Wondering how to make your Oculus Rift Minecraft friendly? You have come to the right place. I searched and looked around the internet gathering all the information I could on Minecraft, and how to set it up properly for your Oculus Rift headset.

Minecraft literally has endless possibilities at your disposal. You can do everything that your brain imagines – build huge structures, explore hidden places, interact with other players. It all started in 2009 when Markus Persson released an alpha version of the game to PC players. Despite the retro graphics, it managed to be one of the most popular games of all time. At this current moment Minecraft is downloaded over 100 million times.

Minecraft is demanded not only on PC and consoles, but in virtual reality world also. That is why a group of talented modders (StellaArtois, Darktemp, Mabrowning, Jademalo and others) decided to make their own Oculus Rift Minecraft mod, and call it Minecrift.

See also: Official VR support Inc. for Minecraft?

Oculus Rift/ Minecraft/crift Setup

1. Install 1.8.1 Vanilla version of Minecraft.

Vanilla means a version of Minecraft without mods, just a clean install. To find the 1.8.1 version of Minecraft:

* Launch the Minecraft launcher (after you buy it).

* Click “edit profile” in down left corner.

* Then in “use version” tab, choose “release 1.8.1”.



* Save Profile.

* Click “Play”.

* Leave the game.

2. Install Minecrift 1.8.1 mod.

Download Minecrift mode by clicking here. When you are on MTBS3D page:

* Click on “Mirror here” below Minecrift 1.8.1 PRE2.

* Install Minecrift.

* If a smart screen filter appears, click ‘More Info’, then ‘Run Anyway’. Accept the UAC prompt.

* DO NOT check the “Install with Forge” box for now. Forge support is supposed to come out in the near future though.

* Check “Setup binaural audio”, and if you have Razer Hydra then “Include Razer Hydra Support”.

* Click “OK”.

* If you get a dialog that implies Minecrift failed to install correctly, click “The program installed correctly”.

3. Install the MSVC++ 2010 redistributables.

You can download it here (if you do not have it already). It allows you to play the game correctly.

* Click on red “Download”.

* Choose either vcredist_x86.exe (if you have 32-bit Windows), or vcredist_x64.exe (if you have 64-bit Windows). Leave the vcredist_ia64.exe unchecked.

4. Configure Minecraft and Oculus Rift.

Minecraft side –

* Open the Minecraft Launcher.

* Select “edit profile” again.

* In “use version” tab, select “Minecrift 1.8.1 PRE2”.

* Click “Save Profile”.

Oculus Rift side –

* Set your Oculus Rift to extended mode, and then rotate to landscape.

* Make sure you have the latest Oculus Rift drivers. If you encounter any firmware problems, go back to 0.4.4 version.

* Have Oculus Rift as your primary monitor.

* Move Minecraft window to your Oculus Rift by clicking “start” button and then left or right arrow.

* When using Oculus Rift, click “Play”.

* Press F11.

You can go to “VR settings” by pressing escape in-game. Feel free to configure settings to your own personal preference. Some settings will give you better performance or comfort.

Some Oculus Rift Minecraft Issues You May Encounter

Problem: Difficulties setting up a controller.

Solution: Taken from reddit post.

For controller support – Navigate from the in-game menu to Options->VR Settings->Move/Look/Aim, then click to top button until you select Controller. You can then set up the button map etc, and other related settings on that menu.

Problem: Can’t create mods.

Solution: Solution is coming. As far as we know, Forge support is coming in the upcoming weeks for Minecrift.

Problem: FPS is locked on 38fps.

Solution: Toggle mirroring on and off in VR settings.

Problem: Gives you message: “Java(TM) Platform Se binary has stopped working”.

Solution: Make sure that your Java version (32-bit or 64bit) is same as your Windows version (32-bit or 64-bit).

Problem: Runs like slide show.

Solution: Check if AERO is enabled.

How Awesome is Minecraft on Oculus Rift

Seeing these kind of well-made games that do not even have an official Oculus Rift brings additional hope for virtual reality. There are Oculus Rift games out there that are made specifically for head-mounted displays, there are driver injectors like vorpX that let you play triple-A titles with an Oculus Rift, and then there are these games where mods volunteer their free time to give people a chance to have a virtual reality experience within their favourite games.

When you equip your VR headset, you’ll notice a considerable difference in size. When you put cubes down, they feel like they are half the size of your body. Adventuring in different places gives you different kind of emotions. Being in caves has never terrified me before in Minecraft, but when you put on your Oculus Rift, everything feels just so tight and dark, and also scary.

Vibrant colors always make a game look epic (ask Witcher 3), and Minecrift does not shy away from it. Buttery smooth 75 FPS helps you to continue playing this game and not get sick overtime.

What I really like is looking around the corners. It does not matter what game it is, GTA 5, Alien: Isolation or Minecraft, hiding somewhere and using only your head to peak is something that literally gets me off. It also activates my imagination and I really start to wonder what kind of games are we going to be playing once the CV1 comes out.

Of course, Oculus Rift horror games will always be one of the most requested games for HMD’s due to level of immersion and scares it provides, but I am sure that these kinds of open world sandbox games will not lose their place in virtual reality.

Due to Facebook buying Oculus Rift company, Minecraft creator refused to give an official support for Rift. That is why we are going to have to use mods for support, even if it means having some extra difficulties with setting it up.

But, as Microsoft bought Minecraft game just a few weeks ago, hope is not lost.

Still, we want to give an extra thank you to StellaArtois and others who managed to create this awesome port, and who do not stop releasing updates for Minecrift and helping other players to enjoy this awesome game.