I am sure many of you reading this have poured countless hours into Minecraft. Placing blocks brick by brick and surviving against the zombies and creepers has been a lot of fun for many gamers over the last few years. It became so popular that Microsoft stepped up and purchased the whole kit and kaboodle for 2.5 billion dollars in 2014.
Since then we have seen Minecraft used to show off some upcoming tech such as HoloLens, and Microsoft has even made it a big part of the new windows store with Minecraft Windows 10 Edition Beta, which itself is about to get a whole lot more exciting.
Announcing the launch yesterday August 15th of the Oculus Rift VR version of the game, the developers Majong asked, “How’s your face? Is it ready? Is it ready to have Minecraft right up in it?” They went on to let everyone know the new update was live and best of all it was free.
VR support in a game like Minecraft being released for free is a pretty big deal. For those who have picked up an Oculus Rift, that is a whole lot of content for their new device simply for downloading an update. Of course, this isn’t the first leap to VR for Minecraft, as it was released for Gear VR back in April.
This time, for the games Oculus debut, there are some interesting new features that aim to ease users into the VR experience and provide a respite from motion sickness and other issues early VR adopters may face. Among them, enhanced VR controls to make the experience more immersive, and what they are calling VR Turning which actually has you snapping in increments to turn but is promised to feel more natural as you get used to it.
The one feature that seems uniquely interesting is the new Virtual Living Room. With a press of a button the game takes you out of the Minecraft world and places you in a virtual lounge, where you will be able to play Minecraft on a rendered 2D screen. The idea is that you can take a break from the VR world without taking a break from the game itself. It will be interesting to see if a feature like this can “ease the strain” of a long play session on a VR device.
All in all, it looks like an amazing addition to the wealth of content available for Minecraft already and again the amazing part is that it is a free update. Owners of Minecraft equipped with an Oculus Rift need only update their game and download the bespoke launcher from the Oculus store to experience the VR goodness.
If you are playing Minecraft on the Oculus we would love to know what you think. Make sure to share your thoughts and experiences in the comments below!