You may remember back in January we unveiled the Minecraft Q&A, a section of our website where you can ask us questions. It turned out to be incredibly popular, and we still regularly answer your questions about Minecraft. Due to 4J Studios sharing our Minecraft for consoles poll (which we will reveal the results of shortly!) and several YouTube stars associated with Minecraft doing the same, we have received an influx of questions about Minecraft on consoles.
We figured we might as well answer the most-asked ones in an article, and maybe do the same for other editions in the future. So here's the answers to your biggest questions about Minecraft on consoles!
When will Minecraft for Xbox One, PS4, and Vita be released?
August 19th is the most likely date right now for release, but it's far from confirmed. 4J Studios promised that it would be released in August, but if it hasn't come by mid-August it could have been delayed
Why aren't Mavel skins and texture packs available on PS3?
Marvel seems to have an exclusive contract with Microsoft for Minecraft skins, meaning that it's unlikely Marvel DLC for Minecraft: Xbox Edition will be coming to other platforms anytime soon.
Why does it take so long for updates?
4J Studios is a rather small game development studio, and they have had all hands on deck to work on the Xbox One/PS4/Vita Editions recently. After those ports are released, TU17 shouldn't take too long.
Why does Pocket Edition have infinite worlds and consoles do not?
The Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 both have 512 MB of RAM and a less-powerful CPU than most flagship phones today. They simply to not have the processing power to run infinite worlds. When it comes to the PS4 and Xbox One, Microsoft/Sony have set a limit on how much space Minecraft (as well as any other game) can take up on the internal hard drive. While they could probably handle infinite worlds, the save file limitation is in the way.
Why doesn't Minecraft on consoles have mods?
Minecraft for PC is coded in Java, making modding as easy as unzipping the executable and putting a few files in. Even on iOS (with a jailbreak) and Android, it's possible to modify game files. Consoles do not have an accessible file system, meaning it's impossible to get inside the game files and install mods. 'Modded' console games are usually pirated copies that have been altered to be retextured or other minor tweaks, it's very hard - if not impossible - to change gameplay.
Then couldn't 4J Studios repackage the mods themselves and sell it as DLC?
It would be illegal to redestribute mods without the mod creator's permission. And even if they did have their permission, it's unlikely Mojang would give 4J Studios permission to modify how the game is played.
Why can't I make my own skin/texture pack for Minecraft on consoles?
There are very little to no console games that allow for any user-created content, whether that be weapons, custom-made levels, retextures like skins, etc. It's unlikely that an update adding support for user-made texture packs and/or skins would be approved by Microsoft and Sony. In addition, 4J Studios makes a profit from selling DLC for Minecraft on consoles, and I don't think they would add something to the game that would slash their sales.
What about dedicated servers, like on PC?
While dedicated servers are not unheard-of for console games (games like Battlefield, Left 4 Dead, etc use them), it would be rather difficult to utilize them for Minecraft. It would be more like Minecraft Realms than a free service, and it's highly unlikely 4J Studios would create dedicated server software for consoles to run on PCs.
That's all the questions for now, let us know in the comments if you have any more you would like to add. And remember to check out the Minecraft Q&A for recently-answered questions and ask your own!
We figured we might as well answer the most-asked ones in an article, and maybe do the same for other editions in the future. So here's the answers to your biggest questions about Minecraft on consoles!
When will Minecraft for Xbox One, PS4, and Vita be released?
August 19th is the most likely date right now for release, but it's far from confirmed. 4J Studios promised that it would be released in August, but if it hasn't come by mid-August it could have been delayed
Why aren't Mavel skins and texture packs available on PS3?
Marvel seems to have an exclusive contract with Microsoft for Minecraft skins, meaning that it's unlikely Marvel DLC for Minecraft: Xbox Edition will be coming to other platforms anytime soon.
Why does it take so long for updates?
4J Studios is a rather small game development studio, and they have had all hands on deck to work on the Xbox One/PS4/Vita Editions recently. After those ports are released, TU17 shouldn't take too long.
Why does Pocket Edition have infinite worlds and consoles do not?
The Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 both have 512 MB of RAM and a less-powerful CPU than most flagship phones today. They simply to not have the processing power to run infinite worlds. When it comes to the PS4 and Xbox One, Microsoft/Sony have set a limit on how much space Minecraft (as well as any other game) can take up on the internal hard drive. While they could probably handle infinite worlds, the save file limitation is in the way.
Why doesn't Minecraft on consoles have mods?
Minecraft for PC is coded in Java, making modding as easy as unzipping the executable and putting a few files in. Even on iOS (with a jailbreak) and Android, it's possible to modify game files. Consoles do not have an accessible file system, meaning it's impossible to get inside the game files and install mods. 'Modded' console games are usually pirated copies that have been altered to be retextured or other minor tweaks, it's very hard - if not impossible - to change gameplay.
Then couldn't 4J Studios repackage the mods themselves and sell it as DLC?
It would be illegal to redestribute mods without the mod creator's permission. And even if they did have their permission, it's unlikely Mojang would give 4J Studios permission to modify how the game is played.
Why can't I make my own skin/texture pack for Minecraft on consoles?
There are very little to no console games that allow for any user-created content, whether that be weapons, custom-made levels, retextures like skins, etc. It's unlikely that an update adding support for user-made texture packs and/or skins would be approved by Microsoft and Sony. In addition, 4J Studios makes a profit from selling DLC for Minecraft on consoles, and I don't think they would add something to the game that would slash their sales.
What about dedicated servers, like on PC?
While dedicated servers are not unheard-of for console games (games like Battlefield, Left 4 Dead, etc use them), it would be rather difficult to utilize them for Minecraft. It would be more like Minecraft Realms than a free service, and it's highly unlikely 4J Studios would create dedicated server software for consoles to run on PCs.
That's all the questions for now, let us know in the comments if you have any more you would like to add. And remember to check out the Minecraft Q&A for recently-answered questions and ask your own!
Are they ever going to add the wither?
ReplyDeleteJust kind of guessing, but you might remember back when 4J studios made a new skin pack to celebrate the birthday of Minecraft for Xbox 360. There was a Wither in it. TU17 seems as good as any Title Update to implement the Wither. Also, but the Wither did come to PC about where Consoles currently are in Development.
ReplyDeleteYou actually no longer need a jailbreak for iOS mods.
ReplyDeleteYou wrote "Mavel" instead of "Marvel" in the second question.
ReplyDeleteWill there be control blocks on xbox one
ReplyDeletewhy not make minecraft on ouya? it would be able to support user created skins mods and texture packs.
ReplyDeleteBecause the Ouya failed. It should work anyways once Minecraft adds controller support and the APK is manually installed on the Ouya.
ReplyDelete