Having started its life as a simple block-building sandbox with some survival elements, Minecraft has become a many-headed beast. Even if one potential avenue or head is cut off, two or three more crop up. Given enough time, there's no telling what this franchise could be capable of. This is especially true considering the once-condemned idea of the game receiving Oculus Rift support looks as though it could be receiving a change of wind.
It's safe to say that Facebook acquiring Oculus still remains one of the biggest gaming stories of the year. This reveal was made all the more memorable when paired with Minecraft creator Markus Persson's vocal distaste for the acquisition. As such, he announced that his company would be "parting ways" and that Minecraft would not be receiving Oculus Rift support.
Just as he initially expressed his feelings towards the union on Twitter, two recent tweets between Persson and Oculus' John Carmack suggest that there could still be hope for official virtual reality support for Minecraft. Announcing that he is "officially over being upset" with the acquisition, Persson was met with a reply from Carmack stating that he would happily make this support happen should he receive the source code.
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While it can be easy to condemn the internet at times, exchanges like this are genuinely heart-warming. Regardless of what one might say about Markus Persson, he has succeeded in taking a crazy idea and turning it into an empire. There is evidently a great amount of respect between him and Carmack and this just further highlights it, despite still being business-like at its core.
With famous artists like director Guillermo Del Toro showing interest in experimenting with Oculus Rift, it's clear that the tech is continuing to gain traction. Coupling this with Minecraft getting bigger than ever, it should come as little surprise that Rift support would some day have found its way into the game, but it is still comforting that Persson's personal misgivings seem to be less of an obstacle at the present.
Shifting gears (or shall we say bricks) slightly, LEGO aficionados will be happy to hear that the new Minecraft sets that were previously teased are one step closer to seeing their release. Joining the ranks of the LEGO Minecraft Micro Worlds, these new sets will be of minifigure scale and will feature even more locales and creatures from the franchise. Listed on Brickset, images featuring two of the upcoming sets have been revealed along with six set names.
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The images above correspond to sets entitled The Farm and The Cave, respectively, with set names like The First Night, Creative Box, The Ender Dragon and The Mine hinting at a broad spectrum of ideas being covered. In particular, the Creative Box sounds intriguing, no doubt putting a heavier focus on building one's own unique world with the given pieces.
These sets are planned to release later in 2014 and - considering their increased scale from the previous sets - will better fit with the general aesthetic that one might be used to coming from LEGO. Coming hot on the heels of the controversy surrounding the unofficial Mineorama convention, this is perhaps the perfect counterpoint to put the series' focus on creativity and fun back into the spotlight.
Would Oculus Rift support be something that would encourage you to jump back into the world of Minecraft? Will you be picking up these new LEGO sets when they release later this year?
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Source: John Carmack, Brickset 1, 2