Sometimes we just can't get over the classics. For videogame enthusiasts, the 1984 Atari cult arcade game Paperboy was ideal for those who liked to toy with reality. It was relatable: no guns, no monsters, just some real-world enemies like bees and dogs digitized into 8-bit glory.Globacore, a tech company that creates custom branded videogames and interactive exhibits, has re-appropriated the game through the lens of a modern gamer. Gone is the tollbooth-sized arcade box, as the Globacore team has subbed in an exercise bike, Microsfot Kinect and Oculus Rift VR headset to create Paperdude VR. In a video demonstrating the gamer experiment, we see Globacore co-founder, Ben Unsworth, riding his exercise bike with the Oculus headset as he mimes throwing papers. Like any Kinect game, the attached TV screen synchronizes with his movements, meaning we see digitized papers getting tossed at mailboxes and windows (minus 50 points) while he huffs and puffs on the bike.Unlike Kinect, however, Unsworth can see his checkpoints and progress through the headset—which has a 7-inch display—rather than staring at a TV. Oculus Rift is expecting to make a rumble in the gamer industry, with dozens of games planned for release over the next year. Few will have the option to combine real-world motion and pixelated epicness like Paperdude VR, which unfortunately will not be on the market. Too bad, it would be pretty epic to have the full Atari catalog released with cross-media gaming tech. We're salivating at the thought of a re-vamped version of Asteroids or Centipede.
