Now that’s cool: Fan hacks refrigerator display to run DOOM Eternal

You might run out of milk, but if you’re a DOOM fan with a little tech know-how, at least you’ll never run out of demons to kill. Taking a game that puts you through fire to the most logical of chilled-out places, a fan has brought Bethesda’s first-person demon shooter — and not the old version, but this year’s much-praised DOOM Eternal — to the video screen of his smart refrigerator.

A YouTuber who goes by “ChillinwithTwisted420” shows off his setup in the coolest of ways, starting out his gameplay demo as if it’s just another frag session in a darkened room — until, that is, his Doom Guy dies and it’s time to recharge and reload. “One second, guys — lemme grab something to drink here,” he teases as the screen swings away, like some Scooby Doo secret trap door, to reveal the well-stocked innards of a refrigerator. After snagging a Sunkist, he’s ready for another round — all without ever having to take a step.

Check it out below:

How is it possible to get planet-hopping demons to do a fire dance on your fridge? It’s actually pretty doable, at least when compared with previous hacks that’ve managed to cram some version of DOOM onto everything from an ATM to a first-gen iPod, and even onto a home pregnancy test. 

In the video above, our hacking hero harnesses the power of brand synergy, casting the game stream from an app on his Samsung phone to his connected Samsung smart refrigerator. That’s possible in the first place thanks to Microsoft’s xCloud gaming service, which lets players dial up DOOM Eternal (and, as he goes on to show with Battletoads, pretty much any other game on the Xbox Game Pass service) on a slew of Android-based smart devices. 

Hey, if you’re gonna spend minutes standing idly in front of the fridge deciding what to munch on anyway, you might as well kill some devils while you debate whether you want deviled eggs. This is one setup that’s so convenient, we almost wish refrigerator doors (and their smart screen real estate) were bigger...though it'd be pretty awkward explaining to visitors why we've plunked down a chair right in front of our new favorite kitchen appliance.