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

1 March 2016

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

Microsoft purchased the block-building phenomenon in 2014 at $2.5bn (PS1.8bn), a huge deal that left many fans of the game concerned about its future.

The US firm promised not to ruin its popular formula, and instead said it would invest in bringing Minecraft to the next level.

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

Palmer Luckey (creator of Oculus VR headset) said, "It makes it feel like you're in the world of Minecraft."
i love

It's immersive, like many VR experiences. It's a huge step up from just looking at Minecraft on a regular screen if you are a fan of the addictive building process.

But for a game popular with children, there's one figure that might worry parents: $1,500.

That's the amount they'll need if they want an Oculus Rift headset, and a computer powerful enough to run it.

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

"It isn't," he said.

It is expensive, but it offers a lot more technology than a television or mobile phone.

"It's certainly not simple hardware and the cost will go down over time."

It'll need to go down pretty sharp-ish if it is to be adopted by mainstream audiences soon.

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

Oculus Minecraft was one of many games on display at Xbox Spring Showcase. This gave journalists (and a few YouTube stars) the chance to play some of tomorrow's blockbusters.

Quantum Break is a gripping world where I lost an entire hour. It's a game that you play Jack Joyce (an unwilling action hero) who learns how to manipulate time after an experiment goes wrong.

You might think that this sounds like another scenario for a game. But the title's mechanics, which are similar to "bullet time" but better, make it something unique.

Also, be sure to check out Tom Clancy's The Division -- set in a meticulously faithful-to-life Manhattan.

Many of the titles displayed were also promoted as great for PC play via Microsoft's Windows 10 operating platform.

"If you look at these numbers, PC gaming represents the fastest growing segment in gaming out there," stated Phil Spencer (head of Xbox).

"It's only natural we'd concentrate on gaming on Windows."

Virtual plans

Microsoft has decided not to create its own headset for virtual reality. However, it is still developing the Hololens-focused Hololens. Instead, it is working to make it compatible with the Oculus Rift or HTC Vive.

Mr Spencer stated that virtual reality would follow high definition TVs' path. He believes it will be a luxury item, but one that is hard to resist once it is experienced.

"The VR industry will benefit from the early adopters," he stated.

I asked Microsoft if it might make 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 part of our roadmap," he said. He said that Windows 10 would be fully compatible with VR-ready titles.

'Not hacked'

Of course, new games mean nothing unless gamers can get online to play them. That's been a challenge lately.

Low reliability on Xbox Live, the online gaming platform used by Xbox gamers, has caused thousands of problems.

Disgruntled fans include rapper Snoop Dogg, who - in a video too profane to link to here - begged Bill Gates to fix the problem or he'd defect to PlayStation.

Mr Spencer apologized for the issues.

"It is obviously always regretful," he stated.

"This was an outage that raised concerns, and we learned from it. We were able to identify the problem, but it took us longer than we would have liked.

He denied that the company had been hacked and claimed that its network was not under constant attack. Instead, it was being attacked by a coordinated effort to cut gamers off.

Snoop Dogg is at risk of being lost: "Snoop has been a long-time Xbox gamer and supporter for a long time.

"I understand when people get upset. It is a sign that people love and are committed to what we do as a game platform.

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