First Look at Virtual Reality Minecraft At Xbox Showcase

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

1 March 2016

Minecraft is already loved by millions of gamers around the world . Microsoft has shown us what the immersive world looks like in virtual real-world.

Microsoft purchased the block-building phenomenon in 2014 for $2.5bn (PS1.8bn), an enormous sum that left many lovers of the game anxious about its future.

The US firm promised not to harm its popular game and instead will invest in the development of Minecraft to the next level.

The Xbox division unveiled the first version of virtual reality Minecraft at a San Francisco event.

Palmer Luckey, creator and designer of the Oculus Rift VR headset claimed that it makes you feel as if you're in Minecraft.

It's similar to many VR experiences. It's completely absorbing. It is a great opportunity to experience the thrilling building process on a VR screen.

Parents may be concerned about $1,500 which is the cost of a game that is popular with kids.

This is the recommended amount to purchase an Oculus headset as well as an efficient PC to power it.

It's surely too expensive, so I suggested to Mr. Luckey.

"It isn't," he said.

"I mean, it is expensive compared to other products out in the world but if you look at it as compared to television or a mobile phone you're getting more technology.

"It's not as simple as hardware, and the price is decreasing over time."

It'll need to go down quickly for it to be accepted by the mass media in the near future.

Until then, I'd predict a minor resurgence of the games arcade, a place where people go to play high-end games that they can't feasibly afford to buy for their homes.

Big titles

Minecraft on Oculus was one of the games that were on display at Xbox's Spring Showcase, a chance for journalists - as well as a few influential YouTube gamers, naturally - to get hands-on with the upcoming blockbusters of the future.

I lost an hour within the enthralling world of Quantum Break. It's a video game where you play Jack Joyce, an uncooperative action hero who acquires the ability to alter time following an experiment gone wrong.

This may sound like another game scenario however the game's mechanics make it stand out.

Also, make sure to read Tom Clancy's The Division -- set in a meticulously faithful-to-life Manhattan.

A lot of the games on show were also being pushed as being great for play on PCs, thanks to Microsoft's Windows 10 operating system.

"If you take a look at the numbers, PC gaming is the fastest-growing gaming segment out there," said head of Xbox Phil Spencer.

"It's only normal that we'd focus on gaming on Windows."

Virtual plans

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

On the subject of price, Spencer stated that he believes virtual reality will follow the model that high definition televisions have set. It is a luxury product at first but it becomes difficult to resist once you've had the experience.

"The early adopters will be there to help propel the VR industry," he said.

Given the fact that Sony's PlayStation 4 will soon get its own VR headset I asked if Microsoft might also think about making its own gear.

"I definitely think it could be something that is on our roadmap," he said. However, he said the focus now was entirely on creating Windows 10 fully-compatible with high-end VR games.

'Not hacked'

Of course, new games mean nothing unless gamers are able to connect online to play them. And of late it's been a bit of an issue.

Poor reliability on Xbox Live - the service Xbox gamers use to play each other over the internet has strained out thousands of players.
Stuff

Snoop Dogg is one of the fans who are disgruntled. He has pleaded with Bill Gates to fix the issue, or else he'd change to PlayStation.

Mr Spencer apologised for the issues.

He added, "It's evidently always regretful."

"This last outage was a worry that we learned from. It took us a bit longer to grasp the issue but it was evident.

He denied that the company had been the victim of a hacking attack, claiming that although its network was constantly under attack, it wasn't as claimed, destroyed by a coordinated effort to cut gamers off.

And on the possibility of losing Snoop Dogg: "Snoop's been an avid player for a long time, and a loyal supporter of Xbox.

"I can understand when people become angry. I view it as a sign of the love and commitment people have to what we offer as a game platform."

Follow Dave Lee on Twitter @DaveLeeBBC and on Facebook.

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