Microsoft Shows Off Minecraft for HoloLens

The bulk of Microsoft's E3 presser this morning focused on games coming to its Xbox One console, but the company also took some time to demo Minecraft on its futuristic HoloLens augmented reality headset.

Mojang's Brand Director Lydia Winters and Michael Saxs Persson of Microsoft Studios took to the stage in Los Angeles for a quick demo (video below). Persson was outfitted with a HoloLens and an Xbox controller and played a game that was projected on a wall, while Winters played nearby on a Microsoft Surface tablet.

HoloLens"HoloLens lets you display Minecraft virtually anywhere," Winters said, for a "different perspective on your Minecraft world."

That perspective is not limited to a wall. In a move that elicited quite the reaction from the crowd, Persson switched to a table-top view of Minecraft, which produced a virtual, 3D version of the game that he could manipulate with his voice and gestures.

To Winters, who was standing nearby on her Surface, it looked as if Persson was simply pinching and poking at the air (below). But switch to Persson's view, and he was navigating the brick world of Minecraft together with Winters's avatar (above).

Minecraft and Hololens

To get a closer look at Winters in the game, Persson told Minecraft to "follow player" and then switch to a "close up." He then zoomed out as Winters ran down some castle steps into the countryside, and followed her around in his Minecraft world. But he was not limited to the surface; he grabbed his world for a peek underground.

E3 BugMicrosoft first showed off its HoloLens in January and positioned it as a tool not only for gamers but business professionals from plumbers to graphic designers. Last month, PCMag got some hands-on time with an updated and untethered version.

"I will say that I did encounter a bit of vertigo while using the headset, and it wasn't something I'd want to be wearing all day, or even for the duration of a movie," PCMag's Michael Muchmore concluded. "But for applications like those I experienced, I can honestly say there's nothing like it, and its uses will only multiply."

Mojang, meanwhile, was acquired by Microsoft in September for $2.5 billion.