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First Look at Virtual Reality Minecraft At Xbox Showcase

First look at virtual reality Minecraft at Xbox showcase Dave Lee North America technology reporter



1 March 2016



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Millions of gamers love Minecraft. Microsoft now shows us how virtual reality can be developed.



Microsoft bought the block-building game in 2014 for $2.5bn (PS1.8bn) which was an enormous sum that left many fans of the game worried about its future.



The US firm said that it would not alter its well-known formula, but instead invest in Minecraft.



At a party in San Francisco's trendy Mission District, its Xbox division demonstrated the virtual reality version of Minecraft for the first time.



"It makes you feel like you're inside the world of Minecraft," said Palmer Luckey who is the creator of the Oculus Rift VR headset.



It's similar to many VR experiences. It's a complete immersion. It's a great way to experience Minecraft's thrilling creation process on a VR screen.



For a game that's loved by children, there's one figure that might worry parents that is $1,500.



This is the amount they'll need to spend if they want to buy an Oculus Rift headset as well as an operating system that can provide the power.



It's surely too expensive and I suggested it to Mr Luckey.



He replied, "It isn’t."



It's costly however, it has a lot more technology than a TV or mobile phone.



"It's not as straightforward hardware, and the price is going down as time passes."



It's going to have to be able to go down pretty sharp-ish if it is to be accepted by mainstream audiences in the near future.



As of now, I'd like to see an occasional revival of the arcade game which is a place where people go to play top-quality games that they are unable to afford to purchase for their homes.



Big titles



Minecraft on Oculus was one of several games on display at Xbox's Spring Showcase, a chance for journalists - and a few influential YouTube gamers naturally - to play with the latest blockbusters.



Quantum Break was a fascinating world that caused me to lose an hour. It's a video game in which you take on the role of Jack Joyce, an unwilling action hero who gains the ability to alter time after an experiment gone wrong.



If this sounds like another predictable scenario for an online game, you're right - but the title's mechanics (think "bullet time" and only better) create something unique.



Also, be sure to look into Tom Clancy's The Division -- set in a meticulously authentic Manhattan.



A number of the games that were featured on the show were promoted as great to use on a PC via Microsoft's Windows 10 operating systems.



"If you look at the figures, PC gaming is the fastest-growing segment of gaming available," said head of Xbox Phil Spencer.
Minecraft textures


"It's only natural to focus on gaming on Windows."



Virtual plans



When it comes to virtual reality, Microsoft has opted not to develop its own headset, even though it is working on the augmented reality-focused Hololens but is instead working to make it compatible with the Oculus Rift and HTC Vive.



In the debate over price on the price, Mr. Spencer declared that he believed that virtual reality would follow the path of high-definition televisions which are a luxury item to begin with however, it is a challenge to resist once you've experienced it.



He said, "The early adopters of VR will be there to spur the industry."



I asked Microsoft whether it could create its own VR headset considering that Sony's PlayStation 4 will soon get its own VR headset.



"I absolutely think it could be something that is in our roadmap," he said. But he stressed that the current focus was on creating Windows 10 fully-compatible with high-end VR titles.



'Not hacked'



The latest games are useless if gamers can't play them online. This has been a major challenge.



Poor reliability on Xbox Live - the service Xbox gamers use to play each other on the internet has resulted in the stressing of thousands.



Snoop Dogg is one of the disgruntled fans. He demanded Bill Gates to fix the issue, or he'd defect to PlayStation.



Mr. Spencer apologized for the issues.



"It's clearly always a regret," he said.



"This last outage was a problem that we learned from. We understood exactly what was at issue and it just took us a little more time that we would prefer."



He denied that the company was a victim of hacking and claimed that although its network was constantly under attack, it wasn't, as was claimed, destroyed by a coordinated effort for gamers to be disconnected.



And on the possibility of losing Snoop Dogg: "Snoop's been a long-time gamer and long-time supporter of Xbox.



"I can understand when people are angry. It's a sign that people care and are committed to our mission as a game platform.



Follow Dave Lee on Twitter @DaveLeeBBC and on Facebook.



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