<p> First glimpse of virtual reality Minecraft at Xbox showcase Dave Lee North America technology reporter</p>
 
 <p> 1 March 2016</p>
 
 <p> Comments</p>
 
 <p> Minecraft is already adored by millions of gamers around the world - now Microsoft has shown us what the real world is like in virtual real-world.</p>
 
 <p> Microsoft bought the block-building game in 2014 for $2.5bn (PS1.8bn) This was an enormous sum that left gamers concerned about its future.</p>
 
 <p> The US firm said that it would not ruin its popular formula and instead invest in Minecraft.</p>
 
 <p> At a party in San Francisco's fashionable Mission District, its Xbox division showed off the virtual real-world version of Minecraft for the first time.</p>
 
 <p> Palmer Luckey, creator and designer of Oculus Rift VR headset, said it makes you feel as if you are in Minecraft.</p>
 
 <p> It's like other VR experiences. It's a complete immersion. For those who are enthralled by Minecraft's addictive build process, it's a significant step up from watching it on a normal screen.</p>
 
 <p> Parents may be worried about $1,500 which is the cost of a game that is popular with children.</p>
 
 <p> This is the amount they'll need for an Oculus Rift headset as well as a PC powerful enough to power it.</p>
 
 <p> That's surely too costly, I suggested to Mr. Luckey.</p>
 
 <p> He said, "It isn’t."</p>
 
 <p> "I mean, it's expensive relative to everything else out there however, if you look at it in comparison to television or a mobile phone you're getting more technology.</p>
 
 <p> "It's not as straightforward hardware, and the price is going down over time."</p>
 
 <p> If it is to be adopted by the mass media it must be slowed down quickly.</p>
 
 <p> I predict a minor revival of the games arcade. This is an area where people can play the latest video games they cannot afford to buy for themselves.</p>
 
 <p> Big titles</p>
 
 <p> Minecraft on Oculus was one of the many games displayed at Xbox's Spring Showcase, a chance for journalists - and a few influential YouTube gamers naturally - to play with the latest blockbusters.</p>
 
 <p> Quantum Break was a fascinating world that has me shivering for an hour. It's a game in which you play Jack Joyce, an uncooperative action hero who gains the ability to manipulate time after an experiment that went wrong.</p>
 
 <p> This could sound like another game scenario, but the title's mechanics make it stand out.</p>
 
 <p> Also look out for Tom Clancy's The Division - set in a painstakingly true-to-life Manhattan.</p>
 
 <p> A lot of the games on show were also marketed as great to play on PC, via Microsoft's Windows 10 operating system.</p>
 
 <p> "If you look at the numbers, PC gaming has the fastest growing segment of gaming," stated Phil Spencer the head of Xbox.</p>
 
 <p> "It's only natural to concentrate on gaming on Windows."</p>
 
 <p> Virtual plans</p>
 
 <p> When it comes to virtual reality, Microsoft has opted not to develop its own headset, even though it is developing the Augmented Reality-focused Hololens but is instead trying to make it compatible with the Oculus Rift and HTC Vive.  https://tecelana.com/  </p>
 
 <p> In the debate over price, Spencer stated that he believes virtual reality will follow the path that was set by high-definition TVs. It is a luxury item at first but it becomes difficult to resist once you have experienced it.</p>
 
 <p> "The early adopters will be there to spur the VR industry," he said.</p>
 
 <p> Given that Sony's PlayStation 4 will be getting its own VR headset, I wondered if Microsoft too might consider making its own VR headset.</p>
 
 <p> "I definitely think it could be a on our roadmap," he said. He also said that Windows 10 was now fully compatible with VR titles, but he did not mention this.</p>
 
 <p> 'Not hacked'</p>
 
 <p> Of course, the newest games are nothing if players can get online to play them. As of late, that's been something of a challenge.</p>
 
 <p> Insufficient reliability on Xbox Live - the service Xbox gamers utilize to play against each other over the internet - has stressed out thousands.</p>
 
 <p> Fans who are disgruntled include rapper Snoop Dogg, who - in a video that was too vulgar to post here - begged Bill Gates to fix the problem or he'd defect to PlayStation.</p>
 
 <p> Mr. Spencer apologized for the issues.</p>
 
 <p> He said, "It's evidently always regretful."</p>
 
 <p> "This last outage was a worry, we learned from it. We were able to pinpoint exactly what the issue was but it took longer than we would like."</p>
 
 <p> He denied that the company had been the victim of a hacking attack, claiming that although its network was constantly under attack, it wasn't like it was claimed, felled by an organized attempt to block gamers.</p>
 
 <p> The risk of losing Snoop Dogg: "Snoop's been an avid player for a long time, and a loyal supporter of Xbox.</p>
 
 <p> "I understand when people get upset. It's a sign that people love and are committed to the work we do as a gaming platform.</p>
 
 <p> Follow Dave Lee on Twitter @DaveLeeBBC and on Facebook.</p>
 
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