Two days ago, it was revealed that Minecraft, along with Bullet Time and Pac-Man (seems like an odd match, I know) would be playable games when the Oculus Rift publicly releases next spring.

The main reason why this news is interesting is due to the fact that Minecraft was demonstrated and is possibly being developed for Microsoft's HoloLens device. Although the HoloLens and Oculus Rift aren't exactly the same type of device, they're pretty close; one's a headpiece you put on to see holograms of games; one's a headpiece you put on to see virtual games. If you want to know more about the HoloLens, feel free to read my article on it here.

From what articles are telling us, it seems that a full version of vanilla Minecraft will be playable. According to Wired UK, "Players can look forward to playing in creator or survival mode [on Minecraft], but in full immersive 3D VR." Sounds pretty cool, doesn't it?

Some of the ports, like Pac-Man for example, won't be upgraded to virtual reality; so no running around in real life to move; however, they will still provide immersive 3D visuals. Apparently that's not the case with Minecraft, however; it seems as if you'll be able to play in full virtual reality. 

In similar news, at the same conference where Minecraft was announced, the Vice President of Oculus Rift VR's Product stated that the Oculus Rift will cost "at least $300 [US]". That's almost as much as a game console, so you better start saving up now if you wanted one (unless you're a Saudi Arabian oil empire billionaire, in that case please send me one). 

We do not have any photos of Minecraft demos yet, so for now I'll post a screenshot of Bullet Time running on the Rift  as the thumbnail.


This announcement was definitely very interesting; it seems as if Minecraft is really starting to build up popularity with niche technology like VR headsets and the HoloLens. Only time will tell if other companies decide to include Minecraft in their systems (Minecraft for WIi U, anybody?)