To make it all work Charnas first had to mod an original NES console so that he could download a ROM of the game from an original Punch-Out!! cartridge, and then create an NES emulator running on Javascript that could work in a web browser. But as fast as Google’s MoveNet was at recognizing body movements, trying to play Punch-Out!! using real-life punches and dodges was just too slow compared to the lightning-quick inputs from an NES gamepad. To solve that problem Charnas had to hack the Punch-Out!! code and slow down each of the game’s opponents to match the speed of the motion controls. (He also took the opportunity to change some of the in-game dialogue that has not aged well since the ‘80s.)
To make the game even more realistic, Charnas even added some physical punishment to correlate with a player getting hit by an opponent. But instead of a jab from a boxing glove, an armband running an Arduino delivers painful electric shocks as a stand-in for a blow from King Hippo, and it sounds just about as fun as you can imagine.
Anyone wanting to try out Charnas’ Real Life Punch-Out game can point their browser at RealLifePunchOut.com where it’s strongly advised to go through the tutorial before jumping into the game. Only a limited number of players can step into the virtual ring at a time because Charnas only purchased a limited number of NES Punch-Out!! cartridges to keep Nintendo’s lawyers at bay (they’re probably still lurking) so you may have to wait in a virtual queue first, but unlike the motion control games on the Switch and Wii, this one’s completely free to play.
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