Nintendo’s newly released Alarmo is only intended to be an expensive digital alarm clock with themes and graphics taken from popular Nintendo Switch titles. But some very talented hackers seem very determined to turn the Alarmo into something that can do other things, too. Now, just under a month since its release, someone has put a playable version of Doom on Alarmo, along with video proof of the accomplishment.
The hacker in question is GaryOderNichts, who previously worked out a way to put cat pictures on Alarmo. GaryOderNichts also laid out how to remove the firmware file from Alarmo, which allows users to get it to accept customized code via a USB. For the new hack, he credited X user Spinda for “figuring out the Alarmo SWD pads,” before adding that Spinda was also “the first to dump the eMMC contents.”
Although Doom is now playable through the latest hack, there are drawbacks. Alarmo’s clock buttons aren’t designed to be an easily used game controller, nor is there any sound support from the current Doom hack. Regardless, it’s now been proven that the Alarmo can be made to play games, and that could open the floodgates for similar hacks unless Nintendo finds a way to prevent this from happening.
Alarmo is currently available through Nintendo stores and for Nintendo Switch Online subscribers. A wide release of Alarmo won’t arrive until some time in 2025.
