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Minecraft: Pocket Edition now available on iOS in New Zealand, as Universal app
MineCon 2011, the meatspace-based convention for all things Minecraft, doesn't start until this Friday but that hasn't stopped some big news from creeping out early. After a lengthy period of exclusivity on Sony Ericsson's Xperia Play mobile phone, Minecraft: Pocket Edition finally made the leap to the broader Android Marketplace last month. And while those were certainly greener (blocky) pastures, today's jump to iPhone and iPad should provides an even larger world of possibility for the portable sandbox. Released today on the New Zealand iTunes App Store as a Universal app, meaning one purchase will work on both iPhone and iPad hardware, Minecraft: Pocket Edition should make its way to the European and North American stores later today. That $9.99 NZD price should translate into £4.99 / $6.99 when it's available, or the same as the Android Marketplace release.
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 coming to those other Android devices September 29
Mojang Specifications has announced that the pint-sized version of its big ol' indie hit, Minecraft Pocket Edition, will arrive on Android devices September 29. The studio also released a video showing how the title will operate without the handy slide-out joypad of its original platform, the Xperia Play. You can watch said demonstration through the thumbs of the man seen in the video above. We're not sure if a button-free input scheme is going to give us the kind of creative freedom we'll need to build our miles-wide masterpieces, but it should let us create a few smaller opuses; like the Tiny Washington Monument, or the Tiny Pyramide du Louvre. [Thanks, Andrew!]
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.
Minecraft available now on Xperia Play
If you're one of the lucky few who owns Sony's "PlayStation Phone," the Xperia Play ... now you have something to do with it. The very first release of the Xperia Play-Xclusive Minecraft: Pocket Edition is in the Android Market now, for $6.99. Go! Build! Actually, that's all you can do at the moment. "Alpha 0.1" has 36 different block types with which you can build, alone or with another local wireless player. Other features will be built into the game later, as with the main game. Also coming later is a wider Android release. While you think about whether to try this out, here's a miniature tragedy: That Minecraft-themed Xperia Play phone auction hasn't ended yet, so its new owner definitely doesn't have it in time for Minecraft's release.
Minecraft devs dish on upcoming mobile version
Details have begun trickling out from Sweden-based Mojang Studios about the mobile version of Minecraft for iOS and Android. Taking to the comment-fertile grounds of Reddit, developer Jens Bergensten broke down some users' questions about the ongoing project. For starters, he says the "Pocket Edition" of Minecraft "will not synch with the PC version" as the engine has been rebuilt for iOS support. Without stating numbers for iOS, he said that it's running "around 30-35 fps on the Xperia Play." He also confirmed multiplayer support -- "in LAN environments" only, likely meaning WiFi, though "Bluetooth support may come later." Additionally, he says the game will be "exclusive to Xperia Play for a while," before coyly noting that he "can't tell you how long." As for the gameplay experience, Bergentsen only offered that "it is creative mode in a limited world," unsurprisingly citing "performance and memory" as the culprits. As things go around this time of year, we expect to hear more in the coming weeks, as Minecraft will be playable on the Xperia Play at E3.
