Palm Pre runs Doom, smartphone-loving space marines rejoice

If you were holding off on buying a Pre until it had some great games, start warming up that credit card. We knew homebrewers were already at work and one of those, a bloke who goes by the name Sargun, has managed to get the iconic Doom running on the phone -- or the open-source PRDoom, anyway, which is close enough for us. Sargun re-built the game to use the DirectFB graphics library to pipe all the two-barreled action to the Pre's framebuffer, and said getting the whole thing up and running was "actually fairly trivial." Your mileage may vary depending on your compiler skills, but with any luck someone will host up some binaries to save us all the trouble. Video proof of this great achievement after the break.

[loopyoyo @ Jun 12th 2009 7:36AM]

my neck has a crick in it now..mmkay...thx

[Quantumphysics @ Jun 12th 2009 7:51AM]

Why would I want to play doom on a cellphone that doesn't have a D-PAD ?

I have Doom on my Gameboy SP and I was able to enjoy that but when it comes to cellphones - especially touchscreen models, I think the best control scheme is using the accelerometers for driving and flying, or, playing RPG's.

Galaxy on Fire (iPhone) is almost as good as Colony Wars on the Playstation for example.

[Boards of Canada @ Jun 12th 2009 7:57AM]

Still the pre have a keyboard... should be easier to play most games.

[JamesR @ Jun 12th 2009 8:16AM]

@Quantumphysics

Think: proof-of-concept.

[engorged @ Jun 12th 2009 8:33AM]

Off Topic:
Any news on when will the GSM version of the Pre hit the rest of the world?

[James Dumoulin @ Jun 12th 2009 12:20PM]

I can imaging playing doom on a phone would give you a sore neck...

Next feat for phones: Can it play crysis?

[iofthestorm @ Jun 12th 2009 12:59PM]

Well, the screen is bigger than a Game Boy's so it's not that bad. In fact this is what tipped me over the edge into deciding to buy a Pre; of course, it's easy for me to make such decisions when I can't get a new phone for another year while my contract runs out, but by then it should be on Verizon. And interestingly, I actually know the kid in this video.

[redleader158 @ Jun 12th 2009 3:19PM]

nothing to freak out about it playing doom. the zdoom port for palm os could allow your centro (yes, palm centro) to play doom too. i personally prefer quake and snes games on my centro

[fuzzyshoo @ Jun 12th 2009 7:37AM]

http://www.engadget.com/2007/08/11/apples-iphone-yes-it-plays-doom/

http://gizmodo.com/5286884/doom-resurrection-for-iphone-due-next-week-heres-the-trailer

[Look_Around_You @ Jun 12th 2009 7:53AM]

You really have no idea of the point of this post in relation to a famous internet phrase. You just saw a opportunity to whip your iFanboy out in a Pre post.

Whooshing sound over one's head? Yeah, there's an app for that.

[TareX @ Jun 12th 2009 8:10AM]

Yeah the iPhone plays doom, and it's VERY playable:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ghAD_PqYxLI&feature=related

/end sarcasm

[Mark Anderson @ Jun 12th 2009 8:15AM]

So does the 5800. It's rubbish with a touchscreen. The N95 does it way better and, indeed, did so two years ago.

[Jay Evans @ Jun 12th 2009 8:25AM]

Or as Peanut would say. Knee...ow

[Loonie @ Jun 12th 2009 10:34AM]

fuzzyshoo the point

[Loonie @ Jun 12th 2009 10:37AM]

Oh yes, I forgot that Engadget's comment system gets upset with greater-than and less than symbols.

Let's try this instead:

fuzzyshoo ◄---------------------------------- 2875 light years ------------------------------► the point

[dsunbury @ Jun 12th 2009 7:41AM]

I'm just asking, so no-one jump down my throat... but I assume all games on the pre will be in portrait mode? Is that because of the keyboard or the way one interacts with the touchscreen?

[Craig @ Jun 12th 2009 11:43AM]

Probably bad to assume that. It's software, so damn near anything's possible.

[NoVaCrY @ Jun 12th 2009 12:07PM]

It's definitely going to depend on the type of game. Turn the Pre to landscape and the keyboard will only be able to be used by one thumb/finger which is kinda lame to me. The keyboard's use in Portrait mode will work just fine for little people...

[fuzzyshoo @ Jun 12th 2009 7:45AM]

For those who can't / don't want to read the links:

1) The first gen iPhone ran Doom, Engadget reported it in August 2007.
2) There is also a brand new game in the series arriving specifically for the iPhone next week.

I'm not sure if intention of the article is saying "Hey the Pre has the graphic capabilities to run the finest FPS 1993 could offer" or "Hey there's homebrew on the Pre", or some combination of both. What I am sure of though, is that this is by no means a spectacular accomplishment in either case.

If you are going to choose a phone, wouldn't you pick one with unique capabilities that suit your specific needs, not one that clone something that was done two years ago, but is relevant because it's shiny and new?

[Look_Around_You @ Jun 12th 2009 7:50AM]

"If you are going to choose a phone, wouldn't you pick one with unique capabilities that suit your specific needs, not one that clone something that was done two years ago, but is relevant because it's shiny and new?"

So email your post back to 2007 so people there can roll their eyes at this as well.

[DA @ Jun 12th 2009 8:14AM]

What an Apple fanboy. This was an article about the Pre. Why do you have to try to promote the iPhone? Are you worried that there is another great smartphone out there besides Apple's?

Yeesh...let it go.

[Mark Anderson @ Jun 12th 2009 8:17AM]

Except that's exactly what people did in 2007 when Doom had been ported to other smartphones (along with Quake, Quake II, etc) quite some time before.

The point is that this is a nice demonstration of the Pre's technical abilities and that people are obviously prepared to develop for it. The fact that it's Doom is largely irrelevant, it's the fact that people want to develop for the Pre that is.

But I guess you missed that one, huh?

[Charlie @ Jun 12th 2009 8:21AM]

This is the first example of a native binary app running on the Pre. It's good news coming less than a week after launch, because it means even if Palm never gives the official OK, Independent developers should still be able to exploit the full power of the hardware. I know it's tough to step out from your iWorld and understand that news can be viewed in a light other than "how does this compare to the jesus phone", but give it a shot every once in a while.

If you're so insistent, though, on keeping your filter on, how about this: how many homebrew apps were there for the first gen iPhone 6 days after launch? IIRC at that point apple was still in the "web apps are good enough for anyone" phase.

[Choco_Taco @ Jun 12th 2009 8:32AM]

I think it is just a post to say, "Hey, the Pre has been out for less then a week and we can run homebrew games already". That in itself seems like an accomplishment. I also believe Apple fanboi's were touting the lack of apps that will come out for it as well as games, this article shows you that there will probably be plenty to come in the future since it seems easy enough to port software too. I think you can expect a lot of hackers and programmers out there that will develop for the Pre, seems like it will be pretty easy.

[Kelmon @ Jun 12th 2009 8:59AM]

Without the author's input I cannot say for certain what the point of the article was BUT I'm pretty sure that everyone above is wrong. Prior to the Pre's release there had been concerns that its use of HTML, CSS and JavaScript as development languages would mean that it would be poor at games due to the lack of compiled code. What this article shows is that the Pre will be able to play games and, hey, who doesn't love Doom.

Still, let's be honest here, the likelihood that the Pre is going to come close to the iPhone for games is remote. But then that isn't what the Pre is for - it's a Blackberry-killer rather than an iPhone-killer.

[Look_Around_You @ Jun 12th 2009 10:44AM]

"Still, let's be honest here, the likelihood that the Pre is going to come close to the iPhone for games is remote. But then that isn't what the Pre is for - it's a Blackberry-killer rather than an iPhone-killer."

So let's be even more "honest" and just say you have no clue, and are just giving an opinion, likely what you hope, more than anything else.

[Kelmon @ Jun 12th 2009 11:09AM]

@Look_Around_You

Well, if you care to explain how running Doom on the Pre is any indication of gaming credentials then, please, be my guest. Frankly, I don't much care which platform is "the gaming king", but I don't see it being the Palm - it's not aimed at that sort of market. If someone wants to direct me to a technical demonstration or even an actual product that shows the same sort of games quality as the iPhone then I'm happy to watch it.

Honestly, why everyone is so partisan on these things is quite beyond me.

[preset standard @ Jun 12th 2009 11:29AM]

The original iPhone couldn't handle Doom without lagging and it also only had a touchscreen so it is the very definition of "Unplayable."

So I wouldn't be bragging about the iPhone's capabilities on this subject. The iPhone needs games made specifically for it and because it has such a large user base it gets that. But emulation is where it fails.

Also, Android runs Doom as well.

[Ameen @ Jun 12th 2009 3:06PM]

Hey fucktard ! DO you even know that the Pre and the new iPhone 3Gs are similarly powered and infact use the same porcessor and GPU? Except for the fact that iPhone uses a Samsung SoC package. Palm aint doing what was done 2 years ago, they're doing what is going to be (Apple's) future. Btw, the iPhone 3Gs cant even exploit that power since the majority of devs will want the game or app to work on all iPhones which is just OpenGL ES 1.1 complaint. And they can't make use of 2.0 improvements. But the Pre can and will. So, stay the fuck on your chair wanking off to an image of the iPhone 3GS !

[Kelmon @ Jun 13th 2009 7:31AM]

@Ameen

Firstly, take a deep breath.... Relax... Prepare yourself to think rationally. OK, let's continue.

The Palm Pre is undoubtably a great phone (they aren't available here yet so I'm going with reviews and videos on this one) but it is quite clearly not aimed at the same audience as the iPhone. And, hey, why should it? If you are going to go after the smartphone market then you might as well go after the leader, and that isn't Apple - it's RIM and the Blackberry. It's quite clear that the WebOS is not really well suited to gaming beyond what you can find online - the only 3D gaming that I've seen for the device are games running via the Palm OS emulator. The device needs native compiled code, which Palm may make available later but isn't available now. I entirely agree that the Pre is using the same hardware as the 3GS but I haven't seen any evidence of it being put to use in gaming (e.g. developer presentations, for example).

The other thing to consider is the sheer scope of the iPhone market, which comprises not only the iPhone but the iPod Touch, and that's going to a bigger overall market than Palm will be able to cater to, simply because they don't have a non-phone product.

Finally, if you think that developers won't write applications that run only on the iPhone 3GS then you are incorrect. This is like suggesting that developers won't write games for the XBox 360 because people already have the XBox. iPhone 3GS-only titles will certainly appear and I have no doubt that, come September, Apple will be announcing a new iPod Touch with the same hardware.

Think rationally about these things based on the evidence.

[Ameen @ Jun 13th 2009 10:38AM]

@Kelmon: Hey internet wise ass! (yeah, I said it)

Do you even know that the iPhone 3Gs will be treated as an extension and not an entire platform for atleast an year from its launch? And also that your stupid comparisons about Xbox and Xbox 360, this is more like Nintendo DS and the DSi. Just look at how many games are specifically made for the DSi (ans: Not Many). And Developers wont just ignore 20 Million+ of their Market (iPhone 3G and iPod touches till now). Btw, I'm a freelance analyst so I know how this shit works. So, the next time you want to sound like an all knowing Poobah, just know what you're talking about.

Peace.

[Kelmon @ Jun 14th 2009 7:07AM]

Time will tell but I'll say now that I have a very low opinion about analysts, mostly because they are either wrong or tell us things that we already know. I do agree that there will continue to be a lot of applications and games developed for the original iPhone and 3G, particularly with the 3G being reduced to $99, but I am also very certain that 3GS titles will also appear if the sales of the 3GS are high. How soon this happens will depend on the sales of the 3GS but making a "spectacular 3GS-only" title is certainly one way of differentiating your product from the 2,500 other titles and almost guaranteeing sales from the 3GS-owners who are looking for something to show off.

And, yes, I do know what I am talking about. Forgive me if I explain these things in rational terms and don't resort to the usual name calling and other nonsense that makes Internet forums sound like a children's playground. I certainly hope you do not use language like that in your profession and, if not, I do not see why you would use it, and the attitude, here.

[Jetblakc @ Jun 14th 2009 7:59PM]

@Kelmon

You may be correct, but I still think your analogy is faulty. People often own 2 (or more) gaming consoles, because more times than not they still enjoy playing their older titles. Who's gonna run around with an Iphone 3G and 3Gs at the same time? Other than the most rabid fanboys that is.

[Kelmon @ Jun 15th 2009 10:22AM]

Well, for the time being I am quite certain that applications that run on the iPhone (original and 3G) will continue to run on the iPhone 3GS, much like GBA games would run on a DS. All hardware runs the same version of the iPhone OS and since the 3GS does not lack any hardware present on the older versions without equivalent replacements there is no reason why existing titles won't run on the new hardware. However, I am quite prepared to admit that my analogy may be faulty and that's often the case with them when they won't quite fit the current situation. I wonder if there are any parallels with the Nokia Ngage platform but I don't know much about that.

[steviestets @ Jun 12th 2009 7:45AM]

Excellent point @dsunbury. When I originally thought about gaming on the Pre, I hadn't considered the portrait mode. Think about the extreme case of tunnel vision you'll have playing in that orientation!

Kudos to Sargun for getting this (somewhat) working in less than a week!

[Stephen @ Jun 12th 2009 7:46AM]

what sucks is that the one game that runs on everything, I DON'T EVEN LIKE!!! sigh, guess that's my luck though

[Sam @ Jun 12th 2009 7:50AM]

im pretty sure my calculator could play doom

[H @ Jun 12th 2009 7:54AM]

OMG!... My Nokia E65 runs Doom.

[TareX @ Jun 12th 2009 8:06AM]

....and SNES, and Sega Genesis, and GBA....etc.

The thing is, there's an iFail that struggles with most of that.

[Calpa @ Jun 12th 2009 8:42AM]

@TareX
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8--2Z9Z1H-8
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2LMWRWT1Jck
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F_uyUi9H49s


Yah.. boy that iFail sure has some crap quality games to offer.. Red Alert, Assasins Creed, 'Real Racing'.. don't know what they where thinking over there..



[/s]

[Ricky @ Jun 12th 2009 8:01AM]

LOL ... It's on Android already too ... just to throw that out there

[Ryan @ Jun 12th 2009 8:05AM]

In before Crysis.

[Galactor963 @ Jun 12th 2009 8:29AM]

Yes, but can it play Cry... FUCK.

[TareX @ Jun 12th 2009 8:05AM]

Physical keyboard FTW.

This is why I don't buy touchscreen only phones.... this and emulators.

[K @ Jun 12th 2009 8:30AM]

Yep- it looked SO easy trying to look on the screen and control your movements and actions in a fast-paced game like Doom.

I can see the frantic moments now- you just bash the whole keyboard with all of one thumb...

[C @ Jun 12th 2009 11:36AM]

Yeah, those microscopic keyboards on cell phones are full of win. Or full of fail since you can't control any game with them accurately.

[vitriolix @ Jun 12th 2009 1:42PM]

"Yeah, those microscopic keyboards on cell phones are full of win. Or full of fail since you can't control any game with them accurately."

Actually, it works just fine. I play doom on my g1 when I'm bored, and I can pretty much move as fluidly there as when i play quakelive on my pc. left thing handles movement, right thumb on the trackball does mouselook.

[Suomaa @ Jun 12th 2009 8:07AM]

My Nokia N80 has been able to run Doom ever since it was released (blazing fast I might add). Even Nokia N70 ran Quake long time ago.

Honestly, I'm not that impressed about Palms WebOS. I doubt we will see any real applications, just this web crap. Symbian is way ahead of competitors and it is extremely advanced (SMP support, multitasking...), however S60 UI is outdated and it hasn't had any major updates since 2nd edition in terms of looks and usability. That's going to be fixed when Symbian Foundation gets new QT based Orbit UI.

[Sarig @ Jun 12th 2009 8:38AM]

Uh, the whole point of this post is that the homebred community has already gotten something else than a web-app to run natively after less than a week ;)

[Alex @ Jun 12th 2009 10:50AM]

I remember when they used to test the power of FULL COMPUTERS using Quake...