Arin Sarkisan has ported the classic game Doom to the PineBuds Pro wireless earbuds, creating the 'Doombuds' project. Despite lacking a display, the earbuds stream gameplay via a compressed video feed. This hack showcases the potential of open-source hardware for unconventional gaming.
The 'Doombuds' project, developed by coder Arin Sarkisan, brings the 1993 first-person shooter Doom to the PineBuds Pro earbuds, which are notable for their open-source firmware and community-maintained software development kit. Published on January 26, 2026, the initiative pushes the boundaries of the long-running 'Can it run Doom?' meme by adapting the game for hardware without graphics output capabilities. Sarkisan implemented a JavaScript interface that leverages the earbuds' UART contact pads to transmit a compressed MJPEG video stream to a web server through a serial connection, achieving 22 to 27 frames per second from a 2.4 MB/s data stream—sufficient for Doom's maximum of 18 frames per second on the device's limited processor. Fitting the full 4.2 MB game onto the earbuds' 4 MB flash memory required a custom 1.7 MB 'squashware' version, which removes some animation frames and shortens music tracks. With less than 1 MB of RAM available—compared to the standard game's 4 MB needs—Sarkisan optimized the code extensively: 'Pre-generating lookup tables, making variables const, reading const variables from flash, disabling DOOM’s caching system, removing unneeded variables… it all adds up,' he explained. Priced at $70, these earbuds now emulate a game that originally demanded a computer costing over $1,000. For remote access, Sarkisan hosts an interactive Twitch stream on doombuds.com, allowing users to queue for 45-second control sessions, offering a glimpse into this inventive mod without owning the hardware.
