VR era ends for Minecraft: Mojang drops support for virtual reality on PC and PSVR

Mojang, the developer behind Minecraft announced that it would end VR support for Minecraft on both PSVR and PC. Mojang’s announcement specified that the support for the PCVR would end by March 2025. The Minecraft developer also expounded further on the game’s future updates and the new features added. 

Following its release in 2011, Minecraft has grown in popularity, becoming the best-selling video game of all time. Minecraft has grown to be a cultural phenomenon amongst gamers of all ages as they continue to engage with the game’s added content and variations. The sandbox game’s continued development by Mojang resulted in releases for PlayStation, Xbox, PC, android, macOS, Linux, and Nintendo Switch.

Mojang announces the end of VR support

In the latest Bedrock Changelog, Mojang announced that the game’s ability to support VR/MR devices was drawing to a close. The announcement stated that the VR support for PC would cease after a final update scheduled for March 2025. Mahjong explained that after the final update, players would still be able to get updates on their PCs. However, gamers will have to play the game without the VR devices. Mojang assured gamers that they wouldn’t lose their game progress by adding details such as the gamer’s marketplace purchases that would be available when using non-VR/MR graphics devices.

Minecraft updates first enabled PSVR support in 2020 after PC VR support had been introduced in 2016. The game’s PC version currently supports a wide range of VR devices, such as the Windows MR and the Oculus Rift headsets. Mojang announced the end of PC VR support a month after it announced the end of PSVR support, which is similarly scheduled for March 2025. The trend also affected PS5 consoles, with Minecraft versions for the console having no VR support from the get-go.  

While VR support for all consoles officially ends in 2025, PC gamers can still play the game using several available workarounds. Gamers can use  Vivecraft and Questcraft mods to play the game. Vivecraft would enable gamers to play the game’s Javascript version while the Questcraft mod only allows players who have a Microsft account and an official copy of Minecraft: Java Edition and Bedrock Edition for PC. However, the support of these VR headsets will only be limited to LAN-play and local servers. 

Minecraft changelog reveals new features

The Bedrock Changelog also revealed more information about the game’s upcoming update. On top of providing an extensive list of the 140 bugs fixed by the update, Mahjong also listed the new ‘Hardcore Mode’ and ‘Bundles’ features. The Bundles feature will enable gamers to store different blocks or items together in the same inventory slot, saving on space that would have been wasted. Mojang stated that the new bundles were cheaper, available in most biomes, and easier to craft, allowing players to get them early in their adventures.

Mojang also discussed the new Hardcore Mode feature, revealing that the mode would allow players to play the game at the highest difficulty. Mojang stated that when turned on, gamers would no longer be able to turn Hard Mode off. The gamers would also only have one chance to play, and dying would mean ‘Game Over!’ for them. Additionally, when dead, players will only be able to respawn as spectators who can only watch but not interact with the world.