UPDATE: Following the publication of this story, Sony revealed that the re-submitted Minecraft: PlayStation 4 Edition has been approved, and it will actually release the day before Minecraft: Xbox One Edition, on Thursday, September 4th! Like the Xbox One version, the PlayStation 4 version will cost $19.99, and it allows players to build worlds up to 36 times larger than the PlayStation 3 version, plus it will allow players to transfer game saves and DLC from PlayStation 3 to PlayStation 4, but not from PlayStation 4 to PlayStation 3. Also, if you already own Minecraft: PlayStation 3 Edition, you can net Minecraft: PlayStation 4 Edition for merely $4.99. Sadly, there was no word offered on the status of Minecraft: PlayStation Vita Edition, which is still merely expected, “Soon.”
Original story follows:
After the three upcoming versions of hit sandbox creation game, Minecraft all failed to meet their August 2014 launch windows, many eyebrows were raised as to what exactly was going on behind the scenes with the new ports of Mojang’s indie champion. This was exacerbated further when Minecraft: PlayStation 4 Edition infamously failed its recent internal testing at Sony, with Minecraft: PlayStation Vita Edition still not even making it to that phase yet.
Fortunately, Xbox gamers can at least put an end to the wait, as Minecraft: Xbox One Edition has finished development, and been approved for release by Microsoft. The game will come to the Xbox One Games Store this Friday, September 5th, for $19.99.
This may seem steep to people who have already invested in the game, but fortunately, there is a perk you can take advantage of. If you already own Minecraft: Xbox 360 Edition, whether digitally downloaded or from retail, and you have an Xbox Live account with your Xbox One connected to the internet, you can download Minecraft: Xbox One Edition for merely $4.99. You are also able to transfer any game saves and DLC you may have from Minecraft: Xbox 360 Edition to Minecraft: Xbox One Edition. Bear in mind however that you can’t transfer data backwards from Minecraft: Xbox One Edition to Minecraft: Xbox 360 Edition.
Minecraft: Xbox One Edition will not only boast slightly improved visuals and performance over Minecraft: Xbox 360 Edition, but it will also allow players to build worlds up to thirty-six times larger than was possible in Minecraft: Xbox 360 Edition. Minecraft: Xbox One Edition also allows up to four players to play together in local split-screen play, and allows up to eight players to play together online via Xbox Live.
The release status of Minecraft: PlayStation 4 Edition and Minecraft: PlayStation Vita Edition is still up in the air, though at least Sony gamers still have the option of playing Minecraft: PlayStation 3 Edition in the meantime. Hopefully, Sony’s new Minecraft builds won’t spend too much longer in the cooker.
Eggplante will continue to dig up any news and updates on Minecraft.