Notes

Microsoft is Bringing 'Minecraft' to The Oculus Rift

Minecraft is a delightful and hugely successful game but no one would say its success is based on realism. It's blocky graphics filled with sharp right angles and massive "pixels" are far from being realistic, but it gives the game a signature visual style and plenty of charm. It turns out Minecraft's vast open-world design makes it an excellent game for virtual reality. Microsoft has already demonstrated the game running in HoloLens, and now the company is making an announcement that it will be compatible with Oculus Rift, as well. At Microsoft's spring show I was able play the game using the Rift. Despite its blocky design, it could be one of the most enjoyable VR experiences.



It's important to note that this isn't a brand new version of Minecraft but it has been updated to work with the Oculus Rift. You can play in survival mode as well as join one of the numerous multiplayer servers that are available. You'll be presented with two different game options when you begin playing. The first one puts you in an imaginary castle, with the game playing on what amounts to a TV screen in front of you. It's quite a meta- and hilarious to play a game inside the virtual reality game. However, it's an excellent way to look at things if you want to break from the full VR experience.



When you enter that full experience, the game's world shifts and you're completely immersed by what your character sees. It's like being transported out of reality by Minecraft's 3D worlds. It's among the most immersive VR experiences I have had. Minecraftservers In fact, that absence of fine details actually assists in helping Minecraft to be so successfulThe game doesn't try to imitate reality. It felt more like I was in a cartoon.



Microsoft's demo experience shows a few of the most memorable moments in the game. I mined and battled creeps. I also lit some caves with torchlights, pressed a lot of buttons to interact, and then rode a minecart up the side of a huge building. This was perhaps the most thrilling part of the demo because I felt a real feeling of speed and height as I flew skyward. A later mine cart ride let me look around in 360 degrees at the vast landscape from on high as it headed towards a new area, and there was plenty of entertainment and visual delights to take in on the trip.



It's difficult to describe the experience in words since VR is extremely immersive. Although it's not as immersive as the HoloLens version, it's an excellent location to explore. There's no information on when exactly Minecraft will be publicly available in VR, but hopefully it won't be too long after the Rift's release in the coming months "killer app" is a term that has been used a lot, but Minecraft has the potential to be a contender for the growing VR scene.


Homepage: https://minecraftservers.blog/