Subscribe to all the latest news & offers Subscribe to all the latest news & offersLEGO Star Wars The Force Awakens Price (Low to High) Price (High to Low)Oculus announced earlier this year that the block-building, world-creating Minecraft would be making its VR debut on Oculus Rift at some point in the future. However, it turns out the Mojang title is also coming to the smartphone-powered Samsung Gear VR. Although we've not had a chance to try out Minecraft on Oculus Rift yet, we attended a special event at GDC that let us roam the blocky realms on the Gear VR. After settling ourselves into a swivel chair, strapping on the Gear VR, donning a headset and gripping a gamepad, we found ourselves sitting in a Minecraft- inspired sitting room complete with blocky sofa, massive TV screen and hand-built walls. You can choose to experience Minecraft on Gear VR in this cinema mode if you prefer. It gives you the living-room feel without the first-person quality that makes it more immersive, but also more intense.
But, if you want to go full VR, you'll want to tap the right arrow on the Gear VR's touchpad to suck you straight into a first-person experience. It's smooth, seamless and takes you into the centre of Minecraft. We were playing a pre-built section of a Survival game, with two separate areas and a tunnel connecting the two. Taking a moment to look around, we were encouraged to spin around in our chair to change direction and then move around with the left analogue stick. And it was lovely for a while, just taking in the pixellated beauty that is Minecraft. But, as soon as we started moving about properly and headed for the tunnel, things began to change. We opened the door and a skeleton and a zombie came lumbering towards us. Not only is coming face to face with these beasties far more terrifying a prospect in first-person VR, but it made us immediately reach for that right analogue stick. And that was where the problems started. Rather than offering smooth camera controls as you'd expect, moving the right analogue stick jolts your perspective by around a 90-degree spin.
That might not sound like much, but when the screen turns so abruptly in VR, it does very strange things to your head - and your stomach. We attempted to leave the right analogue stick alone, but it turns out old habits die hard and it wasn't long before a strong sense of nausea began to swell. Now, before you write us off as VR novices, you're wrong. We've used pretty much all the VR headsets, from the big boys like PlayStation VR, HTC Vive and Oculus Rift, to the smaller ones like Google Cardboard in all its various incarnations. This wasn't something we felt while playing any other games on Gear VR either - we've reviewed the headset previously and had as much fun as a virtual kid in a virtual candy store with its various Oculus-powered offerings. But, playing Minecraft and experiencing this nausea was something we hadn't had since the Oculus Rift DK1 days - a headset that was around three or so years ago. We remember it well of course: it was the morning before our Christmas party and we'd been given access to Dying Light on the Oculus Rift DK1 while standing up, living through all its free-running, zombie-chasing glory.
It all went well, but around 15 minutes in we went very pale and our head swam. The motion sickness was so intense we couldn't move for a good 20 minutes afterwards.The issues with movement were so prominent that it made the entire Minecraft for Gear VR experience a painful one from only a few minutes in. We've not walked away from a VR demo feeling so disorientated for years - it was a long, staggering walk back to our hotel. Hopefully it's going to be something that Microsoft and Oculus fixes before it's released at a later date this year, because we can't see many people sitting in their homes spinning around in a swivel chair. We'd much rather experience VR while sitting on a sofa, especially playing something like Minecraft. It's a shame because otherwise, becoming part of the Minecraft experience through VR is truly immersive and having such a familiar game exist all around you is a delight. Imagine literally being able to step into your Minecraft creations simply using the power of your Samsung Galaxy S7 and the Gear VR, without having to spend a fortune on a VR-ready PC and the £499 Oculus Rift.
You'll feel more powerful than ever grabbing that familiar pixellated sword and preparing to defend your home, but also more vulnerable as you hear the groan of zombies or spy the gleaming eyes of a massive spider. So fingers crossed that this will all be possible without the necessity of a half-hour recuperation session afterwards. This page either does not exist or is currently unavailable.You can also search for something on our site below.Best LEGO Star Wars sets When two of the most powerful forces in the galaxy come together you can be sure for explosive results. No, we're not talking about the Sith facing off against the Jedi in an epic battle of Dark versus Light sides of the Force.We're talking about the glorious combination of the forces of Star Wars and LEGO.Put together LEGO Star Wars becomes possibly the most awesome toy around - not only do you get the memorable craft, characters and iconic scenes from the sci-fi fantasy tale, but it also fuels the imagination.
The different X-Wing or TIE fighter variations are endless with a little creativity.And LEGO isn't just for the kids either, there are a host of incredibly intricate collector's edition sets and vast creations for the dedicated adult Star Wars and avid LEGO builder.We've also just tested all the latest Star Wars Rogue One LEGO you may want to buy this year. Here are a selection of our favorite sets. The AT-ST is a Star Wars icon, with its awkward two-legged stride and heavily armored head making it one of the most ungainly vehicles in the galaxy – luckily though, it’s great fun to build from Lego.This 449 piece model took our 20-something TechRadar Master Builder around 75 minutes to construct – but with child assistance (this is an 8+ set) it’s safe to assume a build time closer to two hours.It’s not a difficult build, with the 161 steps easy to follow and it’s handily divided into three build bags, allowing you to complete one section and then step away for a moment without having a ton of bricks scattered everywhere.
The best features are the three minifigures you get in the box (AT-ST driver, Rebel Trooper and Baze Malbus) as well as the spring-loaded firing lasers which see two red plastic projectiles launched around one metre.The cockpit features a lift up lid on top, allowing you to place a minifigure in the driving seat, and a piece behind the head allows you to rotate the cabin. The only small negative point is that the legs are static, so you can’t recreate that stumbling motion with your Lego AT-ST. All round though, this is a fun build and a great looking set.Pieces: 449Time to build: 1 hour, 15 minutes The TIE Striker is the second biggest set in the Rogue One LEGO collection and will take you a touch longer than the AT-ST. It's a new vehicle for the spin-off film and you'll be sure to love this set once you've put it together.It took our 20-year-old master builder a little under two hours to build, but it'd take a little longer if you're doing it with kids.Mini-figures wise you'll get a TIE Pilot, Imperial ground crew member, an Imperial Shoretrooper and a Rebel Trooper in an Endor outfit.
This is a touch more affordable than Krennick's Imperial Shuttle - the most expensive of the Rogue One sets - but you won't be disappointed with this.Plus it'll give you a bit of a challenge with its 176 step process to build.Pieces: 543Time to build: 2 hours 3. Krennick's Imperial Shuttle If you’ve seen Rouge One, you’ll know who Krennic is and his Imperial Shuttle is already becoming one of the most iconic ships from the Star Wars universe.Rogue One stand out character Director Krennick features in this set and can even fly the ship in the little cockpit at the top. This is the largest of all the Rogue One Star Wars sets and is the one to go for if you want something from LEGO to truly remember the first Star Wars spin off.There’s a ramp at the back of the Imperial Shuttle so you can put the characters into the transport carrier and with this set you get six whole mini figures to play with.Krennick is the highlight character here, but you also get Pao, Bodhi Rook and 2 Imperial Death Troopers so you can make up your own Rogue One adventures.
There's also a K-2SO mini figure and all the characters come fully armed with blaster pistols and the like.Krennick’s Imperial Shuttle has huge folding wings as well as the ramp, but the best part is the dual-spring loaded shooters.Unlike the AT-ST, further down on this list, the blasters can shoot a little further and will allow you to recreate the fantastic scenes from Rogue One with ease. This set is designed for those between nine and 14, but adults are definitely allowed to build this one if they’re proper Star Wars fans. You won’t want to buy this for anyone younger than nine though, this is a particularly difficult set to build.Pieces: 863Time to build: 4 hours 4. Imperial Assault Hovertank You can build an Imperial Assault Hovertank with the Lego Star Wars 75152 set. One of the Empire’s tough urban patrol vehicles, it comes fitted with an elevated and rotating turret gun and spring-loaded shooters to target members of the Rebel Alliance. The set includes two armed Stormtroopers to man the vehicle and rebel Chirrut Îmwe to battle them.
Intended for ages seven to 12, the set isn’t a particularly difficult or long build and it’s definitely one of the smaller Lego Star Wars sets available right now. The instructions are clear and easy to follow and you can expect to spend no more than an hour and a half putting the set together. As the set is fairly small and it’s easy to place the characters on top of it, the Imperial Assault Hovertank is perfect for displaying on a shelf alongside your other Lego Star Wars pieces or reconstructing a scene from the film.Pieces: 385Time to build: 1 hour, 20 minutes 5. Star Wars Millennium Falcon The fastest hunk of junk in the galaxyHan Solo's modified YT-1300 light freighter is one of the most iconic of the Star Wars sets. This latest edition has been created for The Force Awakens with a new communications dish...after Lando bust the original.Characters included: Rey, Finn, Han Solo, Chewbacca, Tasu Leech and a Kanjiklub Gang Member, plus a BB-8 Astromech Droid "That's no moon…"If you want to go all out for that LEGO Star Wars fix then the Imperial Death Star is the ultimate set.
It's also one of the largest with nearly 4,000 pieces and 24 characters included in the final reckoning.Characters included: Luke Skywalker (plus Stormtrooper outfit), Han Solo (plus Stormtrooper outfit), Assassin Droid, Interrogation Droid, Death Star Droid and 2 Death Star Troopers, Obi-Wan Kenobi, C-3PO, R2-D2, Princess Leia, Chewbacca, Luke Skywalker (Jedi Knight), Darth Vader, Grand Moff Tarkin, Emperor Palpatine, 2 Stormtroopers, 2 Emperor's Royal Guards, R2-Q5, and mouse droid. 7. Poe's X-Wing FighterWith a whole new paint job Poe Dameron's X-Wing is sporting a sexeh black look and is a bit more simplistic than the super-serious collector's edition. But that's no bad thing, this is far more of a toy.Characters included: Poe Dameron, Resistance ground crew and a Resistance X-Wing Pilot, plus a BB-8 Astromech Droid 8. First Order Special Forces TIE FighterThe Empire may be gone, but the First Order has flooded into the vacuum left by its demise. And, of course, the TIE fighter is still the go-to combat vessel, but now with a dash of red in this excellent set.
Characters included: 2 First Order TIE Fighter pilots, First Order officer and a First Order crew member 9. Death Star Final DuelThe LEGO Star Wars vignettes can be stunning and this one from the end of Return of the Jedi is fantastic. It's a two-on-one battle between Luke, Vader and the Emperor - but who's on whose side?Characters included: Luke Skywalker, Darth Vader, Emperor Palpatine, 2 Emperor's Guards Four legs good, two legs badSome of the most iconic vehicles from the series are the walkers from The Empire Strikes Back. Last seen stomping over the horizon to destroy the rebel's Echo Base on Hoth the huge AT-AT is an imposing beast.Characters included: AT-AT Driver, General Veers, Snowtrooper Commander and 2 Snowtroopers Luke's old runaboutBack in his youth Luke used to bullseye womp rats in his old T-16 back home, and now's your chance to grab a little of the old Tatooine magic. The T-16 is also one of the best value sets on our list too.Characters included: Skyhopper Pilot and a Tusken Raider
The feeding pitOkay, so talking his way into being dropped into the Rancor monster's lair wasn't Luke Skywalker's finest hour, but still managing to best the hulking giant of a beast was some feat. Much to the chagrin of Malakili, the Rancor's devoted owner...Characters included: Rancor, Luke Skywalker, Malakili, skeleton and Gammorrean Guard 13. Jabba's Sail Barge Not your normal barge tripSo Leia in the slug-like Jabba's bondage gear might be a little weird in LEGO form, but this hefty set from Return of the Jedi is still an impressively imposing thing. And hey, you get a little blue, piano-playing elephant too.Characters included: Jabba the Hutt, R2-D2, Princess Leia in slave outfit, Max Rebo, Weequay and Ree-YeesIf you want to complete the desert scene from Return of the Jedi you really need the skiff where Luke was held prisoner and from where Boba Fett met his sad demise in the jaws of the mighty Sarlacc.Characters included: Luke Skywalker, Lando Calrissian, Boba Fett and Kithaba