Minecraft may be one of the biggest video game properties of the last decade, but it certainly took its time in coming to PlayStation platforms. Today marks its release on the PlayStation 4, and with its arrival, questions have begun popping up all over the web as Sony-only gamers search for answers regarding the blocky adventure. If you're looking for an explanation on what Minecraft is exactly, feel free to have a read of our review of the PlayStation 3 Edition, but if you're just wanting to know what's new in this next-gen version, we've written this hopefully handy little guide to the game's three biggest additions.
The world is 36 times bigger on PS4
We all like throwing big numbers around in order to impress people, but the fact that the PS4 Edition of Minecraft features a world that's 36 times bigger than its PS3 counterpart is one of the port's biggest selling points. A larger world means more adventure, and with Mojang's block-'em-up, that's an all-important part of the experience. Minecraft is all about creating your own fun, whether you're crafting, exploring, or slaying evil beasties, and being able to traverse a far bigger environment means that there'll be more opportunities for crazy escapades than ever before.
Use the touchpad for easier inventory access
Much like Final Fantasy XIV: A Realm Reborn, you can use the DualShock 4's touchpad as mouse pointer in Minecraft's PS4 Edition. This means that sorting through your gear should be a heck of a lot easier thanks to the unrestricted movement that such an interface provides. Not only that, but crafting should be a lot simpler now, too, as you click and drag components instead of having to rummage through multiple menus to find what it is that you need. There's no doubt that the touch controls will take a little getting used to, but with practice, it should prove to be a much faster alternative to fumbling with the controller's face buttons.
Capture your adventures with the Share button
Arguably the best thing about Minecraft is all the unplanned and weird misadventures that you'll get yourself into. You might be off scouring the wilderness for some materials, only to come across a delicious looking pig who then leads you on a bizarre hunting trip, before stumbling upon a dark cave that's home to some depressingly deadly monsters, and then when you're running for your life, you'll realise it's night time and go hide in a nearby tree until the sun comes up. Because the world and its inhabitants are randomly generated, almost anything can happen, which makes the PS4's Share button a perfect fit when it comes to capturing all of those unbelievable moments.
Are you a Minecraft fanatic? Have you already snatched the game from the PS4's digital store? Share your craziest tales in the comments below.
Comments 34
Minecraft on a portable device I get on a home console I just don't get the appeal as it is inferior to the PC version in every way and not portable.
Still, send me my frickin disc
@SimonAdebisi no release date set yet for that. why not get it digitaly?
@ZeD I may cancel pre order and do so later
@SimonAdebisi Join us......
@Jazzer94 Alot of games and applications are inferior on consoles but that doesn't mean they aren't still fun. Infact Minecraft on console has outsold the PC version by a long way.
@WARDIE Source because from what I've found it hasn't and majority of what makes Minecraft fun is modsmods otherwise you're just playing the basic vanilla version which is the console version.
@Jazzer94 Does it matter? People can enjoy it however they want, and as the console versions sell by a bucket load, it's plain to see that mods aren't needed to make it fun.
Also, a very quick Google search would have helped; http://www.gamespot.com/articles/minecraft-console-sales-pass-pc-series-nears-54-million-copies-sold/1100-6420724/
Not looking is just lazy.
@Crimson_Ridley Before you call people lazy actual read the material sigh, I saw this article but it doesn't provide PS3 numbers (had to be at least 3 million if accurate) or how far past 12 million the 360 version is PC version is at 16,600,000 million sales now so they are pretty close in sales have you got a more up to date source?
Also I never disputed that people can't have fun with the console version just that they are limiting themselves to the most basic version with the least amount of depth.
Another boring debate. People will play on whatever platform they want to.
Can't wait for this but I chose it on vita, just seems more fitting for a handheld
Just out of curiosity, was the PS3 size ever an actual limiting factor for people? 36x bigger sounds nice, but my kids have played it alot on PS3 b/c of the couch co-op and size has never come up. When I hear 36x bigger all I hear is - "we know you want mods, but we made it bigger instead". My kids spend way more time on the PC version playing w/ mods, they have 22 installed at the moment. My 9 yr old is learning alot about Windows Explorer file system. And jar and zip. Its very educational. Minecraft is probably respondible for creating an entire new generation of script kiddies.
@Jazzer94 For those who want it, Minecraft on consoles has a very simple advantage: controller support. You don't have to muddle around trying to figure out mods or extra software (which a cursory Google search earlier today suggested is still necessary on PC), so for those of us who can't stand keyboard/mouse controls (and I did give that try with the Minecraft demo, but it just isn't for me), consoles are the only way to go. Plus you're not ENTIRELY limited to vanilla, at least so far as visuals go, because there are DLC packs available on PS3 and doubtlessly will be for PS4 down the line. We also aren't all great with modding. if rjejr's kids are learning about Windows and modding through Minecraft, great! Kids have the option to spend time on that (and learn more easily), so good for them. I'd honestly rather have a straightforward experience though, which makes PS4 the place to play.
How big is the ps3 edition? When I saw 36x bigger it makes the original World seem so small
@danny2kd The PS3 version was still pretty damn big. Easily bigger than Skyrim or Fallout so 36x is crazy big which is fine by me lol.
@WARDIE wow so vita will be big enough for me lol
From what I can tell, the PS3 version worlds are only 862x862 blocks. No way in HELL that's actually bigger than your average Bethesda RPG nowadays. 36 times that should be plenty to work with, though.
@Stuffgamer1 well I have Skyrim and I can walk across the world in roughly the same time as Minecraft. I just checked lol I know im sad lol
@Jazzer94 Messing around with mods actually takes you away from the core Minecraft experience. Yeah mods are great and I wish the consoles had more but its the core game that gets people addicted.
Been playin all night. Super fun and controls/looks great. I'm using the realistic pack loving it.
@Stuffgamer1 I can understand maybe some people just want a pick up and play experience, probably helps that the game is cheap and in supermarkets where parents shop with kids.
question I'm wondering because I'm thinking about getting the Vita version for portability is the DLC free?
Also I know you were saying you don't like using mouse and keyboard but you don't have to just thought I'd leave this here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ovSQi23o5UQ
@Jazzer94 love that you tried to argue the validity of the source in the article that @Crimson_Ridley provided re the sales figures. It's direct from the twitter feed of the head honcho of the data analysis team at the company that makes the game!
I should make it clear that I'm not really interested in the actual subject matter here one way or the other. I just thought it was worth pointing out that, even though it doesn't elaborate on all the nitty gritty details, Ridley was perfectly justified in using this article to support the claim, as nobody would be better placed to confirm whether or not consoles had outsold pc than that guy. FWIW, I imagine the difference is probably fairly negligible, and I expect the bulk of total sales is probably iOS and Android purchases, but that's by the by really.
@SteveButler2210 I'm not arguing I didn't even bring sales into the conversation to begin with as sales =/= quality, all I asked for was more up to date info as that is nearly a month old.
@WARDIE: To be fair, I have very little experience with any game relevant to that comparison and can only go by perceived reputation. I see people complaining about how tiny Minecraft worlds are on 7th gen consoles, and 862 certainly SOUNDS like a relatively short distance. See here, which if believed puts the single-direction width of a 7th gen Minecraft world at less than one kilometer. Surely this cannot be considered a sizeable world by any real stretch of the imagination. Granted, that only makes 36x that so big, but it's still a meaningful improvement, I guess.
@Jazzer94: To quote myself from above: You don't have to muddle around trying to figure out mods or extra software." See that bold part? It nullifies that YouTube link you just posted. IMO, there's no excuse for the game to not have NATIVE controller support after all this time.
As for DLC cost...no, of course it's not all free. $1 for textures and $2 per character skin pack from what I've seen (can't speak for UK pricing). Looks like all DLC from the PS3 version is also available for PS4 now...and it's all cross-buy to boot! Is that comparable to modding? Well, it's obviously not the exact same thing...you sacrifice freedom for security, as usual for consoles. Nothing wrong with that if it's your preference.
@Jazzer94 Well, no. I'm sorry but just no. @WARDIE stated console versions had outsold pc, to which you said you didn't think they had done. Then, when @Crimson_Ridley responded to that point with a link to an article that irrefutably proves it, you accuse him rather rudely of not having read the material. I'm not in the least bit fussed about your views on quality, simply that in this situation there was a black or white sales debate, you were presented with outright evidence you were wrong (with or without figures, I think we can be pretty certain it came from a reliable source), which you went on to deny in a pretty rude way. That's all I'm saying, he was right, you were wrong, sit down and concede that one point. At the end of the day I agree with you that sales=/=quality, so arguably it's irrelevant. On the whole you may be right (I don't know enough about the game itself to say one way or another), but you lost that point, so rather than being rude to the guy, just take it and move on.
@SteveButler2210 Read his snide little remark (where he implies I didn't even look when I literally said I did) then actually read my comment I had seen the article beforehand explained it doesn't even provide PS3 sales doesn't even estimate them and is a month old which is why I didn't take it as concrete evidence as both the console and PC version are selling at a fast pace. I'm done anyway I've said my piece and feel like I'm going in circles over something that isn't a big deal or even my original point.
My eldest played Minecraft on 360 until she played it on PC the mods make this game 200% more fun, they make lobbies where they compete against each other like team DM and survival, there are 1000's more things to do on PC version. My 2 youngest however love it on their PS3 and play it most days. Thats all i'd like to say on the matter i think its an appropriate comment and nobody was insulted!!! (hopefully) easy
@Stuffgamer1 You do realize that you can buy game controllers for PC right?
One great thing about the ps4 version is that the servers are great! No lag or players lagging out the game.
@Fenriswolf- Facepalm. Of COURSE I know that...but the point is that Minecraft, the game software itself, is not programmed to recognize them without the use of additional software. Minecraft...the game, not the PC hardware...does not natively support controller use.
There are only so many software go-betweens you can use without introducing unacceptable lag. I'm already using MotionJoy because Xbox controllers SUCK IMO, and I'm not about to put ANOTHER step between me and the game just because Mojang can't be bothered to do something so simple and standard.
@Stuffgamer1 I know what ya mean, but there are a number of solutions out there. And maybe buying a logitech(or similar)PC controller that has the DS configuration would be the way to go. I agree about the Xbox controller, it's hilarious to me that people actually like it's asymmetrical layout! I don't play minecraft, but my kids an nephews do, so I've been "forced" to have some interaction with the game, but im no expert on the game by any means! Ha! But my nephew uses his DS controller on his PC version of minecraft and doesn't seem to have any lag issues at all..I'm not sure what setup he runs but I will ask him.
@Fenriswolf- Actually, the asymmetry is the least of my issues. I'd feel pretty crappy claiming it was a big deal when I still like my GCN controllers. No, the abysmal D-pad, clunkier overall feel, and different triggers all add up to make me not like it. I had a 360 for a few years, and I tolerated it at the time...but I don't wanna go back.
I dunno...one way or another, I still don't think people should need to find workarounds for the programming failures of PC developers. Sure, that's an inherently console-centric point of view as I have little interest in customizing my experience. If you have a few minutes, I recommend everyone watch this video, which does a great job of breaking down the inherent philosophical differences between PC and console gamers. As I grew up with consoles, I have trouble adapting to the "fix it yourself" mentality of PC users.
All I know is the PS4 version looks plenty good to me and a few of my friends. If we can play it together and have fun, it's a worthwhile product, eh?
@Stuffgamer1 Yea I don't mind having to find workarounds on PC, in fact I find it quite beneficial to have the freedom and option to do such things. After all mods for games are directly related to that principal. And I wouldn't call it a failure of PC developers, I would call it a failure by the developers of minecraft.
Good video, I find that I'm both. I prefer the PC for the ultimate experience, and shooter games are by far the best experienced on a PC with mouse and keyboard. But I like console for the ease of use and the fact that most my friends play on console.
Yea the PS4 version looks just as good to me too!...but they all look pretty much the same to me to be honest haha. I know that my nephews and my daughter prefer the PC version mainly because of all the mods. I just bought my kids the PS4 version the day of this article and they were stoked though! BTW, for anyone out there tht wants to get the discounted price without buying the PS3 version; I rented MC PS3 from Netflix about the time it was released, and when I purchased PS4 version I got it at the discounted price. Furthermore, the kids can now also play the PS3 version even tho we don't have the disc..! Weird I know, but true!
Super excited to be mining! First time playing on the PS4 and I love it! I will be building like nobody's business! lol
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