Notes

Microsoft is Bringing 'Minecraft' to The Oculus Rift

Minecraft is a fun and hugely successful game however, no one would claim its success is based on realism. It's blocky graphics, full of sharp right angles and huge "pixels" are far from realistic, however it gives the game its own distinctive style of visuals and a lot of whimsy. It is clear that Minecraft's vast open-world style makes it a fantastic game for virtual reality. Microsoft already showed the game on HoloLens, and now the company is announcing that it'll work with Oculus Rift, as well. ATLWOOD At Microsoft's spring event I was able to play the game using the Rift. Although it's a bit clunky in its design, it could be one the best VR experiences.



For starters, it's important to know that this isn't a brand new version of Minecraft; it has just been updated to work with the Oculus Rift. You can play in survival mode and join one of the numerous multiplayer servers out there. You'll be presented with two different view modes once you start playing. The first is an imaginary castle, and the game is playing on what amounts to an LCD screen in front of you. It's pretty meta and rather funny to be playing an actual game within the virtual reality experience but it's not a bad way to view things if you're looking for a break from the full VR experience.



You can plunge into the full experience and be fully immersed in what your character is seeing. It's almost as if you're being transported from reality by Minecraft's 3D environments. It's among the best and most immersive VR experiences I've had so far. Minecraft's success is largely due to its lack of the fine details. The game doesn’t attempt to recreate reality. Instead, it felt more like I stepped into an animated cartoon.



The demo experience Microsoft was showing off goes through a few of the games signature moments -- I went to the mine and fought off creeps, illuminated caves with torches, pressed a bunch of buttons to interact with the environment and finally rode a mining cart up the side of a massive building. That was probably the best part of the demo because I felt a real feeling of speed and height as I flew skyward. A subsequent mine cart ride let me look around in 360 degrees at the vast landscape from way on high as it made its way toward a new area and there was a myriad of activities and visual delights to enjoy on the journey.



It's difficult to describe the experience in words because VR is extremely immersive. It's a less radically different version of the game than the HoloLens experience, mostly due to the fact that the Oculus version doesn't support gestures or voice commands, but it still seems like an excellent place to spend time exploring. Although there is no information about when Minecraft will be available in VR however, it is anticipated that it will be long after the Rift's launch later this 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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