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Is Minecraft Cross-Platform
Minecraft is the pioneer of a one-of-a-kind open-world sandbox game that emulates the complexities of real-life gaming. You’ll get to experience different elements of survivalism, building and crafting, exploration, and combat, among other things, which is why almost all of the gaming community considers the game the most versatile game of all time.
The two distinct Minecraft versions are:
1) Java Version,
2) Bedrock Version,
Is Minecraft Cross-Platform – Two distinct Minecraft versions
Both of these versions have cross-play features in place. Ever since the game was released, there have been a lot of invaluable updates on both versions with the intention of improving the game’s user experience.
The most notable update, as it was celebrated by the Minecraft community back then, was the “Better Together Update” patch released on September 20, 2017.
This update enabled cross-platform compatibility between mobile devices, Windows, Gear VR, Fire TV, and port releases on Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, and PlayStation 4.
There are still future and ongoing developments and patches that will make cross-play available to virtually all game consoles the gaming community as a whole uses today.
Cross-play gaming allows players of different ages to use different video game hardware or consoles and be able to play with each other simultaneously. This feature also applies to the ability of players to play a game on a specific video game console alongside another player on the same console or even on a different hardware platform, such as another console or computer.
Minecraft gave friends and fellow gamers around the world the opportunity to play with each other, interact, commune, build communities, and have the shared experience of world-building using the endless array of unique seeds at their disposal.
As Christopher McCandless, aka Alexander Supertramp, from the movie “Into the Wild” realizes that “happiness is only real when shared,” this has rung true for the OGs who have played the game since its birth, along with newer players navigating and discovering the exceptional beauty Minecraft can offer.
Cross-platform play has quickly become THE most popular feature, greatly improving the player experience and sense of community.
Everything You Need to Know About Minecraft’s Cross-Platform System
- You need to ensure that you and your friends have already added each other as friends through your respective Microsoft Accounts.
- All of you should be using the same version of Minecraft to be able to play together. (For example, Java Edition players can only play with other players who have installed Java Edition. (The same goes for those who have installed the Bedrock Edition.)
- Good internet connection
Once everything above is sorted out, you can now start playing with your friends. You may ask, “But how?”
Inviting Your Friends to Your Session:
Firstly, you can create a new world or load a pre-existing world you have already worked on.
Then, you need to open the menu in-game, and a sidebar titled “Invite to Game” will prompt at the top right part of your screen, which will allow you to invite your friends. Click on the “Select” button, then add your friends to the game from your selection of in-game friends.
If your friend is still not on your in-game list, you need to add them to the list using their Minecraft ID by searching for them and sending them an in-game friend request.
The fun then sets in. You can fiddle with the Players Permissions settings. You can change the settings by only allowing your friends to roam and look at your created world. You might just want to show them what you have created, and you don’t want them to change anything since you feel you did such a great job building and crafting things.
Or, alternatively, you can let them run amok, allow them to build their own creations, and break yours too. It will all be up to you. Your Minecraft world is your oyster. Because you have different standings with each of your friends, you may want to reflect this by giving them different individual privileges once they join your world. You just need to click on the yellow icon next to their names.
Joining a Friend’s Session:
Joining a friend’s world is simple if you already have friends on the Microsoft platform.
Firstly, you need to go to the Friends Tab and scroll under “Joinable Cross-Platform Friends.” If your friend is hosting a session, their names should appear on the list, and you can request that they allow you to join. Once you are invited to join, a pop-up window will appear, and you can either accept or decline. Each unique session can hold up to eight people simultaneously, and the more, the merrier. It’s definitely more fun than playing alone with just yourself.
Realms for Multiplayer Gaming
All Minecraft players can also join different realms or servers. These rooms are available all the time as long as they are online. Realms also don’t need a host. You can also pay for an exclusive realm that you can set up only for VIPs, or you can use the publicly available realms for free. However, anyone can join.
You can also invite your friends to join the realm you are currently in by sending them an invite via the Friends Tab or by sending them the link to the realm if you are playing on PC.
What to look forward to in the future
As the world keeps getting smaller and smaller due to rapid technological advancements implemented in the gaming world, game developers are also trying their best to catch up. Mojang Studios, the first-party developer of Minecraft, is not an exception.
Mojang Studios also promises the Minecraft community to look forward to the future with utmost excitement, as they have already lined up major updates and development in the near future to improve the overall part of the game and the cross-play feature, among others, based on the compelling evidence shown from the top games of this time that more interaction within the game contributes greatly to the game’s success and survivability.
More improved in-game communication, with the hope of doing video calls in-game in the future. The ease of access to game data and being able to move freely from one platform to another without any risk of losing the game data saved. We can look forward to improved network information and data sharing across all platforms within Minecraft.
Yes, the best game of all time, Minecraft, is completely cross-platform, and we can look forward to a better gaming experience as the game continues to adapt and improve to cater to our evolving needs as its players!
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