Gear VR Minecraft Worth It?

Snikerdoodlz · February 8, 2017

I have a Galaxy S7 and a Gear VR 2016, and I was wondering if playing Minecraft on it is worth it. I've played Minecraft a lot before on various servers and singleplayer, so how well does VR stack up against regular? Will it provide prolonged gameplay or will it be a cut-down bum with few features? Which version of PC Minecraft does it compare best to?

werto165 · February 8, 2017

I've tried the oculus version with touch it's pretty fun, not sure about minecraft on gear though, but I'm pretty sure that carmack has said it's the best way to experience it.

SCHISCHKA · February 8, 2017

it compares the android version which would be the pocket edition. Im not sure if you can host your own server and connect with the android version that would be a deal breaker for me. I want to get it but i just dont have time to play it. Reviews on youtube are all positive

tatte · February 9, 2017

It shares multiplayer with the Pocket Edition and Windows 10 Edition, so featurewise it should be adequate. If you pay for Realms or find a decent one to play on, you'll be able to work on your stuff both on PC and your phone, which should help the longevity of the experience. Being able to use a PC for tedious resource gathering really helps, as seated VR isn't really great for cutting down trees and the whole looking straight up/down while seated gets old (and aching) pretty fast.

I'd suggest trying out the Windows 10 Edition with the same controller you intend to use with your phone. I have always found the Windows 10 Edition a little less responsive compared to the Java version of Minecraft, and I wouldn't necessarily say it holds up to console versions either. It's perfectly playable, but may require some getting used to if you have spent considerable amounts of time with another versions of the game.

What comes to Minecraft in VR, it's definitely worth it, and it's probably one of the best value VR games right now. It gives plenty options to make the experience work for you, including a virtual living room and playing the game from a big screen. It's really helpful if/when the sickness hits, allowing you to keep playing while your brain gets its act back together.

I had some trouble getting logged in for achievements (it requires Xbox app on the background for that), otherwise it was smooth sailing. Overheating issues led me to return the S6 I got for dedicated VR use, but oddly enough Minecraft didn't cause major problems. IIRC it managed to overheat the phone in some occasions, but we're talking about hours (in contrast to mere minutes in Youtube). S6 and S7 are of course very different phones, I doubt you'll have any issues.