Doom is now playable on an IBM mainframe, straight from your browser

[Owen84]

Doom has found another unlikely home. The Register reports that WND Software has launched a browser demo that connects to an IBM Z mainframe over SSH and runs Doom in a terminal emulator

It uses DOOM-ASCII, which draws the game using coloured text characters instead of graphics, and there is no sound. It looks basic but keeps the action readable

Sessions last five minutes, with up to 50 people able to play at once, and there is nothing to install and no log in required. The Register calls it completely playable, although distant enemies take some squinting to see

A year earlier, an IBM consultant ran Doom on IBM Z and LinuxONE using VNC, which is a more conventional approach. This new demo is far easier for anyone to try

Running Doom on unusual hardware has become a beloved tradition, and a mainframe is one of the grandest examples. Text based graphics give it a charming retro look. It is also a clever way to show off what mainframes can do to people who never use them

Have you tried playing Doom on something strange? And what device should Doom run on next?

Doom delivers five minutes of terminal violence on an IBM mainframewww.theregister.com