Doom and Super Mario Bros converted into a VHS tape FMV game
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A TechTuber, disappointed with a 1980s VHS tape-based gaming video console, decided to brew up a superior system backed by modern tech such as a DE1-SoC FPGA board and a Raspberry Pi RP2350 MCU. The video below documents Throaty Mumbo’s frustrations with the old ActionMax (1987) VHS-connected system and his progress in building a modern VHS-based FMV-enhanced gaming system that plays versions of Super Mario Bros. and Doom.
Mumbo, a self-described “weird and impractical tech” lover, begins the video by tinkering with an ancient VHS-based entertainment system which, after much effort in setting up, is ultimately disappointing. The interactivity on offer using the ActionMax and its peripherals is so limited and imprecise that it is a clear dud, and though it sounds fun, it truly lacks novelty in 2026. However, the ActionMax wrangling time wasn’t wasted, as it inspired Mumbo to remake a VHS-video gaming system augmented by some of the widely accessible modern maker tech that is available nowadays.
On the journey, we learn how the old ActionMax worked and how an FPGA-powered SBC improves the VHS 'gaming' experience. At its heart, as demonstrated in the Doom version on the system, the FPGA powers overlay graphics and switches to one of eight simultaneous video streams being played by the VHS deck. In every new scene, your timely interaction selects another of the eight streams. Meanwhile, a counter tallies your timely pressing of the correct button on the controller and keeps score. This on-rails game is nothing like the original Doom in terms of gameplay but feels close in the audio/visual department.
Press controller left to shoot before the timer bar hits zero. (Image credit: Throaty Mumbo)
The version of Super Mario Bros. offers a different take on FMV in games. Here, the SBC plays a faithful-looking version of the Nintendo classic, but the game backdrop is replaced by some snazzy VHS-taped imagery. I think a similar technique was sometimes used in early CD-ROM games to raise their visual appeal above the standard computer or console version of the game upon which they were based.
Mumbo was last seen on Tom’s Hardwarerunning Sega games off vinyl records. This was a pretty straightforward adaptation of how software used to be loaded from a cassette on a wide range of retro computers.
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Mark Tyson is a news editor at Tom's Hardware. He enjoys covering the full breadth of PC tech; from business and semiconductor design to products approaching the edge of reason.
6 hours ago
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English (US) ·