Nintendo Alarmo Isn’t Just an Alarm Clock. It’s Also a New Way to Play Doom

While many eagerly awaited the Nintendo Switch 2 announcement, Nintendo surprised everyone by launching Alarmo. Alongside this intriguing product, the company also introduced its own streaming music service featuring the soundtracks of its games. However, Alarmo has certainly attracted the most attention.

Alarmo is an alarm clock with a screen that displays the time and various animations based on Nintendo’s latest games. The device also includes a motion detection system to prevent users from oversleeping, interactive buttons for user engagement, and a processor to manage its functions.

Naturally, a big question surrounding this alarm clock was whether it could run Doom. Unsurprisingly, it can. This provides a glimpse into this unique alarm clock’s capabilities.

Running Doom on anything. If a device has a screen, then it can display Doom. And if it includes a processor, it can run it. The list of devices that have successfully run Doom is extensive, featuring some unusual examples, such as running it on a bacteria plate, a pregnancy test, and even on a scientific calculator powered by 770 potatoes.

Regardless of the device, the question of whether it “can run Doom” has evolved from a meme into a widespread challenge. Whether through official releases or amateur projects, playing Doom on any new device has become common. This is largely possible because the game’s code is open-source and written in the C programming language, allowing developers to use it freely for experimentation or simply for entertainment.

Hardware. This is the case of GaryOderNichts, a blog run by an enthusiast dedicated to reverse engineering consoles like the Wii U. Recently, Gary has done a deep dive into the Alarmo device. In an extensive post, he thoroughly explores the alarm clock, revealing interesting details such as the MCU it uses (the STM32H730ZBI6) and its 4 GB internal eMMC memory. He discusses how the device handles software updates and highlights the ease with which users can upload new software to Alarmo through USB-C debug mode, all without needing to open the device itself.

In fact, he successfully loaded a screen displaying an image of a cat. He now encourages anyone interested in doing the same to follow the detailed instructions available in a separate GitHub post.

Doom on Alarmo. To nobody’s surprise, the community’s most common request was for Gary to demonstrate Doom running on Alarmo. He graciously agreed. The video above illustrates how well id Software’s classic title functions on Nintendo’s alarm clock.

The control wheel of the Alarmo is crucial, given that it allows players to control the movement of Doomguy by rotating the mechanism. When you press the wheel, it not only enables camera rotation but also makes the character walk. To shoot, you simply need to press the volume up button on the Alarmo. This shareware version of Doom runs beautifully, though it has one drawback: no sound.

Without a doubt, this version of Doom, like other versions, offers a fascinating experience. However, you can try it out easily if you have an Alarmo and follow Gary’s instructions.

Image | Nintendo | PlayStation

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