bettertogether
Latest
The big 'Minecraft' cross-platform update is live, but not on Switch
The Better Together update brings the biggest set of changes to hit Minecraft in years, expanding the Community Marketplace, streamlining access to third-party servers and uniting the game across platforms -- and it's all live today. Well, most of it is. Better Together is rolling out across Xbox One, Windows 10, virtual-reality and mobile versions of Minecraft right now, but it won't hit the Switch until later this year. Microsoft's original plan, which it unveiled at E3 in June, was to launch Better Together on Switch at the same time as the other platforms (hence the title of the update). PlayStation 4 was never part of the equation for this initial rollout. "We just flat-out couldn't get those two completely in sync," Microsoft Studios Corporate Vice President Matt Booty says.
Share your 'Minecraft' creations in 3D
Minecraft is all about creating 3D worlds, but sharing them outside of the game has always been a 2D experience -- you're sharing screenshots and videos like with any other game. Microsoft wants to do something better. It's releasing a beta version of its Better Together Update that, in addition to cross-platform play (more on that later), lets you export your creations in 3D. If you have Windows 10, you can use Paint 3D and Remix3D.com to showcase your work from every angle.
'Minecraft' looks like a completely different game in 4K
The best demonstration of the Xbox One X's 4K capabilities comes from an unlikely, blocky source: Minecraft. Behind closed doors at E3 2017, Microsoft showed off a handful of games it upgraded to 4K just for the Xbox One X, including Gears of War 4, but Mojang's cube-based crafting game clearly got the most drastic upgrade. When the free 4K update and the Super Duper Graphics Pack lands in the fall, those blobs of grass will transform into blades. See for yourself:
Microsoft will unify most 'Minecraft' platforms this summer
Minecraft is about to enter its final form. In August, the Better Together update will land and unify the game across nearly every platform, from iOS and Android to Xbox One and Nintendo Switch. This unification comes courtesy of the Bedrock Engine, which currently powers all mobile, Windows 10, Amazon Fire and VR versions of the game. Now, it won't matter which platform your friends use to play Minecraft -- every version will be the same, they'll share DLC and updates, and all players will be able to create new worlds together. Well, nearly all. The PlayStation 4 and Xbox 360 versions of Minecraft are not included in the initial "Better Together" update. "Beginning with Xbox One and Nintendo Switch, we'll be expanding that code base so that all -- the vast majority of our community is united," marketing lead Emily Orrson says.
