How to Run DOOM on a GPS with Windows CE

DOOM! One of the best shooters in history, creator of impossible speedruns, and of course, a new "hello world" for a whole generation of enthusiasts and hackers who insist on running it on absurd platforms. Today it's the turn of a GPS: the Magellan RoadMate 1412 from 2008, to be precise. Its software is based on Windows CE, and the good news is that there's an old version of Chocolate Doom for that operating system, but Jason Gin discovered some problems along the way that are worth exploring...

A Cheap and Interesting Device

The vast majority of GPS devices intended for casual use were replaced by equivalent functions integrated into smartphones, which means that in some regions of the globe it's possible to find second-hand units at a very good price. Another interesting aspect of those GPS units is that they don't always adopt dark and proprietary software. There are models that rely directly on mini Linux distros, and then we discovered the case of the Magellan RoadMate 1412, which uses Windows CE 5.0.

A week ago, Jason Gin bought a RoadMate 1412 for less than seven euros. Beyond some marks associated with its age and a slight damage to the charging cable, the GPS works perfectly. What did Jason do? Run DOOM, of course! In that way, the RoadMate would join the long list of thermostats and printers that revived the infernal nightmare of the marine. However...

The Obstacles

...it wasn't that simple. In normal situations, any user would just download a copy of Chocolate Doom 1.3.0 (the last to support Windows CE), but the Windows CE installation on the GPS comes a bit stripped down, so to speak. The first step was connecting the RoadMate to a computer, which recognized it as an external USB FAT32 drive of two gigabytes. He replaced the browser executable with a copy of Total Commander CE, which he managed to run correctly... but there was no taskbar.

When exploring the Windows folder, Jason discovered the problem: That Windows CE installation doesn't come with a prompt, nor a shell Explorer, nor an on-screen keyboard. In other words, there's no taskbar, no start menu, no desktop. Shortcuts didn't work either, and Chocolate Doom CE must be run from the command line. So... how did he manage to open DOOM?

The Solution: MortScript

With the help of MortScript, a scripting engine that has a syntax very similar to Visual Basic, used for the development of mods compatible with GPS that use Windows CE. A couple of attempts along the way, and finally DOOM on the Magellan RoadMate 1412 became a reality. As if that weren't enough, he doubled down and managed to run Duke Nukem 3D on the GPS.

Now, one thing is running, and another is playing... which Jason can't do. The GPS's USB port isn't compatible with OTG, so it only accepts charging, or works as an external drive. For now, there's no way to connect a keyboard or mouse to the device, but we shouldn't give up. DOOM has claimed one more victory in the DIY world, no matter how small.

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