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'Minecraft' adds a shop for mobile add-ons
For many, the biggest limitation of Minecraft's Pocket and Windows 10 Editions has been the lack of community material. What good is playing on your phone if you can't try out that sweet new texture pack you saw on your PC? You're about to get that option. Microsoft and Mojang are launching a Marketplace that lets both Pocket and Windows 10 gamers download content from community creators, including skins, textures and whole worlds. You don't buy any paid content directly -- instead, you buy "Minecraft Coins" that let you snap up the add-ons you want. It's ostensibly to help producers set "flexible prices," although it also helps mask the value of what you're buying. You might not want to let kids have unfettered access, in other words.
Ender Dragon is coming for your Windows 10 'Minecraft' realms
Microsoft is all about unified apps these days and that applies to its $2.5 billion baby Minecraft, too. The Pocket and Windows 10 versions of the blocky creation-and-survival game are almost at parity with the original Java version, developer Mojang announced today. The 1.0 update, dubbed "The End," brings end-game boss The Ender Dragon and the The End dimension to desktop and mobile players. But, despite its name, Mojang says that continual updates are planned after this is released. Oh, and the 1.0 version is what will arrive by year's end on Apple TV as well.
'Minecraft' October updates are big deals for tweakers and VR
Minecraft is close to some updates that could seriously alter how you play if you like to mess with game mechanics... or simply immerse yourself in a virtual world. An upgrade arriving October 18th for Minecraft's Windows 10, Pocket and Gear VR editions will introduce Add-Ons, which let you change how characters and objects behave by tweaking text files. Want giant chickens, or Creepers that trigger huge explosions? It's now relatively trivial. Think of it as an entry point into the world of game mods without having to learn programming.
'Minecraft' arrives on Samsung's Gear VR headset
Last month, during GDC 2016 in San Francisco, we learned about Microsoft's plans to release Minecraft for Gear VR. Still, details such as pricing and availability were unknown at the time. But that's changing today: Oculus has announced that the open-world hit is now available on Samsung's virtual reality headset. Officially dubbed Minecraft: Gear VR Edition, the game is said to support the same features as the Pocket Edition, including its creative, survival and multiplayer modes, as well as the character skins your familiar with.
'Minecraft' on mobile to get mods and command blocks
On the desktop, command blocks are useful tools for experienced Minecraft players. Enter a forward slash in the chat window and you can enter some pseudo-programming to teleport, change the weather and more. They're not available in the Pocket Edition, a separate version for phones and tablets, but that will soon change. In an interview with CNET, Minecraft lead developer Jens Bergensten confirmed that command blocks are coming to both the mobile and Windows 10 versions of the game.
'Minecraft' players on Windows 10 and mobile can now build together
Minecraft offers wondrous worlds for solo adventurers, but it also gives groups the perfect canvas to build on and break together. With this in mind, developer Mojang is making it easier to host your friends with cross-platform play between Minecraft: Windows 10 Edition and Minecraft: Pocket Edition. Up to five players can now join the same session on a local network with their PC, iOS, Android or Windows Phone devices. And, if you need another reason to try Microsoft's new OS, the Windows 10 version has also been updated with five-person online multiplayer over Xbox Live. Microsoft has put a ton of work into its new Xbox app for Windows 10 -- it's desperate to prove the OS is a worthy upgrade for PC gamers -- and this could make it easier for beginners to set up collaborative builds.
'Minecraft' beta for Windows 10 will pit you against mobile friends
Microsoft and Mojang don't just have a story-based Minecraft game to show at Minecon 2015 -- they're also revealing a beta version of Minecraft: Windows 10 Edition. This release will ditch the less than ideal Java code of desktop versions in favor of native Windows code, and shares some roots with the Pocket Edition you typically find on phones. You'll even get to build worlds with those mobile players through an update that should hit "soon" after the beta arrives. And to no one's surprise, the construction title will do a lot to take advantage of Windows 10's many Xbox tie-ins, such as 8-way multiplayer (both locally and on Xbox Live) and game video recording. The beta will be ready on July 29th, and it'll be free if you already have the existing PC version. If you're new to all this, it'll cost $10 to get in during the test phase.
'Minecraft' finally has a free girl character
Lots of girls play Minecraft, but you wouldn't know it from the default character options. Unless you've been willing to pay up or install a mod, your only real choice so far has been Steve, the game's male mascot. At last, though, things are opening up -- Mojang is giving builders the choice of a free girl character, Alex. She's been around before as a randomly assigned character in the computer version, but the move will help female players on all platforms sculpt their dream worlds using a character they can identify with. PlayStation and Xbox gamers will get Alex as of April 29th, while mobile users playing the Pocket Edition should see her this summer.
Finally, you can now play 'Minecraft' on Windows Phone too
Given that Microsoft owns Minecraft developer Mojang now, it was only a matter of time before we saw the pixely game make its way to one of the few platforms where it wasn't already available. That time is now, as Minecraft: Pocket Edition hits Windows Phone 8.1. For $6.99 you get access to Survival mode -- gather resources and build shelter during the day, hide from monsters at night -- and Creative mode. The latter of which lets your imagination go wild with unlimited resources and the ability to fly. And, so long as there are pals on a local WiFi network, it won't be a lonely affair as you can team up with them for some fort-building shenanigans. How many of them will be on Windows Phone, however, is another matter entirely.
Minecraft Pocket Edition hits 10 million downloads
Mojang has announced that the Pocket Edition of its extremely popular sandbox game Minecraft has also reached 10 million downloads, a feat made even more impressive by the fact that the app is being sold for a premium price of $6.99. The original PC version of Minecraft hit 10 million sales back on April 4, but the Pocket Edition was released later, which means it's hit this milestone total much faster. The Pocket Edition started out as a slimmer version of Minecraft meant solely for mobile devices, but with a constant flow of updates, it's improved to the point where it almost matches the PC version feature for feature. And Mojang isn't done with it either. Producer Daniel Kaplan says the backend is being updated, to make future iterations even easier to deliver. That's a huge success story, not just on iOS, but even within the scope of this gigantic game in general. Given this growth, we'll have to see if Minecraft's mobile version might even overtake the PC original before all is said and done.
Minecraft Pi Edition ready to download, offers pint-size play on a pint-size PC
Is Minecraft the new Doom? It feels that way, as it's increasingly playable on every platform under the sun -- including the finally available Raspberry Pi port. After a false start in December, Mojang has posted Minecraft: Pi Edition for consumption on the tiny ARM PC. The public release is a cut-down version of Pocket Edition that fits into the system's limited resources, including networking if you've bought the $35 Raspberry Pi unit. The limitations reduce the chances that you'll be creating virtual electronics with a device that was originally meant for very real electronics, but try not to let the irony sting: it's a chance to create blocky virtual worlds on a computer that costs less than a good night on the town.
Minecraft's mobile version outsold others by volume in 2012
Minecraft creators Mojang have released stats on how the game's various platform clients (Windows/Mac, Xbox 360 and of course iOS and Android) have been selling, and the numbers have a surprise. The mobile version is outselling everything else by volume. As you can see above, Christmas sales boosted the mobile version, at least in terms of pure numbers, so that it's beating all other versions offered over the past year. In terms of value, the mobile version didn't fare quite as well as the more expensive Windows and console versions, ending up with about 16 percent of sales as compared to the PC's 44 percent of incoming revenue. Still, Christmas was a huge time for Minecraft: Pocket Edition apparently, with the company raking in money from almost 284,000 copies on that day alone. Minecraft is traditionally known as a PC title, as that's where the platform started, but the mobile version stepped up into its own during the last weeks of 2012.
New Minecraft: Pocket Edition update due out soon
The next version of iOS' Minecraft Pocket Edition has been submitted, according to the official Mojang blog, and it brings another round of updates designed to bring the game in line with its bigger PC and console cousins. In this update, players are set to get access to things like paintings, zombie pigmen (though why you'd want access to those, who knows) and the Nether Reactor and Glowstone. There are also a few tweaks to the gameplay as well, including food giving back more health and hearts getting restored when you sleep in an in-game bed. Sounds great -- Minecraft's Pocket Edition just keeps on getting better. This update has been submitted already, and should be out and available later on this week. Meanwhile, you can grab the game from the App Store right now for US$6.99. [via Touch Arcade]
Minecraft: Pocket Edition out on iOS today
The Pocket Edition of Minecraft, released a little while ago exclusively on Android, has been spotted on the New Zealand App Store today, which means the title will work its way around the world and arrive on the App Store in North America this evening. The full PC version of Minecraft (which has been selling millions of copies despite only being in a public beta this whole time) is due for an official release on Friday, so this release makes a lot of sense. When it does arrive on the App Store in this country, the universal title is expected to cost US$6.99. Unfortunately, as you might imagine, the mobile version is a little less functional than the full PC version, with not all of the many, many blocks of the full game appearing in the mobile one. There are also some blocks that appear but can't be manipulated by the player. And there are only three blocks available on the game's "hotbar," rather than a full spectrum of blocks to use. But if you've never played Minecraft (or are a huge Minecraft fan), the iOS version will probably be a nice sampler before the real thing. We'll keep an eye out on the store, and give it a shout when it finally appears stateside.
Minecraft Pocket Edition rolls out to non-Xperia Play Android devices
Well, it was fun while it lasted, but Xperia Play users can no longer claim Minecraft Pocket Edition as their own. An updated version of the app has hit the Android Market today, bringing with it support for a range of additional devices running Android 2.1 or higher -- although it's still said to be "Xperia Play optimized." Same $6.99 price tag as before, but there is a free demo version available if you're still not sure about the whole Minecraft phenomenon.
Minecraft Pocket Edition hits Android Market, only Xperia Play users need apply
Just a couple months after making its grand debut at this year's E3, Minecraft has finally made its way to the Android Market, much to the delight of cube enthusiasts and time-wasters everywhere. With this new, Pocket Edition app, Mojang is hoping to faithfully recreate the Minecraft experience on mobile platforms, with a special emphasis placed on the game's creative side. In version Alpha 0.1, users will be able to explore randomized worlds, invite friends to play along in their worlds and save multi-player realms directly to their phones -- all while manipulating 36 different kinds of blocks from the comfort of their touchscreens. For now, the game will only be available for Sony Ericsson's Xperia Play, though Mojang plans to release it for other Android handsets "in the near future." You can grab it now for $6.99, or swerve past the break for more information, in the full press release.
