Microsoft has offered a first look at its augmented reality mobile game, Minecraft Earth, ahead of its planned iOS and Android beta launch this summer.
Minecraft Earth, which was formally unveiled with a fancy CGI trailer last month, is an intriguing mix of Pokemon-Go-like collecting (although, in this case, you’re searching out building resources rather than critters on your local map) and augmented reality construction, very much like Microsoft’s old Minecraft HoloLens tech demo.
It’s this second element – which enables multiple players to build virtual Minecraft structures together in the same real-world space – that Microsoft has now revealed.
Minecraft Earth AR WWDC 2019 Demo Watch on YouTube
The four-minute-long demonstration took place during yesterday’s Apple WWDC keynote, with Mojang employees initially working on a small-scale Minecraft build set on a table. This sequence was nifty enough, with presenters demoing Minecraft’s familiar construction elements, and a number of other features, all while moving around the structure in real-time.