Smartwatches aren't the ideal place to play modern video games. Sure, they might work for some social games or old-school classics like Tetris and Frogger, but the tiny screen and limited power makes it far from an ideal gaming device.
That doesn't mean people haven't tried to bring some of their favorite games to the world of smartwatches anyway. Such as the first Half-Life, originally released back in 1998 for PC.
Software modder Dave Bennett has brought Valve's classic first-person shooter to the small, small screen, porting it to his Android smartwatch. He's using the SDLash app, which emulates the GoldSource engine, allowing Bennett to port over a number of older titles like Team Fortress Classic, in addition to Half-Life.
Bringing a game like Half-Life to the smartwatch is one thing, but playing it is an entirely different story. Because of the device's small screen, using the on-screen controls is a bit of a challenge. Bennett has problems even navigating the tiny tram car in which Half-Life protagonist Gordon Freeman begins the game. Bennett notes that the frame rate is all over the place, as well. Sometimes it will run at 60 fps, other times it will run at two.
Keep in mind that he's at the start of the game — before all the explosions, alien invaders and hostile special forces show up. Actually finishing Half-Life on a smart watch would be like finishing Dark Souls with a Guitar Hero controller. Oh wait, somebody actually did that.
This isn't the first time Bennet has modded his devices to play all manner of games. He also has how-to videos for playing PlayStation 2 games on Android, and a breakdown of the five best gaming emulator apps. You can check out those videos by heading over to his YouTube channel.
