In a bold and innovative move, two pseudonymous tech wizards, “ByteOverlord” and “IdeaVoid,” have successfully transplanted the classic first-person shooter Quake II by Id Software onto an unexpected canvas: the Apple Watch lineup.
IdeaVoid, the visionary behind this audacious project, explains the primary goal, saying, “Our mission was to showcase the incredible capabilities of the Apple Watch, even in software rendering mode. This venture provides a mere glimpse into the vast reservoir of potential that could be unleashed with access to the device’s GPU. Just imagine the boundless horizons that could be explored with such resources at our disposal.”
Originally introduced by Id Software in 1997 as a sequel to the original Quake, Quake II not only introduced a fresh narrative and a futuristic game engine but also raised the bar with sprawling levels and a mission-driven structure enriched with storytelling elements. Back then, playing this game required a robust computer, preferably equipped with a compatible 3D accelerator card. Astonishingly, today, all you need is a wristwatch.
The classic Quake II demands an Intel Pentium or equivalent processor clocked at 90MHz or higher, a minimum of 16MB of RAM, 25MB of hard drive space, and a quad-speed CD-ROM drive. Remarkably, the Apple Watch Series 8 family easily meets all these prerequisites, excluding the CD-ROM drive, boasting a dual-core Arm-based Apple S8 CPU, a generous 1,024MB of RAM, and gigabytes of eMMC storage. The only formidable challenge was porting the game to this diminutive yet mighty device.
ByteOverlord, already adept at the task, had previously worked on expanding Tomas Vymazal’s Quake Watch port of the original game onto the same platform. Transitioning to a different game engine posed some hurdles, with IdeaVoid noting, “ByteOverlord encountered a few bumps in the road early in the porting process, with persistent crashing issues.” Nonetheless, their efforts have borne fruit in the form of a fully functional and surprisingly enjoyable Quake II port.
The port ingeniously employs the watch’s crown as a makeshift scroll wheel for navigating menus and controlling forward and backward movements. A combination of taps and swipes handles aiming, shooting, and other in-game actions. This remarkable creation is compatible with Apple Watch Series 4 and newer models, though it does have a voracious appetite for power. During a test run on a Series 5 44mm model, the battery dipped by 33% after an hour of playtime.
For those adventurous Apple Watch owners eager to embark on their own Quake II journey, the port is readily available on ByteOverlord’s GitHub repository, released under the reciprocal GNU General Public License 2. However, users are required to provide their own Quake II game files to complete the experience.
