How Microsoft is Recreating Minecraft for Augmented Reality in Hololens
In the VR world, sure there are lots of high-end hardware available. But it’s just part of the whole VR experience. What makes it complete is the content that powers it. Not only the actual content itself is important, but the quality and immersive factor of the virtual content as well. Any high-specced VR hardware will be worthless if you can’t actually do anything with it. With the upcoming big titles for the Rift and HTC Vive, Microsoft’s HoloLens is also setting itself up in the VR gaming arena with Minecraft. With Microsoft’s acquisition of this hugely successful gaming title, let’s take a look at how the tech giant is shaping Minecraft for the future of HoloLens.
Truth be told, the HoloLens is a different kind of species in the VR world. Its functionality lies in augmented reality, not virtual reality. It’s not anything like the Rift, but it has its unique features that make it the best option for a variety of applications. Microsoft previously stated that the Hololens will initially be targeted for the enterprise and business sectors, yet gaming has its place on the Hololens – not in the soonest time, however. Microsoft is open to augmented reality gaming on the HoloLens. In fact, that’s one of the main reasons why the company bought Minecraft developer Mojang last year for US$2.5 billion.
During the announcement of the HoloLens made in January, Minecraft stole the limelight and it became a highly anticipated experience on the AR goggles. Microsoft wowed the crowd, and demonstrated how the HoloLens can transform Minecraft from its monitor confines to an interactive virtual setting where it seamlessly blends with the user’s surroundings.
Microsoft hopes that the promise of augmented reality Minecraft will entice players to pick up a HoloLens device, quickly giving the headset a large gaming population. For a glimpse of what Minecraft could be a HoloLens’ future hit, the game’s mobile edition alone has sold over 30 million copies and counting. It’s a whopping statistic. And thanks to Minecraft’s huge sales, the firm groundwork has been laid for this amazing hardware-software combo. It’s even safe to say that Minecraft has become one of the top-selling games in the world – if not the best-selling game of all time. And the HoloLens is set to maintain – or even surpass – that title.
For more information on Minecraft and the HoloLens, please visit the following websites:
http://www.virtualrealitytimes.com/2015/02/04/microsoft-hololens-everything-you-need-to-know/
http://www.virtualrealitytimes.com/2015/07/19/first-version-of-hololens-wont-be-game-centric-at-launch-microsoft/
http://www.virtualrealitytimes.com/2015/03/08/microsoft-will-bring-xbox-games-to-hololens/
