Notes

Microsoft is Bringing 'Minecraft' to The Oculus Rift

Minecraft is a fun and extremely successful game however, no one would claim its success is dependent on realism. The graphics that are pixelated with sharp right angles and massive "pixels" are far from realistic, but it has an distinctive visual style and plenty of charm. But, it turns out that Minecraft's massive open-world design makes it a great game for virtual reality. Microsoft has already demonstrated the game with HoloLens and now it will be available for Oculus Rift. At Microsoft's spring showcase I was able play the game on the Rift. Although it's a bit clunky in its design, it's one the best VR experiences.



It's important to note that this isn't an entirely new Minecraft version. It has been updated to work with Oculus Rift. You can play in survival mode and join one of the numerous multiplayer servers that are available. Once you start playing, you're presented with two different perspectives. The first is a virtual castle with the game running on an LCD screen in front of you. It's quite a meta experience and amusing to play games inside a virtual reality game however it's also a bad way to view things if you're looking for a break from the full VR experience.



You can dive into the full experience and be totally immersed in the world your character sees. Due to the vastness of Minecraft's vast 3D landscapes, it really does feel like you've been taken away from reality, despite the humongous pixels and the lack of fine detail. It's one of the best and more immersive VR experiences I've had so far. Minecraft's success is actually due to the absence of the fine details. The game doesn't try to recreate reality. Instead, it felt more like I was in a cartoon.



Microsoft's demo showcases few of the game's most memorable moments. I did some mining, battled some creeps, lit some caves with torchlights, pressed several buttons to interact and finally took a minecart to the side of a massive building. Deepspaceii.Com That was probably the best part of the demo, because I felt a real sense of speed and height as I rocketed into the sky. A later mine cart ride allowed me to observe 360 degrees at the vast landscape from way on high as it headed towards a new area, and there was a myriad of activity and visual delights to be absorbed during the trip.



As with most things VR, it's hard to describe the experience in words, but I'll say that the experience really revealed the vastness of the world and did an excellent job of immersing me in Minecraft. Although it's not as immersive as the HoloLens version, it's still an excellent place to explore. While there's no information on when Minecraft will be made available in VR It is expected that it will be too long after the Rift's launch later in the month. While "killer app" might seem to be a bit quaint, Minecraft has the potential of being a major player in the upcoming VR scene.


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