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Microsoft Teases Minecraft Augmented-Reality News for May 17

Microsoft Teases Minecraft Augmented-Reality News for May 17

(Bloomberg) -- Microsoft Corp. showed a video hinting that its popular Minecraft video game will soon add augmented-reality features, saying more information will come on May 17.

The clip, screened at the software maker’s Build developer conference Monday in Seattle, showed a user leaving a mobile phone on a bench and another person picking it up and using it to view a 3-D Minecraft hologram. May 17 is the 10th anniversary of the original release of Minecraft, a cult-favorite game that lets players build virtual worlds. The company showed the video to close Chief Executive Officer Satya Nadella’s keynote speech.

Mobile augmented-reality games, which overlay digital elements on real-world scenes using a phone’s camera, surged to popularity following the 2016 debut of Niantic Inc.’s Pokemon Go.

To contact the reporter on this story: Dina Bass in Seattle at dbass2@bloomberg.net

To contact the editors responsible for this story: Jillian Ward at jward56@bloomberg.net, Andrew Pollack

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