Minecraft Xbox Release Date Confirmed for May

After months of speculation and a Spring 2012 release date tempted before us, we finally have an official release date for Minecraft Xbox 360 Edition. In just a few weeks you'll be able to download Minecraft from XBLA (Xbox Live Arcade) and sample the console version of the world's favourite block building game.

The official release date for Minecraft Xbox 360 Edition is:

May 9th 2012

So what are we going to get with the Xbox version of Minecraft? Well, we've already seen several gameplay videos for the Xbox version of Minecraft and the following features are confirmed:

Xbox Features

A new crafting interface designed exclusively for the Xbox
Split screen function for up to 4 players
A tutorial to teach you the basics (not included on PC version)
Exclusive Xbox achievements e.g. Monster Hunter
Ability to take screenshots to post them onto a social networking site (Twitter, Facebook)
Minecraft accessories for your Xbox Live Avatar (Creepers, wolves, Notch hat)

Coming later

Kinect functionality
8 player online mode
Mods, Texture Packs and skins

New crafting system

The Xbox version of Minecraft has a completely different crafting system compared to the PC version. Instead of dragging and dropping items onto a crafting table, you'll be able to select the final item you want to craft from a list. If you have the right resources then the item is automatically created for you. There's no need to remember any of the crafting recipes or go online to find them. This should make the game much better for new and casual users.

SMP with PC Version?

The Xbox version of Minecraft will eventually come with online (SMP) support but this is not planned for the first version. Eventually, you'll be able to play SMP and join other Minecraft servers from the computer version of Minecraft (PC, Mac, Linux).

Split screen with friends

The new split screen option is going to make playing Minecraft with your mates even more enjoyable. Supporting up to 4 players simultaneously, it'll be like having your own Minecraft server set up and ready to go. All you'll need is the right number of controllers.

Save games

Worlds can be saved in the usual way, but they'll be persisted to your local Xbox storage area or onto any of the Microsoft cloud storage systems. You won't be able to load worlds from the PC version of the game because they are in a different format.

The games already got over 70,000 reviews on XBLA and it's not even out yet! It just goes to show how excited you all are and how much we love Minecraft. So get your Xbox points topped up and prepare to download one of the best games to arrive on XBLA!!

For more information visit:

http://marketplace.xbox.com

Minecraft Xbox