Joystiq

Minecraft: Pocket Edition updated with alpha Realms support

Danny Cowan — Wed, 05 Jun 2013 23:45:00 EST

Mojang has released an update for the iOS and Android versions of Minecraft: Pocket Edition, adding preliminary support for the online cooperative Realms mode.

Realms mode supports online play for up to 10 simultaneous players within a single world, allowing friends to collaborate on projects and/or raise havoc together. The alpha version of Realms is currently free, and will be an optional paid service in future updates.

The latest Pocket Edition update also adds features such as buckets, eggs, milk, cake and fire to the game, making it important to keep an eye out for pyromaniacs among your online guests. Maybe they'll play nice if you bake them all cakes beforehand? Just an idea.

Minecraft: Pocket Edition updated with alpha Realms support originally appeared on Joystiq on Wed, 05 Jun 2013 23:45:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Minecraft: Pocket Edition sells 10 million, Mojang plans major additions

Danny Cowan — Wed, 01 May 2013 21:15:00 EST

Mojang announced that the mobile version of its runaway hit, Minecraft, surpassed 10 million units in sales, and revealed that it will add several major features to the game in the coming months.

Minecraft: Pocket Edition's forthcoming updates range from matters of convenience (players will no longer have to exit to the main menu in order to change settings) to experimental additions that, initially, will be available exclusively to players using high-end mobile devices. Once these unnamed features are sufficiently tested, they will be rolled out in another update for all players.

Mojang is also working on Minecraft Realms, a cloud-based multiplayer service that allows players to collaborate on shared projects without needing to be online at the same time. Minecraft Realms will be launched as a subscription-based mode that can be unlocked in Minecraft: Pocket Edition via an in-app purchase.

Mojang hopes to launch its next Minecraft: Pocket Edition update by the end of May.

Minecraft: Pocket Edition sells 10 million, Mojang plans major additions originally appeared on Joystiq on Wed, 01 May 2013 21:15:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Minecraft Pocket Edition sales up to 5M, franchise sales over 17.5M

Sinan Kubba — Thu, 13 Dec 2012 10:45:00 EST

Minecraft Pocket Edition sales are now over 5 million, proving the iOS and Android versions are anything but lagging behind their XBLA and PC siblings. Mojang's Johan Bernhardsson revealed the figure this morning, which now sees sales across all Minecraft games at over 17.5 million at least.

Pocket Edition is missing a lot of what's included in the XBLA and PC versions, which is of course not surprising given the platforms. Nonetheless, one of the biggest and most asked-for absentees is online multiplayer - users can play together via local Wi-Fi, but not through the Internet. According to Bernhardsson, online multiplayer is now in the works.

It won't however feature in the next update, which would be 0.5.1. That's being targeted for late January/early February and mostly features "behind the scenes" fixes and tweaks.

Minecraft Pocket Edition sales up to 5M, franchise sales over 17.5M originally appeared on Joystiq on Thu, 13 Dec 2012 10:45:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Minecraft Pocket Edition available on Kindle Fire via Amazon Appstore

Jessica Conditt — Sun, 16 Sep 2012 18:00:00 EST

Minecraft Pocket Edition is now available on the Amazon Appstore, meaning it is officially out for the Kindle Fire. Minecraft Pocket Edition runs $7 on Amazon, the same price as on the Android and iOS app stores.

Kindle Fire owners previously figured out ways to run Minecraft Pocket Edition on their devices, through rooting and roundabout third-party subscriptions, but now it's a simple, legitimate one-click process. Get crafting here; it's not like you're using that Kindle Fire to read books anyway.

[Thanks, Thomas!]

Minecraft Pocket Edition available on Kindle Fire via Amazon Appstore originally appeared on Joystiq on Sun, 16 Sep 2012 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Minecraft: Pocket Edition adds bows, skeletons and spiders

Jordan Mallory — Sat, 11 Aug 2012 13:30:00 EST

Let's just skip the "Is that a bone in your pocket?" joke we're all thinking and get straight to business: Minecraft: Pocket Edition has been updated and now includes skeletons, spiders and best of all, a bow to kill skeletons and spiders with. Skeletons and spiders are cool and atmospheric and everything, but they're even cooler when they can't murder you on account of being riddled with hundreds and hundreds of arrows.

The update also fixes around 20 or so known glitches, including one called "burning world," which sounds rather inconvenient. Currently, only the iOS version of Minecraft has these updates listed, though we wouldn't figure that a similar update for the Android version would be far behind.

Minecraft: Pocket Edition adds bows, skeletons and spiders originally appeared on Joystiq on Sat, 11 Aug 2012 13:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Minecraft Pocket Edition building worlds in 700K pockets

Jordan Mallory — Thu, 19 Jan 2012 13:30:00 EST

We don't know if you guys knew this or not, but Minecraft is, like, super popular. Not only has the desktop version of the game reached 20 million registered users, but Minecraft Pocket Edition for iOS and Android has broken the 700,000 sold barrier, according to Mojang's Daniel Kaplan.

Between iOS and Android versions, Mojang is selling around 5,000 copies per day, which is a pretty amazing feat considering the game costs $6.99 and has no crafting or survival elements. Well, not yet, anyway.

[photolinc via Shutterstock]

Minecraft Pocket Edition building worlds in 700K pockets originally appeared on Joystiq on Thu, 19 Jan 2012 13:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Minecraft Pocket Edition update tentatively scheduled for Feb. 8

Jordan Mallory — Sun, 08 Jan 2012 13:30:00 EST

In early December, Mojang's Daniel Kaplan announced via the Mojang blog that the developer was working on an update to Minecraft Pocket Edition in order to address player concerns that the experience was too different from its desktop counterparts, specifically the distinct lack of any survival or crafting elements.

While the crafting system will require UI redesigns, Kaplan says that the first update, currently scheduled to go live on February 8, will make backend changes to "support the survival aspects of the game." It doesn't sound like any survival elements will actually be implemented this time around, but rather that this update will serve as the "foundation" for survival elements that will be added in later.

The update also includes "neat looking animals and new blocks," as well as doors and fences, so now might be a good time to start building the farm you'll be furiously defending once the survival elements are patched in.

[Thanks, Austin!]

Minecraft Pocket Edition update tentatively scheduled for Feb. 8 originally appeared on Joystiq on Sun, 08 Jan 2012 13:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Yes, Mojang plans to flesh out Minecraft on iOS/Android

Richard Mitchell — Wed, 07 Dec 2011 08:00:00 EST

As you may be aware, Minecraft Pocket Edition - the diminutive iOS and Android version of the block-based phenomenon - isn't really Minecraft. At present, it allows players to build creations as they see fit, but lacks most of the features found in the PC and Mac versions. Namely, there is no Survival mode and all the things it entails, including item crafting, enemies, food, etc.

In a recent blog post, Mojang's Daniel Kaplan stated that the company plans to remedy the lack of Survival mode, at least partially. He stated that the goal isn't to completely "replicate" the full experience of Minecraft, as many features simply don't "match the touch platform." That said, many familiar features are planned, including animals, enemies and item crafting. Mojang is also "experimenting" with caves, though the implementation still needs work.

And, of course, Mojang hasn't specified when players can expect these features. That's okay though, because our full scale Battlestar Galactica is going to take a while anyway.

Yes, Mojang plans to flesh out Minecraft on iOS/Android originally appeared on Joystiq on Wed, 07 Dec 2011 08:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Minecraft: Pocket Edition now available on iOS in New Zealand, as Universal app

Christopher Grant — Wed, 16 Nov 2011 13:30:00 EST

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 now available on iOS in New Zealand, as Universal app originally appeared on Joystiq on Wed, 16 Nov 2011 13:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Minecraft Pocket Edition coming to those other Android devices September 29

Griffin McElroy — Mon, 26 Sep 2011 18:00:00 EST

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 coming to those other Android devices September 29 originally appeared on Joystiq on Mon, 26 Sep 2011 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Minecraft available now on Xperia Play

JC Fletcher — Tue, 16 Aug 2011 03:45:00 EST

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.

Continue reading Minecraft available now on Xperia Play

Minecraft available now on Xperia Play originally appeared on Joystiq on Tue, 16 Aug 2011 03:45:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Minecraft devs dish on upcoming mobile version

Ben Gilbert — Thu, 26 May 2011 15:00:00 EST

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.

Minecraft devs dish on upcoming mobile version originally appeared on Joystiq on Thu, 26 May 2011 15:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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