During Microsoft's press conference at E3 2016, the Minecraft team announced a major update: the cross-platform experience of Minecraft Realms. This new feature allows players on Windows, Xbox One, mobile devices, and virtual reality to share their worlds, regardless of each player's platform.
The E3 Demo
Lydia Winters and Saxs Persson from the Minecraft team were on stage to demonstrate the cross-platform experience. Winters played on an iPad while Persson joined in from a Surface tablet. They were soon playing together, and were soon joined by John Carmack, creator of Doom, who came in from a Gear VR headset. As you can see in the video below, this update lets you explore worlds created by other players, no matter what platform they're on.
What is Minecraft Realms?
For those unfamiliar with it, Minecraft Realms is the online version of Minecraft where you can explore worlds created by your friends and vice versa. Only people you invite can join your world, and they can do what they've always done in Minecraft: create, survive, or compete. This version offers dedicated servers that other players can connect to even when you're offline. Winters and Persson announced that more details will be shared at MineCon in September, so we'll have to wait to see what other features are coming.
Availability and Future
Developed by Mojang, Minecraft Realms is already available on Windows 10, iOS, and Android. By the end of this year, it will be available on virtual reality devices and Xbox One, though console users can already try it for free now. Later, Minecraft Realms will get support for mods and extensions, such as new textures that replace zombies with aliens that shoot fireballs. These additions will also come to the console and VR versions in 2017.console users can already try it for free now
