T2i camera lying around, make sure you filter your eBay searches with precision. This Doom <\/em>software hack only works on the 550D \u2014 and, further, only on the camera running firmware version 1.0.9. Developer lauris-nl included very<\/em> pointed directions warning people not to attempt Doom<\/em> installation on any other camera model or firmware. They didn\u2019t include an explanation, but it\u2019s fair to assume that you could risk bricking your very expensive, vintage camera, so it\u2019s probably worth listening to lauris-nl, here.<\/p>\n Not finding a sixteen-year-old Canon either in your junk drawer or online? Don\u2019t lose hope. A separate developer, one DaneBentley, has already figured out how to engineer the same trick on the Canon PowerShot SD1000, a 2007 point-and-shoot that was, like the 550D, minding its own business before someone decided multitasking was in its future. For those curious, playing Doom<\/em> on a camera isn\u2019t the only feat possible with Magic Lantern experimentation: The same firmware can also, when fiddled around with, do other very cool upgraded actual camera activities, like enhanced video recording and focus peaking. But that, while incredible, is somewhat expected. The fact that \u201cunlock relevant camera features\u201d and \u201cinstall a 1993 video game\u201d were part of the same software engineering rabbit hole is precisely the Easter egg that I needed to learn about today. And, potentially, include as part of my toolkit for impressing new acquaintances, should I happen across the right camera.<\/p>\n![\"Screenshot](\"https:\/\/static0.polygonimages.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/chorus\/uploads\/chorus_asset\/file\/16313438\/static1.squarespace.png?q=70&fit=crop&w=825&dpr=1\")
\n <\/picture>John Romero\/id Software<\/small><\/figure>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n