'Minecraft' is getting real-life theme parks

Image: Merlin Entertainments

The company behind LEGOLAND is bringing Minecraft to life. Merlin Entertainments and Mojang Studios are creating two permanent Minecraft amusement parks. One will be opened in the US and another in the UK. They're scheduled to open between 2026 and 2027.

The parks will feature interactive attractions, rides, restaurants, gift shops, and everything else you expect from a theme park. But there will also be digital tie-ins. It's unclear what they'll be but Merlin claims there will be "touchpoints that will allow guests to unlock exclusive in-game content to continue their gaming journey." The company also intends to bring these experiences to other locations.

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'Minecraft' will get PSVR support this month

Mojang/Sony

If you own a PlayStation VR and play Minecraft, you'll appreciate this new announcement from Sony. The company revealed on Monday morning that the game would get PSVR support this month. It won't announce a firm release date yet as the free update is still not quite ready. The update will roll out for all PlayStation 4 players.

Minecraft's developer Mojang worked with SkyBox Labs to refit its virtual reality tech it uses on other platforms to work on the PSVR. The update will let you play Minecraft's entirety on the PSVR, with two primary VR modes: Immersive and Living Room (a.k.a. virtual screen). There will also be more settings to tweak, so the game plays to your liking.

Source: Engadget

'Minecraft' offers free educational content

Minecraft

One big challenge posed by the COVID-19 pandemic is helping children with their schoolwork as over half a billion students are out of school. Minecraft is offering some of its "favorite lessons" from the Education Edition for free. There is a new Education category over at the game's Marketplace, allowing kids to explore the International Space Station or even the inside of the human eye. Minecraft also included 10 worlds from its Marketplace creator community. The free content will be available until June 30. Anyone with Minecraft for Bedrock platforms can find these worlds by launching the game and visiting the in-game store.

Source: Microsoft

Sony PlayStation 4 now supports 'Minecraft' cross-platform play

Cross-platform play support for Minecraft is coming to the Sony PlayStation 4 today, December 10. If you have the game's Bedrock Edition, then you get a unified version of Minecraft across all platforms. This update means you can play the popular sandbox game with players using an Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, PC, Android, or iOS. The update will begin rolling out on the PS4 starting at 11 am ET. Minecraft developer Mojang confirms that purchases and progress made from other platforms will be carried over to the PS4. Bedrock will come as a free update to Minecraft players.