Just a few months after making its grand debut at this year's E3, Minecraft has finally appeared on the Android Market, much to the delight of cube enthusiasts and people who like to waste their time. With the new Pocket Edition app, Mojang hopes to faithfully recreate the Minecraft experience on mobile platforms with a particular emphasis on the game's artistic aspect. In version Alpha 0.1 players will be able to explore randomized worlds, invite friends to play along in their worlds, and save multi-player realms directly to their phones -all while interacting with 36 different types of blocks from the convenience of their touchscreens. At present the game will be available on Sony Ericsson's Xperia Play, though Mojang plans to release it for other Android handsets "in the near future." It's available for purchase now for $6.99. You can download it from the link below or read the complete press announcement here.
Say hello to Minecraft - Pocket Edition
Today we are releasing the first version of Minecraft - Pocket Edition. The game will be exclusive to Xperia Play for a limited time, and will be released to other Android devices in the near future.
Alpha 0.1 will be the first version, and will concentrate on the creative aspect of Minecraft. We've attempted to include features that work with mobile devices while keeping the fundamental Minecraft experience. You will be able to select blocks using the touchscreen or simply scroll through them with the circle and square buttons on the Xperia Play device. The first version also supports multi-player on the local wireless network, allowing you to build a world and invite your friends to build together. This version supports:
* Randomized worlds
We're planning to keep the Pocket Edition in development for as long as possible, just like the PC/Mac/Linux Minecraft version. We would like to hear from the Minecraft community about our new game, and what you would like to see in the next updates.
Minecraft - Pocket Edition is now available on Android Market (only visible to Xperia Play devices) for $6.99