It's been a long-running joke that you can play DOOM on any device. Fans of id Software's iconic first-person shooter have fired it up on everything from calculators to pregnancy tests since the source code was made freely available way back in 1997.
The adage is that if it has a display, it can play DOOM. But if it doesn't have a display? Just add one. That's what someone's done with one of 2025's most popular accessories, and now I finally understand the hype around Labubus.
The origin of Labubu dolls goes back to over a decade ago as characters in Hong Kong artist Kasing Lung's 2015 book The Monsters. Pop Mart licensed them to make blind-boxed collectible toys in 2019, but they really took off globally in past couple of years when they became an unlikely fashion accessory after celebrities like Dua Lipa, Rihanna and Blackpink's Lisa were spotted with the toys clipped to their bags.
I have to admit I've never seen the appeal, but one gamer and modder has finally given them a purpose. Hairo Satoh tore off a Labubu's face and turned the doll into a cyborg by repurposing some PS1 tech.
The resulting cyborglabubu's screen for a face means you can change its face as desired. It also has controllers in its hands, a USB-C socket in the back of its furry head for charging, and even a sneaky Nintendo logo on a pack on its back.
Hairo initially revealed his creation in a video showing it hanging off his luggage with a digital face on display. But of course, everyone had one question: “can it run DOOM?”
And of course it can, as Hairo demonstrated in a follow-up video in which he uses the controls he placed in the Labubu's hands to move and shoot in the famous game. This could be a new entry for our roundup of the weirdest game console designs.
If you don't fancy hacking up a Labubu, see our pick of the best retro game consoles.
