Microsoft brings Minecraft to Windows 10, Fans celebrating Minecon 2015 in London

Minecon is a yearly convention for the popular block-building game Minecraft. The host of the event is the developer and publisher of the game- Mojang. This year the event is being held in London with around 10,000 Minecraft fans to interact with other Minecraft fans and get involved in events and discussions.

The event dates for 2015 are July 4 and July 5 taking place at the ExCeL London Exhibition and Conference Centre in London. The various aspects of the game are being celebrated by the 10,000 fans at the convention. The main coding team was expected to attend the event to reveal the existing and prospective features of the game. Independent game publisher Telltale Games is having representatives attending the event as well along with Story Mode both of which are working on Minecraft.

The number of fans attending the event has increased from a mere 50 to a massive 10,000 since 2010 when the first conference of this kind was held in Washington and was called MinecraftCon. While the first Minecon convention was held in 2011 at Mandalay Bay in Las Vegas with about 200 fans attending the event which celebrated the release of the popular game. The conference allowed individuals to play the game with the other fans and hold panel discussions on the same.

Windows 10

On July 4, Mojang announced “Minecraft: Windows 10 Edition Beta” at the event. The game will be available on Windows Store for $10 for new users on Windows 10 from July 29; while for users who already have the game will be able to get the Windows 10 Edition for free from the Store from the said date onwards. It will certainly have bugs and issues since it will be a beta version. However once it passes this phase, users will get future updates for free if they have paid $10 for the beta version.

The game is set to include full support for Xbox Live and GameDVR. It currently rests on varied platforms including Windows, Mac, Windows Phone, iOS, Android, Xbox 360, Xbox One, PS3, PS4 and PS Vita. The company has put the game on every Microsoft platform including Xbox One, HoloLens and now Windows 10 after purchasing the creators of Minecraft in 2014.

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Microsoft has published in its blog features like built player feedback mechanisms and ability to record and share gameplay highlights with built-in GameDVR. The Minecraft Windows 10 Edition Beta has additional optimizations that differs from the existing PC version including seamless swapping between touchscreen, controller or keyboard/mouse controls, Xbox Live and Minecraft Pocket Edition online play. In many ways, the multiple control modes could make this version feel like the ultimate hybrid between mobile and desktop versions.

After having a Minecraft version being developed for HoloLens augmented reality headset, Microsoft is also said to be bringing games like Candy Crush and Solitaire on its Windows 10 platform as in-built games. In any case, it is good news for Minecraft existing users and fans who are set to receive the Windows 10 version of the game plus future updates all for free.

About the author

Nitin Agarwal

Nitin has a background in Electrical Engineering and is passionate about the Internet of Things. He covers how connected devices like smart homes, wearables, and industrial IoT are changing our daily lives. Nitin is also a DIY enthusiast and loves to build IoT gadgets.