Private Eye is a pretty clever looking game in development for Oculus Rift, because according to The New Yorker, it's inspired by Alfred Hitchcock's Rear Window -- that is to say, it's the story of a man trying to solve a mystery while confined to a wheelchair. Watch:
The savvy trick to confining the player to a wheelchair is this set-up organically locks the player to a single position, where all they can do is look around and interact with what's right in front of them. Like I wrote before: "For virtual reality to go mass market, we need to abandon the goal of a fully-embodied avatar... the most compelling applications of VR so far seem to be based on a context where the body is believably confined: For instance, clamped down in a roller coaster seat, or in the cockpit of a dogfighter."
Or, as it might turn out, an impaired, mystery-solving detective:
Private Eye will require you to explore and interact with your immediate surroundings, analyse and observe the goings on outside your window, and travel into the mind and memories of the character you have become. The objects within your reach can be grasped, used and inspected for clues. One of these objects will prove vital: a pair of binoculars. Navigating with your binoculars is as simple as moving your head, while a simple rotation of your thumbs will zoom and focus your lenses. However, it will be vital to master this second set of eyes as you can’t afford to miss a beat in a neighbourhood where everyone is a suspect. Observing your neighbours will reveal their back-stories, involvement and motives, as they unknowingly air their dirty laundry. At times, the investigation will call for the player to find ways to cleverly manipulate or affect the scene from afar.
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