Minecraft On Switch Compares Well To Other Versions, Wii U World Transfers Being Worked On

@SanderEvers Xbox is doing so so. They are clever not to withhold Minecraft from Switch as they can make quite a bit of money from it. I already have it on PC and Vita and gonna get it again for Switch

This is great news for my son. He was happy with the vita version (until we sold it) so he'll love this.
Not sure he will ever choose Minecraft over Zelda though.

I don't get why the switch can't get the windows 10 / PE version so i can play with my kids on their cellphones. I realize there's a technical limitation but where?

Also I wonder which version the article above is referring to as the "main" one. Surely they didn't port it from Java in a few months..

Why are the joy-cons so dark, is that a new version on the way to match the console colour?

@Malanta It's a developer kit/console

Literally NEVER played a Minecraft game... this sounds good for fans who want it for Switch though!

"and the game world will be 3072 x 3072 blocks. For reference, the Wii U version's worlds are limited to 864 x 864 blocks (as are the Vita"

I do account for possible doubts in my "Switch version uber alles" motto when the game is available on the other comfortably portable consoles I own, but in the case of Minecraft, here's the answer before I even asked the question.

Never tried it before, and there are quite a few titles "outqueuing" it in my eyes (totally a word because I say so), but colour me very curious.

i wonder what minecraft 2 will look like and if it will be a microsoft exclusive (at least for a year or so)

Looks like I was right to skip the Wii U version. I intend to get this and Minecraft: Story Mode once they hit retail on Switch.

Well, the worlds may not be as big as in the PS4 and XOne versions but I like Minecraft (especially on mobile with the Vita a few years ago) enough to buy it again after rightfully skipping the WiiU version.

I'm rather jealous of those black dev-kit Joycon, they look really slick.

Gonna buy my first ever Minecraft (apart from the edu ones we used at one of my previous schools that I used to work in).

Gonna see what's all the fuss about

World transfers from the Wii U is a nice touch. Wii U owners usually get left out in the cold.

Never played Minecraft, but great to see it coming to Switch so early.

World sizes will be over 3 times bigger than the Wii U version and will have more features and content, a much better purchase than the Wii U version. Maybe splitscreen in tabletop/handheld mode?

@Honelith Actually, the world is nearly 13 times larger. That's a huge difference!

I'm glad to see that you can transfer your Wii U data over. It'll give people more reasons to upgrade and ever touch their Wii U again....... good.

So they can transfer the Wii U save file but Switch owners have to pay full whack again. Nice. The Wii U physical release isn't even a year old. And wasn't it also gimped? It didn't use the gamepad in a meaningful way.

@rwq The technical limitation you are referring to is Nintendo.

No reason Wii U couldn't have had these size of world's either or touch screen inventory, but then Minecraft Wii U was a token gesture for their partnership with Nintendo and wasn't based on making big profit as such.

Microsoft no doubt have been watching the boards erupt in anger and so wisely decided to up the Switch size knowing that their are BIG sales to be made and it is an excellent PR move to appease the Switch market.

@Sakura : At first, I thought "why bother?", but this feature will encourage a lot of Wii U owners to double dip with the Switch version.

@Honelith : That has already been confirmed in the Japanese eShop (with screenshots). It supports 4 player split-screen, and up to 8 players online or via local wireless.

@SLIGEACH_EIRE what gives Wii U owners the right to a discount?

@liveswired The hardware of the WiiU is the reason why it couldn't.

Does this kinda prove that the switch is x3 more powerful then the wii u and 1/2 as powerful as xbox one?

Excited that content can be ported over- don't want to have to remake my giant castle if I don't have to lol XD

@SLIGEACH_EIRE You realise the same thing happened with anyone upgrading to the PS4 or Xbox One version right>? They had to "Full Whack" again. Nintendo aren't going to be treated any differently.

@FragRed Xbox One edition had a discount option for 1 year after the Xbox One version release, if you had the 360 version digitally, you could get the Xbox One version for €5. Not sure about the PS4 version since I didn't have it on PS3. PS3 and vita were cross-buy though.

So... the Switch is less powerful than One and 4? Can't say I'm not disappointed a little. :/

Day 1 for me! Very happy to hear that this isn't the bog standard old-gen version.

@garydbz25
No not in the case of minecraft, it should be capable of running the full res, version of xbox one and ps4, however don't forget that the handheld mode does hold the switch back in some cases, this is because in portable mode it downclocks therefore in order for the experience to be the same and compatible between docked and undocked modes it would need to be optimised for the handheld profile, so simply put if the handhold mode only supports that block res there is no point in having it higher when docked as worlds would be shrunk down when moving from docked to handheld cutting bits out in the process.

What's with the world size limit on consoles? Even mobile has infinite worlds, so surely a significantly more powerful console should easily be able to do so too.

@liveswired That one wouldn't be because of Nintendo (see Jackbox Party Pack 3).

Well Pocket Edition had unlimited worlds, so I think that is the best portable one...
I'll still buy this, even though I own on a couple of tablets, pc, and Wii-U

Haven't played Minecraft, is there any point in me playing the game if I don't intend to create anything?

@David_Dudeney That's not how it works. The console and PC/mobile versions are fundamentally different due to the differing architectures and, primarily, the requirements of console manufacturers.

In effect, the PC/mobile versions have no limits on their use of storage other than the space available on a given device. Meaning worlds can be streamed from memory/storage, so the game is constantly accessing read/writes to load only the area surrounding the player. This does lead to several problems such as the filesize of saves ballooning and encountering glitches the further you travel.

Due to strict console restrictions on storage use, the console version operates on a tradional save system. So the game is loading the entire world uprfront to avoid constant read/write cycles. This means there must be a limit placed upon the world to function on consoles. The benefits are lower filesizes and more consistent performance/less glitches.

That is kind of tempting but what I really want to know is it going to be ludicrously priced as every switch port seems to be.

Day one buy for me. My son and I are gonna have a lot of fun with this version.

@BezBot Unlimited worlds are not really important (nor fun). I'd take the conveniences and benefits of the console versions any day. Touchscreen Minecraft is a scourge and our children are being willfully devoured.

@Bread-Not-Toast $30

We have a Wii U, 3DS XL, PS4, PS Vita, Galaxy Tab and iPad... and I have paid for Minecraft and Terraria on all of them. Bring it on.

I used to play Minecraft on my PC. Awesome times and even got a bit addicted (or at least my wife thought so). I'll probably pick it up for Switch to introduce it to my 4 year old son.

Me and my Youngster will enjoy this. She likes the iPad version but I can't bear touch controllers * shiver *

This is going to fill out my Switch library nicely.

Off topic: I've now got 10 games thanks.

@timson72 I was thinking this exactly. Thats how it is, no developer will give you something for free just cause you support their last iteration. It is crap but is how it is.

In this community there are a lot of sour Wii U owners.

@SLIGEACH_EIRE Why on earth should Wii U Minecraft owners not pay for the Switch edition? What an irrelevant comment (again)!

@Bread-Not-Toast yep this bull of Switch version costing more is ridiculous. Specially when u consider that everybody is saying is an easy to develop console. So why the rise in prices? And don't give me that bull of the cartridge is pricier.

Didn't realize the world would be that much bigger than the Wii U version! Glad I decided to hold off for the Switch version!

@garydbz25 I'm assuming it has more to do RAM than anything else. The entire world needs to be in the memory at once, I think, so I think because the PS4 and X1 have more RAM they can have bigger world sizes. I'm sure the PS4 and X1 are a fair bit more powerful than the Switch, but I don't think Minecraft is a real test of that fact.

@MarioPhD It comes down to handheld mode and 60fps performance. You're right that RAM is the most likely culprit, but even if they could push farther in docked mode, they are hamstrung by portable considerations. That said, I think the world size on Switch will be plenty big and actually a happy medium of sorts.

Despite incessant harping on size, it must be said that bigger is not always better in Minecraft. In fact, I find the "large" worlds on PS4/XB1 to be too big for most purposes. Getting lost can be fun, but in those massive worlds with little identifiable topography, it is mostly a nuisance. (Especially since you need something like 24 paper maps to fully map a world that size. I believe the Switch version is around 9.)

Moreover, the animal/mob density really suffers on those "large" worlds, so you're left with an unwieldy, relatively empty world by comparison. Now, the world size on last gen was somewhat restrictive, if more focused, so I hope Switch strikes a solid middle ground.

They are right to prioritize performance and hopefully they can keep up the mob density on Switch (one area the Wii U version excelled).

@Yhdekskymmenen Where have you been the last couple months my man haha.

Kudos to 4J and Microsoft for commiting to support Wii U transfers. Considering all the ridiculous whining about legacy discounts, it's disappointing that more people aren't lauding this concept.

Forget discounts, the best service/support you can provide people who spent years playing games on Wii U is to allow those gamers to transfer their progress in games like Minecraft. (Accordingly, Nintendo deserves severe backlash if they do not follow suit with Mario Maker.). Our current and future disbursement of time is infinitely more valuable than the funds we spent on videogames in the past.

I wish more of us were concerned with gamer ideals than their pocketbooks.

I got hooked on this game about a year ago on xbox one but stopped playing the second I heard about the switch version. Very excited for this. One thing I wish they would add is extra hard mode for survival mode. More day time hazards would be cool too. Maybe if some of the other villagers are out to kill you it would add to the fun. lol

@Menchi187 Psn had a discount for re-buying the game on PS4, just like the Xbox One did. I think both cost me £4 on either platform.

Still a smaller world size than the competition. C'mon, my phone can handle this.

I would die laughing if Microsoft went 3rd party.lol wont happen but would be funny

@Menchi187 Don't be so silly, your just saying that because you are a Switch fanboy - ignore the fanboy wars for one minute - hardware of Wii U was not the issue.

The Wii U had over 2x the RAM available for games and featured a more powerful GPU than the 360/PS3, throw in 32mb Edram and so the system had a much larger memory bandwidth. Considering Minecraft isn't exactly demanding on CPU's there is absolutely no reason why.

Minecraft Wii U was a token gesture to long suffering Wii U fans, Microsoft were not expecting to make a profit on Wii U, it was in essence good PR, a sign of things to come.

J4 were not going to spend any significant amount of time tailoring Minecraft for exotic Wii U hardware when they could produce a quick port of the 360/PS3 editions that would work just fine - this is pretty much what every major 3rd party developer did on Wii U, there were very few 3rd party games tailored for Wii U hardware - that unfortunately requires a big engine rewrite which many were not going to do.

It's kind of sad we will never get to see just what the Wii U is capable off - none of the technically talented developers worked on the console.

@Aerona First, I already explained the legitimate technical and architectural reasons why. Infinite worlds aren't likely to ever come to consoles and it has nothing to due with raw horsepower. Second, infinite worlds don't add much and the larger worlds on PS4/XB1 suffer from lower mob density in addition to the potential lack of interaction with other players in online multiplayer (because they do not find each other). Obviously last gen versions were restrictive, but max Switch worlds will be 13X (or so) larger, which hopefully is big enough, yet not too big.

I mean, world size stands as a quantifiable bullet point against the Switch and little else.

@ACK Yeah well, that's just, like, your opinion man.

Meh. overrated game that's for sure

@Aerona You can't even come up with your own response? Or even an accurate one?

So essentially one statement is my opinion, "infinite worlds don't add much".

But basically everything else I posted is fact. The reasons why mobile have infinite worlds and consoles don't. Fact. Lower mob density in larger worlds. Fact. Difficulty in interacting with other players online because world is too big. Fact.

Everywhere I look people are comparing world size to mobile with no context. (Pardon me, "c'mon, my phone can handle this" does not strike me as an enlightening statement given the reality of console requirements.). If we aren't interested in facts, I don't know why we are posting here.

@wazlon the game has s survival mode, battle mode(s) and a new flight mini game.

There should be plenty to enjoy without creative mode.

still not interested in it, but my young niece & nephew love it... (is this big amongst 6-10 year olds?) Glad the Switch is getting it, and so soon after release.

@ACK Well I'm certainly not posting here to get into a pointless argument.

@ACK Yeah, i read up on it after reading the article. Save file restrictions and the like.

Retail release soon please!

@DarthNocturnal I bought mk8 on Wii u ,I'm not expecting a discount,nobody should expect a discount.

@liveswired - "It's kind of sad we will never get to see just what the Wii U is capable off - none of the technically talented developers worked on the console." - Oh but you can: Breath of the Wild is what the Wii U hardware is capable of. I'd say it's pretty substantial. The only problem with the Wii U hardware, aside from being PowerPC and thus a completely different architecture than everything else, was the small amount of memory they gave it. That they were going to give the Switch the same amount was frankly quite shocking.

@ACK Yeah but I hated how the Wii-U one was so small...I'm fine with the size now on the Switch

@DarthNocturnal not saying I wouldn't welcome it just don't see why people see it as a given.

I just don't see how this game is so appealing. I have never tried it but watching others play it seems tedious and pointless. Can someone clue me in on why I should give it my time and money?

lulz even Minecraft on Switch isn't up to par with PS4/XB1. Christ...

@Jessica286 Thats how it is, no developer will give you something for free just cause you support their last iteration.

I am pretty sure the Vita version of Minecraft was free if you owned the PS3 version and the PS4 version of Minecraft was $5 if you owned the PS3 version. In this community there are a lot of sour Wii U owners. Why are so many consumers more interested in helping the corporations get more money than in helping consumers save money?

I definitely felt like the world in the Wii U version was a bit too small, which tore me out of the experience. This being portable and the worlds being more than 10 times bigger may be enough to draw me to it again. I hadn't planned on getting this again, but I think I might!

@ACK I'll always prefer a smaller world with better performance, honestly, so I'm definitely good with that!

@gatorboi352 Some might say that the PS4/XB1 isn't up to par with Switch, actually. You can't play it anywhere, anytime with PS4 and XB1 like you can with Switch and the Vita version is worse.

The real point, though, is Minecraft looks pixely but can be as demanding as you want it to be. It's not a typical game that way, and you already know (as almost everyone does) Switch isn't nearly as powerful as PS4 and XB1 so it doesn't seem so shocking.

Wii U maps transfer and bigger worlds!? 100% day one purchase for me! 😄

@timson72 Cause it has happened on other platforms before.

Any news on the Wii u world's transfers to switch update?