Think about playing today’s hottest games in your living room — literally. Microsoft’s HoloLens intends to make virtual into reality, but at a price. The device will support apps made in iOS, Android as well as Windows 10, would be perfect to pair with a gaming console. The big question is: can anyone afford it?
This isn’t the first time virtual reality has tried to venture into the gaming console space. Nintendo’s Virtual Boy debuted in 1995. However, it was way too ahead of its time. Its red and black color scheme caused eye strain and the poor quality of games sent it to an early grave.
An unnamed Microsoft executive told the New York Times that the HoloLens would cost “significantly more” than a gaming console. Current game console prices for systems like PlayStation 4, Wii U, and Xbox One range from about $300 to $500. It is still unclear how much more “significantly more” might be as of this writing.
As the early demos of HoloLens, seem to suggest, Minecraft may play a big role in the launch of the wearable. According to WinBeta, Microsoft’s September 2014 purchase of Mojang, creators of Minecraft, for a whopping $2.5 billion, is a big hint. “There are only a handful of potential buyers with the resources to grow Minecraft on a scale that it deserves. We’ve worked closely with Microsoft since 2012, and have been impressed by their continued dedication to our game and its development. We’re confident that Minecraft will continue to grow in an awesome way,” said Owen Hill, the Chief Word Officer (CWO) at Mojang at the time of purchase.
Minecraft‘s sandbox-style gameplay has allowed players to create whole worlds – some projects include scenes from TV shows such as Game of Thrones to real-life locales such as the Space Shuttle and even scenes from other video games such as Sonic the Hedgehog. The HoloLens’ affinity for apps for designers and other creatives can help it become attractive to a larger audience, and a clarification of its price could help determine whether or not consumers will adopt it at first.
