‘Minecraft’ celebrates 10th-year anniversary with AR game ‘Minecraft Earth’

Minecraft is celebrating its 10th year in existence. To commemorate that, its creators launched its first augmented reality mobile game, Minecraft Earth. This free-to-play game is available on both iOS and Android. With the use of Microsoft technology like Azure Spatial Anchors tracking and PlayFab integration, this brings the Minecraft game to life—at least in an AR space.

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Summer Fun: 6 Xbox Games For Kids

By Sonya Davidson

Summer is here and even with the best laid plans – camps, playdates, excursions and of course plenty of fresh air outdoors – there will be times when we just need some quiet time. Of course, we all want to balance their screen time. Take your pick - movie? video games? favourite TV show? 

We’ve always been interested in understanding what games they were interested in and vetted them before jumping in. I can tell you the most fun for them were games that were traditional challenge games of skill and adventure games. Navigating through mazes, exploring different environments, uncovering hidden treasures earning rewards were always a hit. There are a number of games that are suitable for kids and can be played through the Xbox One console that is perfect for families.

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Nintendo and Microsoft play nice in new ‘Minecraft’ cross-play trailer, leaves Sony out of it

The words “Survive Together” appear alongside the logos of Microsoft Xbox and Nintendo Switch in a new trailer promoting cross-platform play for Minecraft on the two consoles. It seems jarring at first but a rather fitting image of how playing nice works not just for the manufacturers and developers but for the gamers, too. The trailer shows two players using their respective consoles to play Minecraft. And Sony’s refusal to be part of this collaboration is highlighted even more. 

Sony continues to keep everything close to its own chest. According to Polygon, one former Sony executive said the company’s refusal to allow cross-platform gaming comes down to not wanting items bought on other platforms to be used on the PlayStation 4. And if they continue down this path, they run the risk of being left behind by competition. Here’s to hoping they change their minds in the future.

‘Minecraft’ for the Nintendo Switch gets cross-play support on June 21st

It’s been long overdue but it’s finally arriving next month. The universal Minecraft Bedrock Engine is coming to the game’s Nintendo Switch version on June 21^st. What this means is you get cross-platform play between the Switch and the PC, Xbox One, and mobile versions of the game. This was announced back at E3 last year and landed on the other platforms last September. It was initially promised for a winter release but as you can see that got pushed way back with this June release date.

This updated version of Minecraft brings with it support for Nintendo’s new online service for the Switch launching later this year. Coinciding with the update, a physical version of Minecraft for the Switch will be released for US$29.99.

Source: The Verge