Minecraft hits Oculus Rift and Windows 10

Minecraft developer Mojang has released a version of the popular building and adventure game that is designed for the Oculus Rift virtual-reality headset which was released in this year and Windows 10.

The release is a free addition to current Minecraft Windows 10 beta editions. Game developer Mojang, which is now owned by Microsoft, said that setup is as simple as downloading the launcher from the Oculus Store and placing the headset on your face.

“How’s your face? Is it ready? Is it ready to have Minecraft right up in it?” Mojang said as it announced the launch. “It had better be: we’re releasing a free update to Minecraft: Windows 10 Edition Beta, which will enable you to play Minecraft on Oculus Rift. Windows 10 players just need to download the bespoke launcher from the Oculus store to get the full stereoscopic experience.”

Minecraft fans have been able to enjoy some of the same experience for some time on the Samsung Galaxy Gear VR headset, and Mojang suggested that this launch has perhaps enabled a smoother release on the Rift, a headset that has long had Minecraft in its sights.

“Back in April, we released Minecraft VR edition for Gear VR. It was the product of many, many months of hard work, reshaping the game you know and love to precisely fit the new medium of virtual reality. After such an achievement, you would think we’d pat our beleaguered VR team on the back and send them on holiday, but instead, we tricked them back into the Coding Pits by saying we’d spotted a Mewtwo in there and quietly barring the door,” Mojang added.

“Since then, in exchange for scraps of old meat dropped from an overhead grill, our heroic team have worked relentlessly to further tweak and refine the experience, making our Oculus Rift Feature-set even more impressive.” Mojang made much of features such as Xbox One controller support along with the same for keyboard and mouse controls, and a feature that allows the player to take a step outside the Minecraft World “We have a Virtual Livingroom, allowing you to step back from the fully immersive experience and into a virtual armchair – a great way to minimise the intensity of VR without breaking play,” the firm explained.