Microsoft teases Pokémon GO-like AR experience for Minecraft

Microsoft"s Build conference has brought a ton of news so far, but the company has also snuck in a teaser for upcoming news in the gaming department. In a short video clip, we see a woman using a phone to see a world filled with characters and elements from Minecraft thanks to augmented reality.

The experience is somewhat reminiscent of Pokémon GO, which also uses AR to let users interact and capture Pokémon found in the real world. The formula has been replicated for other franchises such as Harry Potter, and it would seem that Microsoft is hopping on the trend. The teaser video doesn"t show a whole lot about how players interact with the Minecraft world, though, so it"s hard to say what kind of experience this is meant to be.

What’s @Minecraft up to? Tune in to https://t.co/E7ZPoCQKus on May 17 to find out. #MSBuild pic.twitter.com/CVurJW4eWw

— Microsoft (@Microsoft) May 6, 2019

Despite being available in a few different flavors, many of the existing AR games are developed by Google"s Niantic, so it"ll be interesting to see if Microsoft is building the Minecraft experience on its own. Perhaps even more interesting will be knowing if the HoloLens 2 will be able to join in on the fun as well, and in what capacity, seeing as it"s not an always-connected device. You may remember a Minecraft demo on the original HoloLens was shown back in 2015.

More information about this AR experience will be revealed on May 17, so we won"t have to wait long to know more.

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