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Doom Isn’t the Only Game That Can Be Played in the Most Random Places. Now, Someone Has Played Sonic on a Calculator

  • A YouTube user has proven that playing Sonic X Shadow Generations on a Texas Instruments TI-84 Plus CE calculator is possible.

  • However, you’ll need a more powerful device to run the game, which has been designed for next-generation consoles.

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Javier Márquez

Writer

I've been in media for over a decade, but I've been much longer marveling at the possibilities that technology brings us. I believe we live in a world where the digital revolution is changing everything, and I find no better palce that Xataka to write about it. LinkedIn

Doom is a popular choice for modders who want to experience a game on devices it wasn’t originally designed for. Over the years, gamers have managed to play Doom on a wide variety of unusual devices, including cameras, ATMs, and pianos. However, there’s more to the modding world than just Doom. Recently, someone managed to play Sonic on a calculator.

A YouTube user named Barcade shared a video just over six minutes long, showcasing his Sonic X Shadow Generations gameplay on a Texas Instruments TI-84 Plus CE calculator. He was seeking to take his skills to the next level. “I’ve already mastered the game, so I feel like I need a new challenge,” Barcade said in the video.

Sonic X Shadow Generations on a Graphing Calculator

At the time of publication, Barcade hasn’t provided details about his project, so it’s unclear how he managed to play Sonic X Shadow Generations on a graphing calculator. The images show him using the calculator’s buttons to guide Sonic through various stages of the game, with the visuals displaying at a frustratingly slow speed of 2 frames per second.

Interestingly, Sonic X Shadow Generations was only released on Oct. 22. It’s officially available for the latest generation of gaming platforms, including Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, and PC. As such, it’s clear that Barcade wasn’t running the game directly on the calculator’s hardware.

Calculator

The TI-84 Plus CE model features a compact 2.8-inch display with a resolution of 320 x 240 pixels (140 dpi). It comes with 149 KB of free RAM and 3 MB of Flash ROM. Notably, it has a USB port and supports a Python programming environment. The low specs likely mean Barcade found a creative way to use the graphing calculator as a controller and playback device rather than a traditional console.

Moreover, it’s likely that the gamer also used an additional monitor for gaming. In any case, the concept of adapting unconventional devices for gaming is quite intriguing. In response to user inquiries on YouTube, Barcade promised to share a tutorial detailing his project. Hopefully, he’ll soon tell his audience how he accomplished this innovative idea.

Image | Barcade

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