Notes

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



Minecraft is loved by millions of gamers all over the globe. Microsoft has now shown us what virtual reality looks like in the immersive world of Minecraft.
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Microsoft bought the block building phenomenon in 2014 for $2.5bn. (PS1.8bn). This was a significant deal that caused concern among fans.



The US firm pledged not to ruin its beloved formula and instead stated that it would invest in Minecraft's next level.



At an event in San Francisco's trendy Mission District, its Xbox division showed off the virtual reality version of Minecraft for the first time.



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



It's captivating, as with many VR experiences. It's a great alternative to watching Minecraft on a regular monitor if you're a Minecraft addict.



Parents might be concerned about $1,500, which is the price of a popular game with children.



That's the suggested amount they'll need to spend if they want to buy an Oculus Rift headset and a PC powerful enough to power it.



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



"It isn't," he said.



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



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



If it is to become mainstream, it will have to be dropped pretty quickly.



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 on Oculus was among the many games on display at Xbox Spring Showcase. It was a chance for journalists and some influential YouTube gamers to see tomorrow's blockbusters firsthand.



Quantum Break is a gripping world where I lost an entire hour. It's a game in which you play Jack Joyce, an unwilling action hero who develops the ability to manipulate time after an experiment gone awry.



If that sounds like yet another predictable scenario for a game, you'd be right - but the title's mechanics (think "bullet time", only better) make it something special.



Also, keep an eye out for Tom Clancy’s The Division, which is set in a meticulously true-to life Manhattan.



Many of the titles on show were also being pushed as great to play on PC, via Microsoft's Windows 10 operating system.



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



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



Virtual plans



When it comes to virtual reality, Microsoft has opted not to make its own headset - although it is developing the augmented reality-focused Hololens - but is instead working to make itself compatible with the Oculus Rift and 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.



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



Given the fact that Sony's PlayStation 4 is getting its own VR headset I asked if Microsoft might also consider making its own gear.



He said, "I believe it could be something that's part of our roadmap." He stressed that Windows 10 was now fully compatible with VR titles, but he did not mention this.



'Not hacked'



New games are useless if gamers can't play them online. 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 offered his apology for the issues.



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



"This outage was a concern. It was something we learned from. We knew exactly what the issue was. It just took us a little longer than we would like.



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 may be lost.



"I understand when people are upset. I take it as a sign to the love and commitment people have towards what we are as game platforms."



Follow Dave Lee on Twitter @DaveLeeBBC, and on Facebook



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