Minecraft VR demos hit Microsoft Stores across North America

By Dan Thorp-Lancaster
published

If you've been itching to give Minecraft a shot in virtual reality, you can now get a taste of the action at Microsoft Stores throughout North America. Demo stations equipped with an Oculus Rift will be available at a number of stores, allowing fans of the game to experience building their creations in VR with no appointment needed.

Microsoft says (opens in new tab) that the demos will hit all Microsoft Store locations in North America by Oct. 3. Here's the long list of locations that rollout covers:

  • Ala Moana Center (Honolulu)
  • Aventura Mall (Aventura, Fla.)
  • Beachwood Place Mall (Beachwood, Ohio)
  • Bellevue Square (Bellevue, Wash.)
  • Bridgewater Commons (Bridgewater, N.J.)
  • Burlington Mall (Burlington, Mass.)
  • Christiana Mall (Christiana, Del.)
  • City Creek Center (Salt Lake City)
  • Dadeland Mall (Miami)
  • Danbury Fair Mall (Danbury, Conn.)
  • Fashion Valley (San Diego)
  • Flagship Microsoft Store New York
  • Freehold Raceway Mall (Freehold, N.J.)
  • Garden State Plaza (Paramus, N.J.)
  • Houston Galleria (Houston)
  • International Plaza (Tampa, Fla.)
  • Kenwood Towne Centre (Cincinnati)
  • Lenox Square (Atlanta)
  • Mall at Millenia (Orlando, Fla.)
  • Mall of America (Bloomington, Minn.)
  • Natick Mall (Natick, Mass.)
  • Oakbrook Center (Oak Brook, Ill.)
  • Oak Park Mall (Overland Park, Kan.)
  • Park Meadows (Lone Tree, Colo.)
  • Penn Square Mall (Oklahoma City)
  • Pioneer Place (Portland, Ore.)
  • Prudential Center (Boston)
  • Roosevelt Field (Garden City, N.Y.)
  • Scottsdale Fashion Square (Scottsdale, Ariz.)
  • Somerset Collection (Troy, Mich.)
  • Southpark (Charlotte, N.C.)
  • South Coast Plaza (Costa Mesa, Calif.)
  • St. Louis Galleria (St. Louis)
  • St. Johns Town Center (Jacksonville, Fla.)
  • Stanford Shopping Center (Palo Alto, Calif.)
  • Stonebriar Centre (Frisco, Texas)
  • Streets at Southpoint (Durham, N.C.)
  • The Domain (Austin)
  • The Fashion Centre at Pentagon City (Arlington, Va.)
  • The Fashion Mall at Keystone (Indianapolis)
  • The Florida Mall (Orlando, Fla.)
  • The Mall at Rockingham Park (Salem, N.H.)
  • The Shops at La Cantera (San Antonio)
  • The Shops at Mission Viejo (Mission Viejo, Calif.)
  • The Village at Corte Madera (Corte Madera, Calif.)
  • The Woodlands Mall (Woodlands, Texas)
  • The Westchester (White Plains, N.Y.)
  • Tysons Corner Center (Tysons Corner, Va.)
  • University Village (Seattle)
  • Walden Galleria (Buffalo, N.Y.)
  • Walt Whitman Mall (Huntington Station, N.Y.)
  • Westfarms Mall (Farmington, Conn.)
  • Westfield Century City (Los Angeles)
  • Westfield Valley Fair (Santa Clara, Calif.)
  • Woodfield Mall (Schaumburg, Ill.)
  • Woodland Hill Mall (Tulsa, Okla.)

So, if you don't already own an Oculus Rift and haven't had a chance to try Minecraft in VR, now's your chance at your nearest Microsoft Store. Are you planning to give the experience a try? Be sure to let us know in the comments!

Dan Thorp-Lancaster
Dan Thorp-Lancaster

Dan Thorp-Lancaster is the former Editor-in-Chief of Windows Central. He began working with Windows Central, Android Central, and iMore as a news writer in 2014 and is obsessed with tech of all sorts. You can follow Dan on Twitter @DthorpL and Instagram @heyitsdtl. 

15 Comments
  • I'll be there with my family who will probably want our own system in the house. Posted via the Windows Central App for Android
  • "by Oct. 3." Until when? I'd much prefer it to be a Minecraft HoloLens demo, but I live close enough to a Microsoft Store that I'll swing by to try the VR version, even though I did that when they demoed an HTC Vive and was not impressed with VR at all. Perhaps Minecraft can change that sour initial impression.
  • The Vive was the best VR experience I tried. Being able to see the controller while immersed made all the difference
  • Yikes, if the Vive is the best VR has to offer right now, then I have little confidence in the future of VR. It was neat for about 3 minutes, then it became painfully obvious how limited and unenjoyable it is. I'm hoping HoloLens offers a better experience.
  • As far as we know there is no end date Posted via the Windows Central App for Android
  • Oculus... yuck!
  • Are they ever going to release the Minecraft demo they showed early on for HoloLens, or was that just a presentation thing?
  • That was likely just a demo but I imagine Microsoft is working on a proper HoloLens Minecraft port.
  • Release it for what? Or why now I guess is what I'm asking. HoloLens is a developer product right now, not for consumers. And I agree with what John said too.
  • Vive??
  • Vive is actually the best idea to incorporate a VR Minecraft (You could actually "Break" the blocks using the controller!) but the limitation is lack of 3D Space (Sure there could be a teleport feature, but that defeats a lot of purposes)
  • The majority of the Microsoft stores have both the Oculus and Vive on display to demo. The Oculus demo is only going to be the Minecraft VR game (sit down experience) however the Vive does offer several different room scaling experiences that you will be able to run through. For parents keep in mind that your child must be at least 13 y/o to demo either device.
  • Thanks! We're heading to Buffalo soon and planned on visiting the MS store there with the kids. This is something we'll all enjoy while we're shopping for Christmas.
  • I found this demo incredibly disappointing compared to the Vive demo.  I just did both of these last week and the Kansas City MS store.  Oculus didn't fit over my glasses, so I could barely see, and I had to sit and use an Xbox controller, movement was awful.  The Vive however, let me move around the environment and fit comfortably over my glasses.
  • Even with the Vive you could only walk a few steps in any direction. It was incredibly limited. Worse yet, the resolution / graphics were so obviously artificial that it completely killed the "reality" part of "virtual reality". I don't see how that could ever become more than niche.