Can It Run DOOM? Yes, Even a Receipt Printer

The gaming community’s favorite question has been answered once again: yes, it can run DOOM—even a thermal receipt printer.

YouTuber Bringus Studios recently took on the absurd challenge of getting the classic 1993 shooter to display on a device designed solely for printing the cost of your lunch. The result is exactly as chaotic and wonderful as you’d expect.

The Technical Gauntlet

Getting a point-of-sale system’s embedded computer to cooperate was no small feat. The machine shipped with Windows 7, and Bringus initially attempted a migration to Linux—only to return to Windows after wrestling with compatibility issues between 32-bit and 64-bit software. Driver problems plagued nearly every step of the process.

Once the system was finally stable, the next challenge was routing the display output to the printer. The solution involved a custom script that captures individual frames and sends them to the thermal printer, producing a continuous paper stream of gameplay.

Heat and Paper: The Unexpected Enemies

Thermal printers work by applying heat to special paper, which creates some interesting side effects when you’re printing hundreds of frames. The heat buildup became a genuine concern during extended play sessions—a problem most gamers never have to consider.

Why Does This Matter?

Projects like this represent the playful spirit of the hacking and maker community. There’s no practical application here, but that’s entirely beside the point. It’s about pushing boundaries, learning through ridiculous constraints, and proving that creativity has no limits.

As one commenter on the original article put it, projects like this are about “fun and whimsy”—and if you exclude that from life, you’re missing out.

Watch the Full Build

Check out the complete journey on YouTube: Gaming on a Receipt Printer – Bringus Studios

This post was inspired by coverage on Hackaday, originally written by Ian Bos. Featured image and project credit: Bringus Studios.