by Stone Marshall | Dec 29, 2018 | Awesome Book News, Free, Intro, Minecraft News, Minecraft questions, news, parent-news, State of Stone, Stone Marshall Book News, Stone Marshall Books, Stone Marshall Club, Stone Marshall Minecraft Adventures, Uncategorized |
Following an announcement earlier this year, Microsoft and Mojang have followed through on bad news for owners of Minecraft on older game systems. Yesterday marked the end of development on the popular game’s “legacy” branch.
That means if you still play Minecraft on the game’s first-ever console port platform, the Xbox 360, this week’s 1.83 patch is the last one you can expect to ever receive. The same goes for owners of the game on PlayStation 3, Wii U, and PlayStation Vita.
Most of the game’s modern versions, ranging from iOS and Android to PC and “current-gen” consoles, were unified in a shared-codebase manner by primary developer Mojang earlier this year. This version originated from a “Pocket Edition” codebase and later became known as the “Bedrock” edition. The aforementioned legacy platforms, on the other hand, remained in the development hands of independent Scottish studio 4J. Microsoft’s relationship with 4J began in the Xbox 360 era with ports of classic Rare games Banjo-Kazooie and Perfect Dark (which were ported from their original N64 versions, owing to Microsoft’s current ownership of those franchises).
4J confirmed the final-patch news on Tuesday morning by posting an image of its older-console development kits unplugged and arranged against a wall. “As we pack up our Xbox 360, PS3, PS Vita, and Wii U development kits, we’re getting all nostalgic,” the tweet read.
This patch includes the same new “mob” characters that can randomly appear in Bedrock versions of the game (including cats and pandas) along with other bug fixes. Thus, this appears to be the last time anyone can expect feature parity between current-gen and last-gen versions of Minecraft.
4J has not announced whether it will continue supporting the Minecraft franchise as a developer, and neither the studio nor Microsoft immediately replied to requests for clarification. Sources indicated to Ars Technica that 4J’s relationship with Minecraft will continue but did not elaborate.
This is the second major branch of the game to be shut down by Microsoft, following the shuttering of its Windows Phone and Windows Mobile versions in 2017.
We can estimate up to 4.5 million Minecraft players will be left in the cold by this update, based on information provided by Mojang’s original announcement. At that time, the developer indicated that “less than 5 percent” of players play on these platforms, and the game is currently up to roughly 91 million monthly players.
Minecraft’s original early access period included a “buy it once, own it forever” promise, and that persists, thanks to back-end work at Mojang’s site to support the game’s original buyers between 2009-11… but only if they redeemed a permanent voucher for a version on Windows 10. Buyers of the game’s Xbox 360 version originally had a free-upgrade path to claiming the game’s license for use on Xbox One, but that temporary upgrade offer has since expired. And the current-gen version supports cross-play on nearly every platform imaginable, save one.
by Stone Marshall | Dec 28, 2018 | Awesome Book News, Free, Intro, Minecraft News, Minecraft questions, news, parent-news, State of Stone, Stone Marshall Book News, Stone Marshall Books, Stone Marshall Club, Stone Marshall Minecraft Adventures, Uncategorized |
Gamevice, the makers of industry-leading mobile controllers, announced today that a special Gamevice Minecraft Bundle for iPhone is now available for $89.95 on Amazon.com and select retail stores in North America. The Gamevice Minecraft Bundle includes a special edition carrying case and a code to download Minecraft on iOS. Gamevice enhances the Minecraft mobile gaming experience, bringing console control to your mobile device. The Gamevice controller creates seamless cross platform gameplay between iOS, PC and consoles, as it enhances the experience on your iPhone.
“Minecraft is one of the greatest games of all time and playing Minecraft with Gamevice puts mobile players on equal ground with PC and console players. said Phillip Hyun, CEO, Gamevice. “Gamevice offers low latency and precision control, delivering a console quality experience to more than one thousand different games including Mojang’s masterpiece.”
The Gamevice Minecraft Bundle is available for iPhone X, iPhone 8/8 Plus, iPhone 7/7 Plus, iPhone 6s/6s Plus, and iPhone 6/6 Plus and is now available for $89.95 on, Amazon.com and select retail stores in North America.
Gamevice gives players latency-free control over their mobile experience, along with console precision, highly responsive buttons and joysticks in a comfortable and ergonomic design. Gamevice is an all-in-one entertainment hub that works as a controller for more than 1,000 mobile games, DJI’s Spark drone, and Sphero’s SPRK+ and Star Wars Droids, and is now available at Gamevice.com or select retailers.
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by Stone Marshall | Dec 28, 2018 | Awesome Book News, Free, Intro, Minecraft News, Minecraft questions, news, parent-news, State of Stone, Stone Marshall Book News, Stone Marshall Books, Stone Marshall Club, Stone Marshall Minecraft Adventures, Uncategorized |
The developers of Minecraft are planning a refresh of the textures in Minecraft, and have just released version 3.3 for those who wish to try it. The new textures give the game a slightly more natural look, thanks to its lead designer Jasper Boerstra.
Minecraft textures are getting a refresh to give it a more natural look.
While the post doesn’t tell us what all is changed with version 3.3, the textures are available to download for anyone running the Java edition of Minecraft. Mojang also plans to release the textures on the Minecraft Marketplace for anyone running the Bedrock edition.
Minecraft’s new textures are available on the Java Edition now, with Bedrock Edition coming soon.
For those unfamiliar, the Java Edition is the original edition of Minecraft, playable on any computer running Windows, macOS, or Linux with Java installed. Microsoft later released the Bedrock Edition for Windows 10, Xbox One, and even the Nintendo Switch, which bring cross-platform multiplayer to Minecraft players on Android and iOS.
Boerstra says that the new textures will eventually replace the default ones in Minecraft, while the older version 2 textures will still be available for free for those who might feel a bit nostalgic. If you’re interested in trying the new ones, Mojang has written step-by-step instructions on how to download and apply them in the Java Edition.
by Stone Marshall | Dec 27, 2018 | Awesome Book News, Free, Intro, Minecraft News, Minecraft questions, news, parent-news, State of Stone, Stone Marshall Book News, Stone Marshall Books, Stone Marshall Club, Stone Marshall Minecraft Adventures, Uncategorized |
With a host of innovations launched this year, it’s an exciting time for Taiwan, a country known for efficiency and production. The opening of Amazon’s latest innovation center in Taipei this past August, combined with the country’s tech-savvy spirit, have created an invigorating atmosphere for product designers and manufacturers.
Some of the best new innovations in information and communications technologies will be showcased at CES 2019 through the efforts of Taiwan Excellence. CES attendees visiting the booth — LVCC, South Hall 1 #20636 — will see the latest advancements in smart transportation, smart home, smart healthcare, and gaming.
Highlights of the Taiwan Excellence Pavilion
When it comes to mobile gaming, the ROG phone gets all the glory. Developed by multinational Taiwanese company ASUS, the ROG phone takes gaming performance to the next level. Incorporating the world’s fastest 2.96GHz speed-binned Qualcomm® SDM845, and an innovative GameCool vapor-chamber cooling system, the ROG Phone gives you the edge you need for total domination.
And then there’s the MSI Optix Gaming Monitor. Want to check your ammo, health, or power stats? No problem. This monitor is housed in a beautiful 27” curved VA display for maximum viewing pleasure, with built-in RGB LED’s on the front and support of SteelSeries GameSense.
Ever seen an “underwater drone”? You can with the Seadragon XLR. It’s an ROV system that utilizes interchangeable, modular components residing on a single, intelligent network. It provides a flexibility that sets the Mission Specialist ROV series apart from current technology in the Remotely Operated Vehicle industry.
Need amplified listening and noise reduction to identify subtle heartbeat abnormalities? This new Digital Stethoscope provides detailed sound recordings, amplifications, and visuals. The POCT Analyzer includes an embedded mobile device that transmits data to the cloud and point-of-care facilities enabling advanced data management.
See what Taiwan ICT Industry has in store for 2019
And before CES begins, Taiwan Excellence will host a press conference — “The Future is Smart: Taiwan Innovations for 2019 & Beyond” — at the Mandalay Bay South Convention Center, Level 2, Lagoon K, in Las Vegas from 4 p.m. to 5 p.m. on Monday, January 7th, 2019. The event provides early access to some of Taiwan’s most innovative companies’ spokespeople and their products, as well as the opportunity to hear from senior officials from TAITRA. Media representatives are encouraged to register in advance or to request for one-on-one media interviews here.
Four Taiwan Excellence award-winner companies will present the latest technology and products — from high-tech retailing to IoT smart devices.
Cyberlink will introduce “FaceMe — the world’s top cross-platform AI facial recognition engine”
ELECLEAN will present “Directly turn water into sanitizer — the world’s first green disinfectant generator”
Innolux will share “New Display, New Retail,” an electronic shelf display
Thunder Tiger Corporation will showcase its underwater drone, the Seadragon XLR underwater ROV (Remotely Operated Vehicle)
Each product showcased at CES is a recipient of the Taiwan Excellence Award. This Award was established in 1992 by Taiwan’s Ministry of Economic Affairs to recognize and honor both innovation and value among Taiwanese products. It recognizes exceptional products for their robust performance in the following areas: R&D, design, quality, and international marketing. The award winners epitomize Taiwan’s unique ability in using innovation to create added value in the design and manufacture of cutting-edge products.
Whether you’re in Taiwan, the U.S., or anywhere else in the world, Taiwanese representatives are always looking for smart, driven companies that seek partnerships and alliances to forge new growth opportunities.
The government of Taiwan is supporting the country’s new innovative ecosystem by encouraging entrepreneurship and startups, assisting universities and researchers to secure funding, building relationships with R&D innovation circles globally, and building a culture of innovation among children with programs like those found at Hsinchu Science Park or kids’ innovation contests at the new Taiwan Design Center.
Taiwan Excellence will showcase this leadership at CES, January 8-11, 2019, bringing the country’s latest innovations to the booth for leaders in the tech and electronics space to see and interact with. Attendees can visit Las Vegas Convention Center, South Hall 1, #20636. Learn more here.
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by Stone Marshall | Dec 27, 2018 | Awesome Book News, Free, Intro, Minecraft News, Minecraft questions, news, parent-news, State of Stone, Stone Marshall Book News, Stone Marshall Books, Stone Marshall Club, Stone Marshall Minecraft Adventures, Uncategorized |
The Minecraft Marketplace continues to draw in more people than ever with free content. That led to yet another huge spikes in downloads for the month to 2,255,888. That’s up from 1,351,438 in September. While many people are downloading the free promotional worlds and experiences, that should get people used to the idea of using the store. And creators could see even more sales in the future as a result.
As with September, a lot of the free content in October came from The Minecraft Team’s MineCon Earth fan event. That’s where the developer introduced its Grid Runners mode. It’s also where Jigarbov launched the free MineCon Earth version of Abstraction. On top of those, The Minecraft Team also launched the Purple Parrot Party Palace, which is also free.
So the download numbers continue to climb for the Marketplace. We’ll have to see if that increases spending.
Top 10 most downloaded
Click to view slideshow.
Grid Runners — Noxcrew
Abstraction: MINECON EARTH — Jigarbov Productions
Purple Parrot Party Place – Minecraft
City Mash-Up — Everbloom Studios
Horror House — CubeCraft Games
Aquatic Life — Cyclone Designs
Immersion: Chicago — Shapescape
Millionare Mansions — Noxcrew
City Life — PixelHeads
Zombie Apocalypse — PixelHeads
Top 10 highest grossing
Click to view slideshow.
City Mash-Up — Everbloom Studios
Immersion: Chicago — Shapescape
Aquatic Life — Cyclone Designs
Millionaire Mansions — Noxcrew
City Life — PixelHeads
Zombie Apocalypse — PixelHeads
CampCraft — Blockworks
Farms – Shapescape
Mine Zoo – Cyclone Designs
Pirates of the Caribbean — Minecraft
See you again soon.
