Minecraft Cross-Platform Play on PS4, Xbox One, Mobile
By Jasmine Henry 26 September 2016
Minecraft could allegedly soon support cross-platform play between PS4, Xbox One, and mobile devices, via Mojang’s Minecraft server renting system, Minecraft: Realms.
UPDATE: In a statement, a Minecraft spokesperson clarified:
“We are working toward a future where Minecraft players can play together using the devices they want. As we announced at E3, we are working on bringing cross-device multiplayer to consoles next year in addition to the cross-device multiplayer we have today on mobile, Gear VR and Windows 10. The image tweeted was an error – while we are working on enabling our players to play together on the devices they prefer, we don’t have further to share at this time.”
The original story is below:
Cross-platform gaming has been a hot topic feature as of late. Gamers are excited about the idea of playing games with their friends on another platform, and many titles such as Street Fighter 5 and Rocket League have embraced cross-platform play. However, this has only taken place between consoles and PC, with console-to-console play yet to be fully realized.
The wait for console cross-platform play could soon be over, though, as Mojang’s hugely successful block-building game Minecraft looks set to become the first game ever to support the feature between the PS4 and Xbox One. In a now-deleted tweet from the official Minecraft account, it was confirmed that “Minecraft brings everybody together, including competing devices.”
This would work by utilizing Minecraft: Realms, the paid-for multiplayer server hosting service which is “designed to be easily set up and used by up to ten players at a time.” Realms currently allows players on Android, iOS and Windows 10 devices to rent a server and play together with the Pocket/Windows 10 version, while those with the PC/Mac version of Realms can play together.
Assuming that an official announcement is in the pipeline, in future Realms will allow players on PC, Xbox, and mobile devices to play alongside those on PS4 (and, potentially on PS3 and PS Vita too as they both have versions of Minecraft). The move certainly makes sense as right now, Realms‘ cross-platform play is a little complicated and simplifying things while making them available to more people could help Microsoft to make its money back a bit quicker.
Moreover, the tweet reportedly mentioned a free Minecraft: Realms trial for new sign ups. The price is currently $3.99 a month for three simultaneous Realms players or $7.99 a month for up to 11 simultaneous players. It’s unclear how many months the trial will offer for free or for how long the free trial offer will be available, but it’s still tempting for those who have yet to test out Realms‘ waters.
This decision, if that deleted tweet is correct, is absolutely monumental. Sony and Microsoft have teased PS4/Xbox One cross-platform play in the past, though nothing has come of it. Even Mojang teased console cross-platform play when it made its initial Minecraft mobile cross play announcement, but it didn’t confirm anything at the time. If the two console creators have been able to work together here then it could mean that more games follow suit in future, and that is a very exciting prospect indeed.
Source: Pure PlayStation
