minecraft

After downloading Minecraft Reality for iOS, I channeled Queen's epic song "Bohemian Rhapsody" and asked myself, "Is this the real life? Is this just fantasy?"

Fortunately, the answer to both questions is "yes." The $1.99 app, released yesterday, gives gamers the opportunity to view their Minecraft creations in the real world -- through the lens of augmented reality. … Read more

The perennially popular Minecraft is heading to the humble Raspberry Pi, promising owners of the dirt-cheap microcomputer the chance to play and hack the block-bashing create-a-thon for free.

On its official blog, Minecraft developer Mojang says it has "dedicated time to porting a version of Minecraft: Pocket Edition that comes with a revised feature set and support for multiple programming languages."

"You could organize the cheapest LAN party of all time," the game's creators promise, "or use the Pi to learn the fundamentals of programming on a minuscule budget."

Read more of "Minecraft for Raspberry Pi coming 'soon' for hackable fun" at Crave UK. … Read more

Markus "Notch" Persson, creator of the wildly popular Minecraft video game, says he won't allow Microsoft to certify it for inclusion in the Windows 8 gaming marketplace.

"Got an e-mail from Microsoft wanting to help 'certify' Minecraft for Windows 8," Persson tweeted yesterday. "I told them to stop trying to ruin the PC as an open platform."

"I'd rather have Minecraft not run on Windows 8 at all than to play along," he continued. "Maybe we can convince a few people not to switch to Windows 8 that way.&… Read more

Like every year, PC gaming will likely get lost amid the retail and console-focused hullabaloo out of Los Angeles next week. Nintendo will tout its crazy new console/handheld hybrid; Microsoft has the Xbox-as-entertainment center and a new Halo and Gears of War to flog; and Sony will be talking about, you know, Sony stuff (and maybe the acquisition of a cloud gaming service).

Huge, PC-specific game announcements rarely happen at E3, but here are some of the current PC-specific topics bubbling under the surface.

Minecraft on the Xbox 360Mojang Software's Minecraft debuted on Xbox Live on May 9 … Read more

Our favorite Aussie Ty Pendlebury stops by The 404 today to chat about what's new in the world of TVs. It's only May, but Ty thinks he's already seen this year's best TV. Tune in to find out which set he's talking about.… Read more

Who would have thought a Java-based game about creating a world out of 3D blocks would blow up like it did? But with more than 5 million copies sold and 25 million registered users, Minecraft is still going strong and spawning new ventures. Can its creator duplicate this kind of success? Well, we may soon find out because a new game is in the works.

Minecraft maker Markus "Notch" Persson revealed his plans for a new game, temporarily called "0x10c," that has roots in hard-core science fiction. Still in early development, 0x10c is based on the idea that a group of humans were accidentally put into a deep sleep in 1988 and are now finding themselves waking up in the year 281 474 976 712 644 AD in a parallel universe that's nearing extinction. … Read more

This week, Lego goes crazy for Minecraft (even if we don't); the Death Star gets a real-world estimate; DARPA invests in making "Avatar" a reality; and Eric and Bonnie make their Barbie dreams come true. In Geek News, Eric is obsessed with Mass Effect 3, and shows off a mashup of "The Prestige" and the latest "Dark Knight" trailers.

Subscribe in iTunes SD Video | Subscribe in RSS SD Video … Read more

Minecraft creator Markus "Notch" Persson and Mojang employees today unveiled the first set dedicated to the building game at Lego World in Copenhagen.

The 480-piece Lego Minecraft Micro World set (due in summer) features four different areas that you can link together with cylindrical connectors.

While the miniature take on the popular game is a bit pricey at $34.99, we admire the attention to detail in recreating the Minecraft experience. It's also neat that this came together from a community-driven movement, but we hope there will be bigger and better sets soon. Resource gatherers can take joy in exploring the "hidden resources, extra pieces for wood, dirt, and stone," according to the official product description. We strongly recommend you avoid the lava area, though.

Do not miss the hilarious launch video created by Notch and friends: … Read more

As a child, I played with Lego sets incessantly, and as an adult, I have built many creations in the game Minecraft. Fans of both will be pleased to know that Lego has confirmed an official Minecraft collection.

Details are scarce at this time, but this all came together after Minecraft founder Notch posted the idea on Cuusoo, a site officially created by Lego that allows fans to vote on brick-based concepts (similar to Kickstarter). If a proposition gets 10,000 votes, then "a Lego Jury evaluates the idea's feasibility as a product and makes a decision."

Last month, Lego Minecraft eclipsed 10,000 votes in 48 hours, and Lego's decision makers finally confirmed the development today.

After a month and a half of internal discussion, the Cuusoo site confirmed that the brick maker is working on "a concept that celebrates the best aspects of building with the Lego system and in Minecraft and we can't wait to show it to you." … Read more