Footage of the recently expanded speedrunning platformer remaster Sonic X Shadow Generations has appeared on Twitter/X. So far, so ordinary, but the highlighted clip shows the game being directly controlled by a TI-84 Plus CE graphing calculator, complete with a 2 FPS on-device video stream. This 2-minute footage, shared partially in the original Tweet by @DomDaTurtl, is actually 6 minutes as uploaded in full to @DomDaTurtl's YouTube channel, @Barcadepod, and encompasses the first two acts of Space Colony Ark, the opening stage of Sonic X Shadow Generations which doubles as an HD remix of the Ark stages from 2001's Sonic Adventure 2, Shadow's first game.
Despite the obviously-hampered playability, @DomDaTurtl still managed to secure A ranks in both acts of Space Colony Ark, which is a rank below the maximum S rank recognized by the game, but very impressive considering the hardware setup.
Of course, the savvy among you are probably asking by now: how is this possible? Is it even real? The answer to both of these questions is Calc2KeyCE, a pre-existing open-source application that allows users of the TI-84 Plus CE calculator to send keyboard input and receive video streams from a wired PC. So, yes, it is possible!
That said, this is hardly an optimal gaming experience. Trying to play purely off the calculator screen would be impossible, though the input lag through the calculator seemed acceptable enough for playing the game on the PC's monitor. Key bindings were a point of confusion even while @DomDaTurtl was playing through the Ark stages, though — likely especially confusing if he was originally playing on a controller like most platforming gamers prefer.
However, this feat remains a fascinating proof of concept! For truly slow-paced games, like classic text adventures or point-and-click adventure games, a setup like this could become almost practical.
Now, we should still tell you that the best native handheld gaming experiences available today will be garnered from the proper Best PC Gaming Handhelds, not a TI-84 Plus CE. And yes, Steam Deck can not only play Sonic X Shadow Generations, complete with Shadow's new Doom Powers — it can even play the actual Doom series up to Doom Eternal at low settings, 30 FPS with ray tracing enabled. 60 FPS is on the table without RT, too!
