Some people find a game and continue to play it on their console or handheld of choice well beyond the end-of-life of the hardware. Minecraft is no exception to that, with around five percent of players continuing to load it up on a PS3, Xbox 360, Wii U, or PS Vita. And those players will soon be able to enjoy the Minecraft Update Aquatic, but it will be the last update they get.
Xbox One$499.99 at PCMag Shop and Switch players won't actually get the Update Aquatic. That's because it comes bundled with a brand new “Bedrock engine” version of Minecraft for those platforms. Xbox One owners can download it for free and Switch owners get it as a free patch.
We first heard about Minecraft going under the seaback in November last year. As the video above shows, there's a lot of new content included in the update including a range of new block, items, status effects, enchantments, mobs, generated structures, biomes, data packs, item forms, and commands. It's sure to keep the avid Minecraft player very busy.
Full details of the additions and changes are available on the Minecraft Wiki.
With the release of the Deadpool 2 just a little over a week away, some fans are getting nervous about having the highly-anticipated sequel spoiled for them.
Luckily, Ryan Reynolds, the movie’s star, is already doing his best to nip that problem in the bud. Reynolds took to Instagram on Wednesday to share a message from Deadpool that not only warned fans about spoilers, but also managed to take a shot at the Avengers.
In a hilarious recreation of the letter that Marvel directors Joe and Anthony Russo tweeted leading up to the release of Avengers: Infinity War, the Merc with a Mouth urges fans to keep quiet about Deadpool 2‘s plot.
“To the greaterest fans in the whole universe,” the note reads. “Only a handful of people know the film’s true plot. One of them is not Ryan Reynolds. We’re asking that when you see Deadpool 2, you don’t say a f—ing word about the fun s—t in the movie. Cause it’d be super lame to spoil the fact that Deadpool dies in this one. Kidding. Not Kidding. Kidding? Godspeed.”
After years of continued updates and support, the Minecraft team has announced that the coming Update Aquatic content drop will be the last significant update to hit the PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, PlayStation Vita, and Wii U versions of the game.
Mojang notes that the decision to leave these versions behind was driven by a need to support the platforms where most of Minecraft’s player base dwell and, all together, the legacy systems listed above only account for less than 5 percent of the game’s active players.
Additionally, the studio notes that players using the older Xbox One and Nintendo Switch versions of Minecraft won’t be receiving the update, but downloading a free upgrade to Minecraft’s latest release on those platforms will grant players on those platforms access to Update Aquatic when it drops.
Though the game first officially released in 2011, Minecraft hit the Xbox 360 in 2012, PlayStation 3 in 2013, Vita in 2015, and WiiU in 2015. In the years since, Mojang has continued to deliver updates to both legacy and current generation versions of the game, but now notes that, going forward, only Minecraft’s Java Edition (PC), PlayStation 4 Edition, and “Bedrock Engine” releases of Minecraft for mobile, Windows 10, and consoles will be supported by future updates.
Mojang, the developer behind popular video game Minecraft, has announced that after the upcoming ‘Update Aquatic' release, the game will not update on older consoles.
Players on PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, PS Vita and Wii U will all receive the latest update shortly after the initial launch hits newer systems.
But this will be the last new update that is compatible with these platforms.
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Minecraft players on PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, PS Vita and Wii U will all receive the Update Aquatic shortly after the initial launch hits newer systems, but this will be the last new update that is compatible with these platforms
‘This will mark the last big effort to keep those editions up to date with our newer versions of the game,' Mojang said in a post on their website.
‘Although we’d love to keep bringing new content to all our players forever, the older generation of consoles now make up less than 5 percent of our active players'
‘So we’ve made the difficult decision to focus our efforts to support players where they play Minecraft the most and where we plan to add new features,' they added.
Minecraft will still be available on Java, PlayStation 4 Edition and the versions of the game made with the Bedrock Engine on other consoles, mobile, and Windows 10.
The company also will not be releasing Update Aquatic on Xbox One and Nintendo Switch, as users can upgrade to the newer version for free.
Minecraft was first released in 2011, and by early 2018 over 144 million copies had been sold, making it the second best-selling video game of all time.
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Minecraft was first released in 2011, and by early 2018 over 144 million copies had been sold, making it the second best-selling video game of all time
HOW DOES GAMING HELP STUDENTS?
Modern video games often require players to be adaptable and resourceful.
They force players to find multiple ways of accomplishing a task.
The way games are designed often encourages critical thinking and reflective learning, commonly cited as desirable attributes in graduates.
The study's lead researcher suggests that video games could have a role to play in the future of higher education.
In September 2014, Microsoft announced it was buying Mojang and the Minecraft intellectual property for $2.5billion.
Microsoft recently released a major overhaul to the quality of Minecraft's graphics.
With the update, launched in 2017, it gave users 4K HDR graphics and be given access to the ‘Super Duper Graphics Pack', which adds stunning effects to scenes such as sparkles on rippling water and dynamic shadows.
Minecraft has also been used in educational environments, especially in the realm of computing systems.
Gaming has been found to teach students to be resourceful, and the previous study's have suggested that video games have a role to play in the future of education.
If you love playing Minecraft on the PS3, Xbox 360, Wii U or PS Vita, the game's developers have some bad news for you. The next update, called “Update Aquatic,” will be the last that is compatible with these platforms.
Only about 5 percent of active players use Minecraft on these older consoles, and the team has chosen to put its resources where the majority of people who play the game are. The PS4 will continue to receive updates, as will mobile and Windows 10 versions.
The Xbox One and Switch versions of the older game will not receive the Update Aquatic because users can upgrade to the newer version. Therefore only the newer version of the game on these two consoles will continue to be updated. But don't worry, this isn't a cash grab: Xbox One users can download the upgraded version of Minecraft from the Microsoft Store for free, and Switch users will receive the update as a free patch to the existing game.
It was only a matter of time before Microsoft began edging Mojang away from supporting the old seventh gen systems when it comes to new content and updates for Minecraft. Well, that day has finally arrived, or it will soon, as the next big update for the game will be the last for the legacy consoles.
Over on the official Minecraft website, Mojang announced that the Aquatic update will be arriving for all major game consoles and platforms, including the legacy consoles from the seventh generation of gaming. This means that after the Aquatic update goes live, there will be no new updates for the PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, PlayStation Vita, or the Wii U versions of the game.
The reason for the abandonment of the older consoles is because Mojang wants to focus on the newer consoles and the newer iteration of the Bedrock Engine, which is no longer supported on the legacy consoles.
Mojang also notes that new features and updates will only arrive for Windows 10 systems, PlayStation 4, Java, mobile, Xbox One, and Nintendo Switch versions of Minecraft.
Now there is something to keep in mind if you're playing on the Xbox One or the Nintendo Switch, you will eventually need to upgrade to the newer version of the game running on the Bedrock Engine. The older, legacy versions of the game available for Microsoft and Nintendo's eighth gen consoles will eventually stop receiving updates. So you'll want to update the game as soon as possible.
The Bedrock Engine originally made its debut back in 2011, but it didn't actually manage to release for home consoles until 2017, where the Xbox One and the Nintendo Switch received the Bedrock updates during the third quarter of the year.
The newer version of Minecraft offers gamers the ability to export worlds, import worlds, and create their own play space just like the older version of the game, but it has the added ability to utilize advanced shaders, improved touch controls, and the ability to make use of virtual reality functionality, which was introduced as part of Microsoft's initiative to dive into the AR/VR field after teasing HoloLens support for Minecraft during E3.
Sadly, for those of you still wanting to utilize HoloLens for Minecraft, the tech is still heavy in development and the devkits are still the only physical release available for the mixed reality headset. On the upside, the Microsoft Mixed Reality headsets are available to offer you a cheap VR alternative to the Oculus Rift and HTC Vive, along with the Gear VR from Samsung, enabling you to dive into Minecraft with VR support.
All of that is to say that Mojang, Microsoft and the other port houses working on Minecraft are moving away from the older legacy consoles due to the newer engine not being able to support those old devices. In order to keep advancing and moving the brand forward, it will require leaving some of the older and less compatible platforms behind.
Even still, if you own a PS3, Xbox 360, or Wii U, take solace knowing that you can still enjoy the Aquatic update.
