Valve's Steam Controller hardware has found a new trick outside of standard PC gaming, with creator Owen Feldman managing to run the classic text adventure Zork: The Great Underground Empire directly on the device's internal processor.
How the Steam Controller Runs Zork
Getting the 1980 text adventure onto the $99 piece of hardware required a multi-step DIY hardware process. An internal tool discovered inside a Steam hardware updater folder was used to flash the controller's firmware. During the process, the creator temporarily bricked the device before successfully recovering it.
Once recovered, a custom Rust-based program was deployed to emulate an Intel 8080 CPU, allowing the Steam Controller to run the CP/M-80 operating system entirely on its own hardware. Because the controller features neither a keyboard nor a screen, the built-in USB connection was utilized for input and output streaming purposes. A floppy disk copy of Zork loaded via an external drive completed the hardware setup.
Player Risks and Hardware Considerations
While the project resulted in a playable experience described by Feldman as "1514 lines of pain" and the hardware equivalent of a magic trick, replication comes with steep risks for everyday users. The flashing process carries a genuine possibility of bricking the device permanently. Given the risk to the hardware, the flashing method is best left to experienced hardware hobbyists rather than standard PC players looking for a quick modification.