Wait until late December and the gaming world is to witness the biggest “Minecraft: Console Edition” update yet. Mojang and Microsoft plan to unleash a glider named Elytra that could catapult players into the air. Basically, all consoles PlayStation 4, PS3, Xbox One and 360 plus Vita and Nintendo Wii U will also sport Amplified Terrain, End Cities and a potion ingredient Dragon’s Breath.

Come to think of it, this “Minecraft: Console Edition” update is the biggest since the franchise was purchased by Microsoft. Gamers can expect polished user interface, new locks, items, status effect and mobs as well. End Cities will also receive a facelift with features too many to mention, Engadget reported. In fact, enumerating these “Minecraft: Console Edition” updates will easily occupy a whole page.

Most of these “Minecraft: Console Edition” updates were seen during a sneak peek given by Mojang. However, they assured that the actual Holiday update pack will contain more. It came as a bargain too – free content. Again, those who doesn’t have money need not worry because these are free for anyone who already owns the “Minecraft: Console Edition” copy.

Those who own “Minecraft: Console Edition” can ask players from Windows 10 and Pocket edition if they are free indeed. After all, everything will boil down to the premise that gamers need not spend a Benjamin. It is because Windows 10 and Pocket players received updates recently that were similar to Java version, NeuroGadget said.

To recall, “Minecraft” received Ender Dragon update just a week ago. Players are still enjoying the battle with iconic boss, Ender Dragon which easily transcends to become the ultimate goal for “Minecraft.”

Didn’t we mentioned that “Minecraft” is also coming to Apple TV? It is funny that once these TV editions ships, it will come with Ender Dragon update already. Meaning, “Minecraft” Apple TV is beginning with The End.

‘Minecraft: Console Edition’ News & Holiday Update: PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Others to Receive Major Patch in December

Developer Mojang has finally announced the coming of a great update of its Minecraft: Console Edition, the year’s largest update indeed. It cited four big new features: End Cities, Elytra, Lingering Potions and Amplified terrain, a feature that has been in the PC edition for a long time. This update will come up in late December, very much in time for the holiday season.

According to Engadget, the Minecraft December update also brings improvements to UI and some new items, status effects, blocks and mobs. These are in addition to the aforementioned updates.

With this Minecraft latest update, Mojang has given a preview and said that there will be more new features. He has not given any notion on the details, but it will surely surprise the players when it goes live. There is one critical part of the Combat Update that has not yet been confirmed for consoles: the actual updates to combat.

The Combat Update revamped the game’s combat system dramatically, adding shields, having two hands for the players with many other changes that were not universally well-received. There has been no advice whether such changes will also be included in the console editions. Hence, there are still a lot of things to look forward to with this Minecraft update.

This Minecraft holiday update is intensely exciting for PS3, PS4, Xbox One, Xbox 360 and Wii U players. The game can utilize the majority of the features already available in PC edition, except the few recent additions like haunted houses.

This holiday update is free to all owners of Minecraft: Console Edition. There are also recent updates in Windows 10 and Pocket editions of Minecraft that made those versions nearly on par with the original Java version. Moreover, Minecraft is scheduled to hit Apple TV before the year ends.

Minecraft Is Finally Getting Biggest Console Update With End Cities, Elytra And More In December

“Minecraft” is receiving one of its latest and biggest console updates so far this December, which makes the console version of “Minecraft” almost as good as its PC edition.

According to Engadget, the December update of “Minecraft” gives Elytra to the players, which is the set of wings that make them glide. Additionally “Minecraft” console update has numerous additional features including but not limited to, End Cities, Dragon’s Breath portion ingredients, Amplified Terrain and so much more. The said “Minecraft” December updates will be released to PS4, PS3, Vita, Wii U, Xbox One, and Xbox 360, making them comparable enough to what “Minecraft” PC edition has to offer.

Additionally, this “Minecraft” Holiday Update fixes UI bugs and adds new mobs, blocks, items, and status effects. “Minecraft” players will find Elytra when they reached “The End” that is the third and final dimension of “Minecraft”. “The End” of “Minecraft” is also included in the console update for PS4, PS3, Vita, Wii U, Xbox One, and Xbox 360, it will have updated End Cities, Chorus Plants, Ships, Purpur blocks, and Chorus Flower together with other upgrades.

On the other hand, “Minecraft” December update just will not be all good things, but additional enemies as well. The December update of “Minecraft” introduces Shulkers, it hides on Purpur blocks and attacks players with homing missiles once they get near the.

According to reports, Mojang, the developer of “Minecraft” says that aside from what has been confirmed about the “Minecraft” December update, there will still be surprises in the game itself. “Minecraft” December update is free for those who owns “Minecraft: Console Edition”. Aside from “Minecraft: Console Edition”, pocket editions of “Minecraft” also received an update recently which made them comparable to the Java version of “Minecraft”. The game will also be available on Apple TV before the years end as well.

Stay tuned for more of your “Minecraft” updates!

‘Minecraft’ Latest News And Update: Biggest PS4, PS3, Xbox One, Vita, Xbox 360 Update Releases On December, Know Added Features Here!

Microsoft dropped the Xbox One S to £229 for Black Friday but Amazon has gone a step further with a £199.99 bundle offer that’s literally too hot to ignore!

The Minecraft bundle is what you’ll be getting with an extra sweetener of a copy of Forza Horizon 3 thrown in for good measure. This is the lowest we’ve seen yet on a new 500GB Xbox One S, which also makes the cheapest 4K Blu-Ray player money can buy even better value.

It probably won’t be around for long, so hit the link below and let your wallet fly!

Xbox One S crazy deal sees a £200 Minecraft bundle at Amazon!

Video game lovers who missed the first installment of “Minecraft: Story Mode” can now download episode one for free on Steam. Meanwhile, an upcoming patch will introduce several enhancements and tweaks to the game’s “Minecraft” console versions.

“Minecraft” fans now have the chance to get episode one of Telltale’s “Story Mode” for free, according to PC Gamer. Initially released for free in October, many gamers were disappointed to discover that it was only open for Windows 10 users. However, the same episode is now available on Steam with the same zero price tag but for a limited time period.

The first in an eight-episode saga, “Minecraft: Story Mode episode 1” featured the adventures of the protagonist named Jesse. With the option to choose between a male and female version, players will be tasked to complete a challenging quest.

“Minecraft” gamers will embark on a mission to find the legendary Order of the Stone. Identified as the world’s only hope, Jesse and his friends will face several challenges and villainous characters as they travel in various in-game worlds.

Meanwhile, “Minecraft: Story Mode” is a special episodic series created in collaboration between game creator Mojang and Telltale Games. Originally released in October 2015, it allows gamers to make their own decisions that will impact the story and its characters.

In other news, Mojang recently unveiled its planned update for the game’s Xbox and PlayStation versions. In an announcement posted on the gaming company’s website, several new items, blocks, status effects and enhancements are in store for “Minecraft” console owners.

Some of these enhancements include the ability to craft Lingering Potions by using Dragon’s Breath, a perfect deterrent against pursuers. An insectoid glider named the Elytra will also be added to the “Minecraft” console versions, as well as the addition of End Cities.

With Purpur blocks, Chorus Plants and End Ships, gamers can explore the various structures in the Ender Cities, as well as mine some of its materials. “Minecraft” console gamers will also meet new enemies, namely the Shulkers, whose weapon includes a homing rocket.

The “Minecraft” holiday update for Xbox and PlayStation consoles is expected for release in late December. Learn more about the game and its various crafting recipes in the clip below:

‘Minecraft’ Latest News & Update: Free Story Mode Episode 1 Available On Steam; Holiday Update To Bring Massive Changes

“Minecraft,” the sandbox video game originally created by Markus “Notch” Persson,” a Swedish game designer, is not just a game for researchers at Microsoft Research Lab. The lab’s open-source platform is testing artificial intelligence using the game’s pixelated universe.

Katja Hofmann, lead researcher of Microsoft Research Lab, said that the open-source platform, Project Malmo, could create AI agents and set it loose in a modified version of “Minecraft” free-to-roam 3D environment. The agents, through trial and error, learned ways to walk, move and dodge barriers in a physically consistent world, Wired reports.

Moving AI To Interactive Learning

The ability to learn usually needs expensive robots that could also use tolls, craft objects and collaborate with agents directed by humans or other AI. Hofmann said that feature could help move the AI field to interactive learnings from its present paradigm learned through machine. Microsoft trains algorithms with data troves before the AI is deployed.  Is “Minecraft” an effective tool for this?

In interactive learning, most of the coaching would occur on the ground by exchanges with end user. Microsoft uses Malmo to investigate how AI could learn from people using human feedback. Using “Minecraft,” the AI agent could be taught a new skill and given a feedback every time the AI does something correctly.

In selecting a video game to serve as AI training ground, Microsoft tested several games. Hofmann said the lab selected “Minecraft” because of the video game’s versatility, not because the software giant co-founded by Bill and Melinda Gates acquired in 2014 Mojang, the developer of the game in Sweden.

1.0 Update Launch Before End Of 2016

Meanwhile, PCGamesN reports that “Minecraft” Windows 10 Edition would get its 1.0 update soon. There is no official date of the release, but the gaming website confirmed the roll out of the 1.0 update would be before 2016 ends. Also included in the yearend launch are new mobs, items, blocks and changes inbound.

‘Minecraft’ Latest News & Update: Microsoft Uses ‘Minecraft” To Serve As Robo Gym To Test Artificial Intelligence

Black Friday Deals 2016  already commenced in several online retailers like Amazon. Microsoft’s latest console has been found bundled with great discounts only at Kohl’s for as low as $249.99. Furthermore, Target and Best Buy with $15 games along with $250 PS4 consoles with game bundles.

Microsoft’s recently released a smaller Xbox One console–the Xbox One S that is said to be 40 percent smaller than its predecessor. Black Friday Deals 2016 for the latest Microsoft console reportedly sells cheapest over at Kohl’s. The retailer store is offer Black Friday Deals 2016 the Xbox One S 500GB with Minecraft Favorites for only $249.99 packed with $75 Kohl’s Cash.

Best Buy also rolled out with Black Friday Deals 2016 for the Xbox One S 1TB with Battlefield 1 Special Edition Console with a Free Controller at $299 for those who opt for higher memory. Both Target and Best Buy offer Black Friday Deals 2016 for the Gears of War on Xbox for $29.99. Additionally, Kohl’s is offering Black Friday Deals 2016 for the PS4 Slim 500GB with Uncharted 4 and $75 Kohl’s Cash for $249.99.

Best Buy is reportedly offering the same Black Friday Deals 2016 bundle but packed Ratchet & Clank as well as The Last of Us in the $249.99 PS4 Slim 500GB bundle. In addition, Black Friday Deals 2016 at Target include Bloodborne and Until Dawn. The Overwatch also costs $34.99 for PS4 and Xbox One on GameStop.

Meanwhile, more and more retailers are reportedly offering Black Friday Deals 2016 $50 discounts for the Xbox One S and the PS4 Slim.  Moreover, retailers have also been selling additional controllers for both consoles at $20 below retail price. Additionally, Black Friday Deals 2016 for the Nintendo 3DS Super Mario bundle now sell with $99 discounts.

Black Friday Deals 2016 at Walmart and Dell will reportedly begin on Nov. 24 9 p.m EST. The Microsoft is also offering $50 on all Xbox One and Xbox One S bundles with FIFA 17 and the Halo Collection from Nov. 24-28.

Black Friday Deals 2016: Xbox One S 500GB Minecraft Bundle Cheapest At Kohl’s; The Cheapest, Best Deals At Target, Best Buy Detailed

Silent, deadly, and destructive, creepers are probably the most dreaded mob in Minecraft. Fittingly, the creeper has a twisted and horrifying past that ranges all the way back to one of the first editions of Minecraft.

The creeper is one of the oldest entities in the franchise: it was the first enemy mob added in the survival test in 2009. Creepers were never meant to be in the game, though. According to creator Markus “Notch” Persson, he was originally trying to create a pig.

“The creepers were a mistake” Notch revealed in the 2012 documentary Minecraft: The Story of Mojang. “I don’t have any modeling programs to do the models, I just write them in code. And I accidentally made them tall instead of long, so it was like a tall thing with four little feet. And that became the creeper. As opposed to a pig.”

Inspired rather than horrified by the monstrosity that he had created, Notch added a green texture and some aggressive behaviors and threw the creature into the alpha version of the game to torment players for years to come.

From the beginning, the explosive power of creepers was a real threat, and unlike zombies, which most seasoned players can run circles around, creepers have never stopped being dangerous. On higher difficulties they can kill you in one explosion in iron armor and drop you down to two hearts even in diamond. They can knock you into lava, off of ledges, or toward other mobs. They’re completely silent until they’re right on top of you, making them especially painful for players with bad sound or who like to listen to music

For a while, it seemed like creepers would remain an afterthought, with little more than a placeholder texture and behavior that was mostly a copy of the way zombies behaved, but— possibly because of how many unfortunate players lost their lives, loot, and bases to creepers— they eventually got a new texture, sound, and unique behaviors (here’s a recording of the old creeper sounds, which are lot less horrifying than the current hiss-boom). Early on, creepers would charge right at players like zombies and only explode when killed, but Notch decided that wasn’t maddening enough, and made the explosion their baseline attack.

Fans of Minecraft developed a love/hate relationship with this iconic mob from the very beginning. The “That’s a very nice [X] you have there, it would be a shame if something happened to it” joke is probably the oldest Minecraft meme in existence (using ‘sssSSSS’ as an interrupter is probably about as old, but hasn’t had the same persistence). Some of the earliest Minecraft fan videos are expressions of frustration about creepers, like Rocket Jump’s Minecraft Massacre, though perhaps an equal amount of effort has been spent on trying to understand the tormented creeper.

Aside from Endermen, who (inconsistently) pick up and move blocks, they remain the only mob that can affect the terrain, making them a particularly cruel foe to survival builders:

Hilariously, creepers could also damage players and objects in creative mode through the end of beta. It took several patches for the devs to iron out creeper-related bugs like that one, and every now and then a new one would slip through. For a short while creepers would explode after falling, which meant players were literally being dive-bombed by unavoidable, completely silent exploding mobs.

After a few patches, Mojang decided that creepers weren’t quite unpredictable enough and added a way for them to become even more destructive: if struck by lightning, creepers become charged, and explode at twice the force. Don’t let the fact that you are unlikely to ever encounter a naturally charged creeper soothe you into a false sense of security, because it happens when you least expect it. Weirdly enough, mobs killed by a charged creeper will drop heads that can be worn as disguises, causing some particularly deranged players to actually seek out the glowing monstrosities.

Creepers, aside from cosmetic changes, are still basically the same mob that they were at release, but, ironically enough, they have a long and storied history of wreaking havoc on the code as well as on players. Getting creepers just right, in terms of behavior, power, and interactions, has proven to be pretty sticky for developers. For a while, other mobs would run away from creepers, but this behavior was removed, presumably because it was causing undesirable AI interactions. Iron Golems — which are supposed to protect villagers from mobs—still ignore creepers because otherwise they’ll blow the village to pieces. Most of these bugs have been addressed in the Java edition, but the latest MCPE patch was delayed for almost a week because creepers were exploding through doors and ruining survival players’ hard work.

The legacy of this particular monster was so immediately iconic, that in 2011, the Minecraft logo was updated to include a creeper face, and it’s stayed that way ever since. Some of the very earliest Minecraft merch were creeper plushes, and in 2016 that’s expanded to include t-shirts, toys, hoodies, and, for some reason, Bible covers?

And yet, Notch’s cruel disregard for his creation continued as long as he was at the helm of Mojang. When asked to describe the creeper, Notch said that he always thought of them as “crunchy, like dry leaves”, but that he doesn’t know why they explode. I like to imagine that it’s because they’re filled to bursting with the burning shame of being discarded by their maker, but maybe that’s being dramatic.

So the next time a creeper blows a hole in your house or ends your five hour spelunking expedition with an ignominious plunge into a river of a lava, spare a thought for the poor creature, lurching through the world of Minecraft like an abandoned Victorian monstrosity, malformed by fate and unloved by all, doing the only thing that it knows how to do: kill.

Rob Guthrie is a lapsed academic who writes about history, video games, and weird internet things. Follow him @RobertWGuthrie for pithy Tweets and lukewarm takes.

The History of The Creeper, Minecraft’s Most Infamous Monster

In an announcement today, Mojang has indicated that a large number of long-awaited changes are coming to the console editions of Minecraft, bringing those editions a lot closer to the Java edition.

The most significant updates are the addition of Ender Cities—pre-generated structures in The End that contain some of Minecraft’s more obscure materials and enemies—and the Elytra, the much sought-after glider that allows players who have beaten all of Minecraft’s structured challenges to explore the world from the skies. Chorus plants, chorus flowers, and purpur blocks, all harvested from The End, give late game players more options when it comes to construction and decoration. You’re also now able to harvest the Ender Dragon’s breath, which opens up a whole new dimension of potion crafting that relies on this particular ingredient (harvested from the dragon’s attacks) giving console players the chance to create throwable potions with lingering effects.

Another cool addition is the addition of the ‘amplified terrain’ world creation feature, which generates a world with much higher highs and lower lows. World generation features have been somewhat lacking on consoles, and opening up more features can only be good.

What’s especially exciting about this, however, is that it’s one of the biggest steps toward feature parity that we’ve seen in a long time. Console players have felt like second-class citizens for a while because of how far those editions have lagged behind the Java edition, but with this update — and a similar one announced recently for the Pocket and Win 10 edition — the gap has closed considerably.

There are still some unknowns at play, like if and when Shulker boxes, Observer blocks and other late additions will be making their way to consoles — but even taking some doubts into consideration, this is a very exciting announcement that could mean big changes for the future direction of Minecraft.

Correction 11/23 9:46 AM: An earlier version of this article identified the part of update as “The End,” rather than Ender Cities. We apologize for the mistake.

Rob Guthrie is a lapsed academic who writes about history, video games, and weird internet things. Follow him @RobertWGuthrie for pithy Tweets and lukewarm takes.

Minecraft’s Next Update Will Bring Huge Progress To Consoles [Update]

“Minecraft” is a sandbox written in java originally created by Markus “Notch” Persson. It was maintained by Mojan AB, and part of Microsoft Studious. It is heavely inspired by Infiniminer.

“Minecraft” focuses in allowing the player to explore, intertact with, and modify a dynamically-generated map made of one-cubic-sized blocks. In addition to the game, it features plants, mobs and items. It includes activities including mining for ore, fighting activities with hostile mobs, gathering specific resources and crafting new blocks.

The final Minecraft: Console Edition update of this year is also its largest. This Christmas season update brings Elytra (wings that allow players to fly and glide), amplified terrains, end cities, the Dragon’s Breath potion ingredient and more feature to Playstation 4, PS3, Xbox One, Xbox 360, Vita and Wii U. This means that the “Minecraft” console versions will be close enough to PC editions, as Microsoft assured.

This holiday update allows the UI and includes new mobs, items, blocks and status effects. Gamers will discover Elytra in the end, Minecraft’s third and final dimension. The End itself will be updated with End cities, End ships, chorus plants, chorus flowers, and purpur blocks among other features . New enemies’ will be expected, such as Shulkers which hide near purpur blocks and also fire homing missiles at encroaching players. Dragon’s Breath allow players to create Lingering potions, just throw one of these suckers on the ground to leave some effects behind your enemies and allies.

Developer Mojang is allowing the players to have a sneak peak at the update today, meaning there will be more surprises features when it’s actually go live in this Holiday season. The holiday update is free for those who own Minecraft: Console Editions. The Windows 10 and Pocket Edition of Minecraft recently saw update that connects those versions nearly with the original Java version as well. In addition, “Minecraft” is scheduled to hit Apple TV before year ends.

‘Minecraft’ News & Updates: Biggest Console Update In December 2016

Minecraft wings finally coming to console in December

Microsoft announced today that it will bring a Holiday Update to Minecraft on Xbox and other consoles in December. This update will include new mobs, items, blocks and status effects, in addition to UI, game and tutorial updates, the firm says.

“Since adding banners, beets and polar bears with our last update in October, the team has been hard at work on our biggest Minecraft console update of the year – the Holiday Update,” Microsoft’s Jeff Rivait explains.

The Holiday Update is for what Microsoft calls the Minecraft: Console Edition, which includes the versions of the game for Xbox 360 and Xbox One, plus Playstation 3 and 4, PlayStation Vita, and Wii U. Microsoft also makes a Minecraft: Computer Edition for PC, Mac, and Linux, and Minecraft: Pocket Edition for Android, iOS, Windows phones, and Amazon Fire. It’s not clear if the Holiday Update will ship on these other platforms. Nor is it clear when or if Microsoft will ever consolidate these various products into a single line of compatible games.

Anyway.

Today’s announcement is just a sneak peek and Microsoft says it will reveal more next month. But Mr. Rivait included the following list of enhancements that we can expect:

Fly with the new Elytra. “If you’re sick of spending all your time walking on solid ground, just equip the new Elytra, which enables players to glide through the air!”

Updates to The End. “You’ll find your Elytra in The End, which has been updated to include End Cities, End Ships and all the Chorus Plants, Flowers and Purpur you can handle. Don’t say we didn’t warn you if one turns out to be a Shulker.”

New Potions. “Like potions? Use Dragon’s Breath to create Lingering Potions if you want to leave some status effects on the ground for a friend or foe to happen upon. Speaking of status effects, we’re adding a couple new ones as well – Levitation and Luck.”

Amplified Terrain (Xbox One only). “If you’re just getting started on a new world on Xbox One or PlayStation 4, you can turn on Amplified Terrain. This option makes the differences between mountains and valleys more extreme – so put that Elytra to good use!”

More soon.

Minecraft: Holiday Update Coming to Xbox in December

With more than a million copies sold, Minecraft already is squarely in the center of tech kids’ lives. Now Microsoft wants to take advantage of that position to encourage kids to program the game, not just play it.

On Tuesday, the company released a new online tutorial for Code.org’s Hour of Code, a nonprofit effort sponsored by many tech companies to get children programming.

It’ll look familiar to those who’ve used introductory programming projects like Google’s Pencil Code or MIT’s Scratch: Commands take the form of Lego-like pieces you snap together into a sequence that controls an on-screen character. Puzzles alternate with video tutorials explaining new programming concepts.

Programming isn’t for everyone, but many schools and businesses are trying to expose students to it as a way to build skills for the 21st century, when tech is spreading beyond PCs and phones into cars, refrigerators, thermostats, and many other corners of our lives.

President Barack Obama has endorsed the Code.org effort.

“If we want America to stay on the cutting edge, we need young Americans like you to master the tools and technology that will change the way we do just about everything,” Obama said in a 2013 video. “Don’t just buy a new video game. Make one… Don’t just play on your phone. Program it.”

Microsoft uses Minecraft to get kids to learn programming

If you want your Minecraft Pocket Edition [$6.99] to look like a silly Saturday morning cartoon or as if you just had a breakdown and the whole world looks like a joke, then the latest texture pack is just the thing for you. Cartoon Textures, which was just added to the game, doesn’t change the environment that much but it makes a huge difference on how people and mobs look. I mean look at the image below; you can’t go much sillier than that. I can see this texture pack being great for those who like to stream multiplayer Minecraft because it will add a veneer of silliness on top of any shenanigans. The Texture Pack costs $2.99 and is available in the Store.

In addition to the texture pack, we got possible hints that music might be coming to the game. According to this reddit post, there’s been code discovered that talks about downloading the Minecraft Music to your device. While I don’t know how valid this post is, the developers have said in the past that if the game’s music makes it to the Pocket Edition, it will be as a separate download because of space considerations. Here’s hoping.

‘Minecraft: Pocket Edition’ Adds Silly Cartoon Texture Pack, and Is Music Coming?

Minecraft is one of the most popular games in the world as it enables dedicated players to build whatever they imagine. However, it can also be a powerful learning tool through which we can appeal to kids in a variety of topics. Now, a new program wants to use Minecraft to teach kids how to code.

Code is already a valuable skill and it will become even more essential in the future. However, it can be difficult to pick it up at an advanced age and difficult for kids to learn it through the usual ways. However, games have always provided a simple and fascinating tool to teach kids.  Microsoft, the owner of the game, has launched a new Minecraft Hour of Code Designer tutorial.

The program is part of the company’s Hour of Code campaign which is being held from December 5^th to December 11^th, during the Computer Science Education Week. The Minecraft tutorial is available for free the Code.org website. Anyone can access it and learn about coding through Minecraft, despite being designed for kids.

Although Minecraft tutorials for the annual Hour of Code is not entirely a new endeavor for Microsoft, the company does develop different types of tutorials within the game each year. For the current one, Microsoft has stated that their own developers, as well as a few from Mojang, have worked together to create it.

The tutorial itself is short, lasting one hour on average, in order to fit with the Hour of Code overall theme. It is also available in ten languages currently, but Microsoft plans to release for up 50 by December 5^th.

In the tutorial, users are presented with a very small Minecraft world display where their chosen character is present. They gradually learn to control the character by dragging various blocks of code from a panel into the editor, after which they run their lines of code. Kids can create anything you can imagine in the Minecraft tutorial, setting rules which are ludicrous or as logical as you like.

The tutorial is specially designed to entice kids as young as six years old to learn more about coding by giving them a very basic idea of how the whole process works.

Minecraft Adds Hour of Code Designer Tutorial

With spending for the holiday season expected to increase by 3.6 percent this year to $656 billion, according to WalletHub, you can bet a hefty chuck of that change is going toward gaming. With the debut of the Xbox One S, Microsoft is hoping to see aggressive sales of its smaller, faster console. And a lot of those purchases will take place on that magical day where people forget the fear of being trampled to death: Black Friday.

Thankfully, Xbox One and Black Friday go together like turkey and stuffing. We perused the circulars to find all the Xbox-y sales we could find arriving on Nov. 24 or a little earlier. You’ll find a lot of bundled consoles and hot games (in particular Minecraft and Battlefield 1 with a console that comes in military green).

Generally, the Black Friday prices are the same wherever you go so don’t panic if one outlet runs dry—you can probably get the same price elsewhere.

(Don’t worry, PlayStation fans. We didn’t forget about you.)

Microsoft

Go directly to the source for some savings on Xbox One games and paraphernalia starting at midnight on Nov. 24.

• Three-month Xbox Live Gold Membership: $14.99 (down from $24.99).
• Xbox One Wireless Controller with Play & Charge Kit: $39.99 (down from $74.99)
• Xbox One Controllers including Dawn Shadow Special Edition, Gears of War 4 Limited Edition, Special Edition Wireless Controller, and others: $39 each (all down from prices over $69)
• Buy an Oculus Rift VR Headset for $599 or HTC Vive Virtual Reality System for $799 and get a $100 gift code to use in the Microsoft/Xbox store.
• Turtle Beach Ear Force Stealth 420X Plus Gaming Headset: $99.95. Down from $149.95, this wireless gaming headset with detachable microphone is perfect for gaming with friends or just watching Xbox One content without disturbing others.

Newegg

• Xbox One S 500GB Battlefield 1 Bundle: $249.99 (down from $299.99)

Kohl’s

You might not think of Kohl’s as a place for electronics, but it has a doorbuster sale (in stores and online) starting at 6 p.m. on Thanksgiving Day that will serve up the Xbox One S 500GB Minecraft Console Bundle for $249.99. The purchase also earns the buyer an extra $75 in Kohl’s Cash.

Sam’s Club

• Xbox One S Battlefield 1 Bundle (or Xbox One S Minecraft Bundle with Bonus Controller): $249. Each comes with 500GB drive, white controller, and digital downloads of the bundled games. Shipping is free.

Walmart

• Xbox Live 6-Month Subscription with free digital game code for $25 (down from $39.99)
• Guitar Hero for Xbox One (and Xbox 36): $24.96 (down from $99.96!)
• Xbox One S White 500GB Battlefield 1 Bundle: $249 (down from $299.99)
• Xbox One Controllers for $39 each

In the store, Black Friday technically starts at 6 p.m. Thanksgiving Day. Online, you get free shipping only if you order over $50 of merchandise at Walmart.com. Better yet, do in-store pickup.

Best Buy

• Get $50 off any Xbox One console or bundled console, OR get a free Xbox Wireless Controller with purchase of any Xbox One S 1TB console on Nov. 24.
• Microsoft Xbox One S 1TB Battlefield 1 Special Edition Bundle: $299.99 (down from $349.99)
• Xbox One controllers for $39.99
• Tom Clancy’s The Division and others for $24.99 (down from $49.99)
• Madden NFL 17, Battlefield 1 for $29.99 (down from $59.99)

Target

• Xbox One S White 500GB Battlefield 1 Bundle for $249.99 plus $40 gift card. The best deal yet on this bundle, as it includes an extra gift card bonus. Regular price is $299.99 without the gift card.
• Battlefield 1 and Titanfall 2 for $35 each, a price drop of almost $25 each.
• Call of Duty: Infinite Warfare Legacy Edition: $59.99 (down from $79.99)

GameStop

• Minecraft/Xbox One S 500GB Bundle: $249.99 (down from $299.99), which includes Minecraft Favorites Pack, Builder’s Pack, and a version for running on Windows 10.
• Gears of War 4 Xbox One S 1TB Bundle: $299.99 (down from $349.99), which has a full version of Gears on game disc, plus playable version for Windows 10.
• Gears of War 4 Special Edition Xbox One Wireless Controller: $54.99 (down from $74.99)
• 8 Piece Advance Gaming Xbox One Gamer’s Accessory Kit: $39.99 (down from $59.99), which includes power dock, headset, 10 foot charger cable, battery packs, and protective cover.
• Farming Simulator 17, Mafia III, Battlefield I, Titanfall 2, FIFA 17, NHL 17, Madden NFL 17: $39.99 each (all down from $59.99 and $49.99)
• Gears of War 4: $34.99 (down from $59.99)
• The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim, Witcher III: Wild Hunt Complete Edition and XCOM 2: $29.99 each (down from $59.99 and $49.99)
• Far Cry Primal and Homefront: The Revolution: $24.99 (down from $49.99 or $39.99)
• Rainbow Six: Siege, Dark Souls III, ReCore, Rocket League Collector’s Edition, 7 Days to Die, and Valentino Rossi: $19.99 each (down from $49.99 or $29.99)
• Batman: The Telltale Series, Borderlands: The Handsome Collection, Just Sing, Atari Flashback Classics Vol. 1, and Mighty No. 9: $14.99 each (down from $19.99)
• Nyko Charge Block Duo: $24.99 (down from $29.99)$50 off any new Xbox One console starting at 5 a.m. on Nov. 24. Let’s dive right in:

Dell

• Xbox One S White 500GB Battlefield 1 Bundle with Gears of War 4 and an extra wireless controller for $249.99. This is among the best Xbox One S deals out there because it includes an extra controller. The regular price for the bundle is $419.99. Sales begin at 9 p.m. ET on Nov. 24.

Amazon.com

Amazon starts Black Friday early by having ridiculous deals all the time, and is planning to run a lot of them through Dec. 22—at least when it’s not rotating savings to new products without warning.

The Best Xbox One Black Friday Deals