TI-84 CE calculator used as a display for PC games — Plays Sonic X Shadow Generations remaster with 2FPS display output
Gamepad input is functional enough to complete A-Rank runs of Space Colony Ark.

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!
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Christopher Harper has been a successful freelance tech writer specializing in PC hardware and gaming since 2015, and ghostwrote for various B2B clients in High School before that. Outside of work, Christopher is best known to friends and rivals as an active competitive player in various eSports (particularly fighting games and arena shooters) and a purveyor of music ranging from Jimi Hendrix to Killer Mike to the Sonic Adventure 2 soundtrack.
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pug_s I don't see anything special about this. The output display and keyboard went to this calculator.Reply -
TheyCallMeContra evdjj3j said:Boo, get rid of this clickbait garbage. It's not running on the calculator.
author here, original title was Sonic X Shadow Generations, other PC games apparently playable on a TI-84 CE— Why run the numbers when you can run up walls?
the article also immediately clarifies this isn't a truly playable experience. technically though, this game is still "on" the TI-84 CE— just not running natively. see things like Kingdom Hearts 3 on Switch. you can play Kingdom Hearts 3 on Switch, you just happen to be forced to cloud stream it for a fairly suboptimal play experience. -
edzieba
Only in the same way a PS5 game is running "on" your TV but not natively: it isn't.TheyCallMeContra said:technically though, this game is still "on" the TI-84 CE— just not running natively -
TheyCallMeContra edzieba said:Only in the same way a PS5 game is running "on" your TV but not natively: it isn't.
Game streaming is a real thing, dude. It's a reality of the current industry and the only way to experience a lot of software on restricted hardware platforms, whether streamed from your own PC or a cloud PC. Moreover, you're clearly just nitpicking at this point, especially since the article very quickly clarifies what is actually going on— if the immediate thumbnail didn't give it away. What, did you think a TI-84 was going to natively run a modern 3D speed platforming game? Be serious. -
edzieba
And still not running on the display device. A dumb terminal is a dumb terminal, no matter how often the same idea gets reinvented with a flashy new marketing name. The Thick Client/Thin Client cycle continues.TheyCallMeContra said:Game streaming is a real thing, dude
As for "who would believe X would run on a calculator", you are clearly unaware of the ridiculous things people have actually got running on a calculator, e.g. Windows, or raytracing, Super Smash Brothers, Doom (of course), Android, and, relevant to the OP claim, Sonic 2. -
TheyCallMeContra edzieba said:And still not running on the display device. A dumb terminal is a dumb terminal, no matter how often the same idea gets reinvented with a flashy new marketing name. The Thick Client/Thin Client cycle continues.
As for "who would believe X would run on a calculator", you are clearly unaware of the ridiculous things people have actually got running on a calculator, e.g. Windows, or raytracing, Super Smash Brothers, Doom (of course), Android, and, relevant to the OP claim, Sonic 2.
Okay, of the things you just listed, only Doom and Sonic 2 actually resemble their original games. The others are obviously demakes or Extremely compromised for the hardware. Expecting a true modern 3D platformer to run on a TI-84 was just never going to happen, and the graphical simplicity of the projects you're linking to only strengthen that point.