Widescreen and Steam support now available in Doom and Doom II

A new update has been released for Doom and Doom II.

Offering "QOL improvements, performance optimization, and more!", the update will be coming to all platforms, Bethesda explained on its website.

For the first time in "an official port", the original Doom renderer "has been modified to natively render 16:9 without any letterboxing", and the FOV "has been increased to reveal more image on the side instead of chopping off the top and bottom".

The adjustments also include 16:9 versions of titlescreen, intermission, and ending screens, plus anyone who already owns either The Ultimate Doom or Doom II: Hell On Earth on Steam will automatically receive the new re-releases in their libraries.

"The original DOS versions are still available as a separate launch option from within Steam, and the original DOS IWAD files are in their original location on disk", Bethesda added, and warned that if you have modified the files in the Steam install folder directly, some files may be overwritten.

There's also DeHackEd support, Deathmatch 3.0 in split-screen multiplayer, an additional, optional crosshair, gyro aim for PC, Switch, and PS4, and controller support and new touch controls for iOS.

There's more, but it's a comprehensive update, so head on over to the official website for the full details.

In related news, Doom Eternal's first single-player expansion, The Ancient Gods, Part One, will be available as a standalone game when it releases on 20th October, 2020.

This means players can jump into the new DLC - which is part of Doom Eternal's Year One Pass and sees you travel to new realms in the Doom universe and face new enemies - even if they don't have the base game, or haven't completed the main campaign.

Bethesda trumpeted the launch of Doom Eternal by announcing it earned the series' best-ever opening week sales. Here in the UK, shops began selling boxed copies of Doom Eternal early in a bid to shift stock before stores were shut down ahead of the pandemic lockdown. Interestingly, though, physical sales of Doom Eternal's boxed version were down around a third on those for Doom's 2016 reboot, though it's likely the rise in digital console sales made up much of this.

Edwin deemed the game "an even faster and bloodier but slightly wayward follow-up to a thunderous shooter reboot" in Eurogamer's Doom Eternal review.