We've seen plenty of classic games remade in new development software like Unreal Engine 4 lately, but Joseph Delgado has taken the concept somewhere I find to be even more exciting. The computer science student at the New Jersey Institute of Technology has recreated the NES classic Duck Hunt in virtual reality, complete with 360-degree gameplay and motion controlled blasting.
I think my favorite moment is at 52 seconds in, when Delgado reaches across his body to blast a duck while holding the "gun" sideways. That's some straight-up gangster Duck Hunt there.
Although it might seem simple, the creation and solution behind Delgado's prototype is actually pretty complex. For one, he's using an Oculus Rift development kit paired with a Razer Hydra motion controller. The Rift lets him see his world in 3D, while the Hydra controllers simulate the NES Zapper controller. In order to keep accuracy high and latency low as he moved around, Delgado created a headmount for the Hydra's typically-stationary receiver. That'd be the round thing on top of his head with the green orb sticking out the top.
Delgado also gave his version of Duck Hunt a bit more structure than the original game. In his version, the hunt lasts seven days, and each day has a goal for the number of ducks you need to shoot. Miss the goal and it's game over. There's also a small hub world full of things to shoot, like bottles, a radio, and a TV.
Delgado created his prototype for the 2016 Global Game Jam and plans to release a finished version for free sometime in the future.
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