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Developer Runs Doom On $50 Apple Lightning To HDMI Adapter 34

A developer has successfully run the classic video game Doom on Apple's $50 Lightning to HDMI adapter, exploiting the device's built-in system-on-chip that runs a simplified iOS version.

Developer Runs Doom On $50 Apple Lightning To HDMI Adapter

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  • by zuckie13 ( 1334005 ) on Wednesday February 05, 2025 @11:12AM (#65143921)

    The iOS SOC in that adapter probably has more capability than the whole desktops that ran it initially, so sure why not.

    • I guess my question is... why the fuck do we need a chip like that in an hdmi adapter
      • by wed128 ( 722152 )
        My guess is that the process of negotiation and conversion for lightning and HDMI is computationally expensive enough, and the chip is inexpensive enough, that it's not worth it to use a lesser processor.
  • Pretty sure I need some controlled supply lines and a way to validate code signatures.
  • by Petersko ( 564140 ) on Wednesday February 05, 2025 @11:14AM (#65143927)

    I looked it up. You can't upgrade the RAM. Or anything else for that matter. Why anybody would lock themselves in like that is beyond me.

    • Well now you've ruined my day. If I can't run FS2024 on it what's the point......

    • put Linux on it. Then you can run ZRAM to increase available memory and a swap drive over the USB connector. Basically infinite amount of address space in a tiny little box.

  • These have gotten lame now. Any Turing machine runs doom. And no, I don't want to see doom running on tape moving machine. How about doing something else for a change? I like the adaptor hacking part, but then running Doom on it is like whatever. Don't get me wrong I loved Doom back in 1993 or whenever but did we really need to keep rehashing Doom and only Doom? It had a great contribution to gaming and 3D but how about maybe run a demo of Maze war and then show some video game evolution all the way up to a

    • Doing it with a decent framerate at least demonstrates some decent MIPS and I/O capabilities that aren't addressed in the Turning Machine model of computing. That's the problem with a TM. It can't tell you the time of day, because execution time is a side effect that lives outside of that theoretical model.

      • by narcc ( 412956 )

        decent MIPS and I/O capabilities that aren't addressed in the Turning Machine model of computing

        Er, you might want to dig out your old notes. Or borrow someone else's.

        That's the problem with a TM. It can't tell you the time of day

        Don't be so sure [youtube.com]

        because execution time is a side effect that lives outside of that theoretical model

        Hmm... Maybe skip the notes and dust off your old text book.

        • Cute video. not actually using Turing's description. But that's fine, it's enjoyable at least.
          It's was extremely useful for generalizing computational theory and algorithms and in demonstrating the halting problem.

          You might want to check your own notes on what an algorithm is.

          • by narcc ( 412956 )

            You might want to check your own notes on what an algorithm is.

            Where do you believe I've gone wrong?

        • by wed128 ( 722152 )
          That video is impressive, but if it keeps accurate time (there's no audio description, and the video isn't long enough to see), then either it's receiving an external time signal (not part of the turing model) or it's dependent on the GOL step rate (also not part of the turing model)
    • Thought I suspect you wouldn't know where to start.

    • by Rinnon ( 1474161 )
      Yeah, I too remember when the internet was full of possibilities. Now it's full of memes. Trying to suggest memers "do something more productive" though is a bit... well you get the idea.
    • The astounding thing about a waltzing bear is not how gracefully it waltzes but that it waltzes at all. - I think this is from Robert A. Heinlein's Time Enough for Love.

      It seems Doom on obscure platform [whatever] has become the new waltzing bear. Yeah, lame in terms of utility, but good for geek creds.

      Now I'd like to see Doom running as an Excel spreadsheet. Oh, wait. [gamedeveloper.com]

    • Re:So what? (Score:4, Interesting)

      by smoot123 ( 1027084 ) on Wednesday February 05, 2025 @11:51AM (#65144057)

      These have gotten lame now. Any Turing machine runs doom.

      Well, yes, but. I'm continuously astounded (a) what everyday items have embedded SoC's on them and (b) how creative people get reprogramming those controllers.

      I'm also gobsmacked the easiest way to make the dongle work was to produce a stripped down iOS. I mean, I get it, you've got the OS source just sitting there in your local repo and perhaps sharing key exchange code would be handy. But surely a video dongle could just run some code on the bare silicon in real mode. Why does it need an OS at all?

      • by GoTeam ( 5042081 )

        Why does it need an OS at all?

        So the "right" group can slip something in there if needed... but it'll just be used against the bad guys. For real this time!

        • Why does it need an OS at all?

          So the "right" group can slip something in there if needed... but it'll just be used against the bad guys. For real this time!

          That SoC doesn't even have a ROM. The firmware is loaded every time it's plugged in.

          And wtf would an iPhone-HDMI dongle be an attack vector for, like you couldn't just sneak a SoC into a generic charger adapter instead.

      • These have gotten lame now. Any Turing machine runs doom.

        Well, yes, but. I'm continuously astounded (a) what everyday items have embedded SoC's on them and (b) how creative people get reprogramming those controllers.

        I'm also gobsmacked the easiest way to make the dongle work was to produce a stripped down iOS. I mean, I get it, you've got the OS source just sitting there in your local repo and perhaps sharing key exchange code would be handy. But surely a video dongle could just run some code on the bare silicon in real mode. Why does it need an OS at all?

        It's not an OS by any definition, the firmware is just a kernel that runs a single process, not even a filesystem. The dev firmware apparently has a little filesystem with some debug utilities, that's what this guy used.

        https://panic.com/blog/the-lig... [panic.com]

    • by Tarlus ( 1000874 )

      I think the bigger takeaway is the absurdity of an HDMI cable requiring an embedded SOC

    • The real question is - will it run Crysis
  • by Viol8 ( 599362 ) on Wednesday February 05, 2025 @11:39AM (#65144025) Homepage

    Just to convert from one serial protocol to another? Talk about overkill.

  • ... errrm ... nevermind.

  • The older I get the more convinced I am that one day I will see someone running Doom on a hearing aid.

If it's working, the diagnostics say it's fine. If it's not working, the diagnostics say it's fine. - A proposed addition to rules for realtime programming

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