Doom Eternal was played on a Samsung smart refrigerator this week after a user streamed the game through Microsoft’s xCloud (now part of Xbox Game Pass Ultimate with Cloud Gaming) using the fridge’s built-in web browser.
How the game was run on the appliance
User Richard Mallard posted a video on Instagram showing Doom Eternal running on the fridge’s vertical, portrait-style display. Although the fridge screen is taller than it is wide, the game appeared in landscape mode centered on the panel.
The player used an Xbox One controller paired to the refrigerator via Bluetooth to send input while the game itself ran on a remote server and streamed to the device.
Cloud streaming enables play on unconventional devices
Cloud gaming services like Google’s Stadia and Microsoft’s xCloud separate game execution from the local device: the game runs on a cloud server, while the local device only receives video and audio and returns controller input. That architecture lets modest hardware run demanding titles so long as a modern web browser or client can display the stream.
Browser-based streaming as a compatibility workaround
Running games through a browser rather than a native app is the same approach Amazon plans to use for bringing Luna to iOS devices. The technique can also help Microsoft work around App Store restrictions that could limit the practicality of its cloud gaming service on Apple devices.
