With the evolution of wireless routers to accommodate faster network traffic, surprising feats of hardware modification are emerging, as demonstrated by the KittenLabs team’s latest achievement. They have successfully managed to run the iconic game Grand Theft Auto: Vice City on a TP-Link WDR4900 router by outfitting it with a dedicated AMD Radeon GPU.
The TP-Link TL-WDR4900 is not a recent arrival on the market, being released in 2013. However, it’s equipped with a PowerPC e500v2 processor that sets it apart from its usual ARM and MIPS-based counterparts. This processor boasts a robust 36-bit address space and delivers commendable performance along with superior PCIe controllers, making it a sought-after piece of hardware in the modding community and positioning it favorably for support from open-source software like DD-WRT, Tomato, and OpenWrt.
To achieve the objective of running a video game on the router, which wasn’t natively designed for GPU support, KittenLabs modified the PCIe connectivity by severing PCIe connections to the CPU and interfacing with a mini PCIe breakout PCB they custom-designed. Following this hardware mod, they loaded Debian Linux onto the router with a custom kernel to provide AMD graphic driver support.
Although the original intent was to employ an AMD Radeon RX 570 GPU, compatibility issues forced KittenLabs to opt for an older Radeon HD 7470 with legacy drivers. Despite the GPU’s age, it is still capable of handling older games, such as GTA Vice City. However, the game needed to be a special build compatible with the PowerPC architecture and required significant software modifications to work on this unconventional setup.
This hardware hacking venture demonstrates the intriguing possibilities at the intersection of creativity and technical skill. Those interested in learning more about how KittenLabs accomplished this fascinating modification can access their detailed blog post or view the video showcasing the project.
For individuals inspired by this advancement in hardware modding, one might consider the Razer Core X Chroma eGPU enclosure for connecting external graphics solutions, available on Amazon.
This venture into tech modification broadens the horizon for what might be possible with existing technology and resourceful ingenuity, challenging enthusiasts to push the boundaries of traditional hardware applications.
