Oculus Rift VR Support For Minecraft On Windows 10 Arrives Next Week
One of the most popular games of all time is gaining support for one of the most popular virtual reality headsets of the day. We're of course talking about Minecraft and Oculus Rift, the pairing of which was scheduled to take place in a few weeks. Apparently things are ahead of schedule because one of Minecraft's developers posted an update to Twitter on Thursday saying a version that supports Rift will be out next week.
This could be just the thing that helps spur VR gaming. Oculus and HTC haven't seen a shortage of early adopters flock to their respective headsets, but for pricey headsets that require even pricier PCs to catch on with a wider audience, there needs to be some compelling content that extends beyond gimmicky demos and games that are little more than glorified demos.
It's not a matter of if real VR gaming is coming, but when, and Tommaso Checchi answered that question (at least as it pertains to Minecraft).
PSA: unsurprisingly, promised dates change :)
— Tommaso Checchi (@_tomcc) August 11, 2016
We said that Rift support would be in 0.15.6, but it will be out next week instead!
One thing to note is that support for the Oculus Rift is coming to Minecraft: Windows 10 Edition available from the Windows 10 store and not the regular desktop version. However, if you already own Minecraft for Windows or Mac, you can snag the Windows 10 Edtion at no cost. Otherwise it's $10.
A fun side note to all this is that originally Minecraft wasn't destined for the Rift. Minecraft creator Markus Persson, otherwise known as Notch, had a deal in place in 2014 but cancelled it, noting on Twitter that "Facebook creeps me out." Then a few months later Microsoft acquired Mojang from Persson for $2.5 billion and promptly renewed talks with Facebook, and now here we are.
A fun side note to all this is that originally Minecraft wasn't destined for the Rift. Minecraft creator Markus Persson, otherwise known as Notch, had a deal in place in 2014 but cancelled it, noting on Twitter that "Facebook creeps me out." Then a few months later Microsoft acquired Mojang from Persson for $2.5 billion and promptly renewed talks with Facebook, and now here we are.
