As Microsoft formally unveils its VR headset, Hololens, it provides a glimpse of what an augmented-reality Minecraft could look like...
NewsHaving remained dormant since the '90s, virtual reality has made a comeback thanks to Oculus Rift and rival devices from Sony and Razer.
Microsoft is throwing its own hat into the VR ring with HoloLens, a headset the company says will be available in "the Windows 10 time frame." As part of the unveiling, Microsoft showed off a video, which provided a glimpse of the HoloLens in action. For the most part, it shows how everyday apps like Skype and Netflix could function in a domestic environment, with icons appearing as little boxes on tables and so forth.
The most intriguing moment - perhaps only because we're quietly addicted to Minecraft- comes when the HoloLens user's shown interacting with a VR version of Mojang's colossally successful building-survival game.
The player's town is shown laid out before them like a model village; the term "digital Lego set" has often been attached to Minecraft, but the ability to walk around your constructions and manipulate them with your fingers only underlines the link.
Only time will tell whether the HoloLens - and devices like it - will gain the widespread traction something like Kinect failed to find. But if it does become popular, VR Minecraftcould prove to be the Hololens's killer app.
You can see the Minecraftsection of the presentation below. The full demonstration is in the next video beneath.
