‘Minecraft: Wii U’ Launches, Is Nintendo’s Release Closer To Xbox One Or Xbox 360 Version?
Minecraft: Wii U Edition launched on the Nintendo eShop Thursday. The console is the latest major platform to receive the mega-hit sandbox game from Mojang, but does it run more like Minecraft on the PS4 and Xbox One or the PS3 and Xbox 360 version?
As previously covered by the Inquisitr, the Wii U release of Minecraft costs $29.99 on the Nintendo eShop versus the typical $19.99 price for the console editions. This is due to Mojang throwing in the following DLC packs into the release to give players a jump start on the different looks available.
- Battle & Beasts Skin Pack
- Battle & Beasts 2 Skin Pack
- Natural Texture Pack
- City Texture Pack
- Fantasy Texture Pack
- Festive Mash-up Pack
The Wii U release of Minecraft is more comparable to the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 versions. The game run at 720p with a framerate of 60fps. Meanwhile, the maximum world size is equal to last-gen consoles instead of the larger world sizes found on the PS4 and Xbox One.
The release of Minecraft: Wii U Edition is running the Title Update 30 (TU30) console version. Title Update 31 is due out any day now, and Mojang’s Owen Hill promised to have the Wii U version synched up with the other console editions.
Wii U owners will need to use the Gamepad or the Wii U Pro Controllers with Minecraft. The Wii remotes are not supported. The Gamepad does support off-screen play, and there are limited touchscreen features available. Players will be able to scroll through menus using their finger and that is about it. Buttons and thumbsticks will still need to be used to select items, craft, and perform other actions.
Local split-screen multiplayer support is available with up to four players. This includes one player using the Gamepad and another using a Pro Controller. Online multiplayer for Minecraft: Wii U Edition supports up to eight players, and voice chat is supported.
A bounty of DLC packs are available for Minecraft: Wii U Edition already. The PlayStation and Xbox will continue to enjoy their exclusive packs, such as LittleBigPlanet and Halo Mashup Packs respectively. Still, plenty will be available for Wii U at launch with more planned to come down the road.
Here is the list of add-on packs that will be available at launch via the Nintendo eShop.
- Festive Skin Pack
- The Simpsons Skin Pack
- Doctor Who Skins Volume 1
- Doctor Who Skins Volume 2
- Star Wars Classic Skin Pack
- Star Wars Rebels Skin Pack
- Star Wars Prequel Skin Pack
- Mass Effect Mash-up Pack
- Skyrim Mash-up Pack
- Plastic Texture Pack
- Candy Texture Pack
- Cartoon Texture Pack
- Steampunk Texture Pack
- Pattern Texture Pack
- Greek Mythology Mash-up Pack
- Halloween 2015 Mash-up Pack
For those curious about the Minecraft TU31 release for all consoles, 4J Studios submitted it for certification with PlayStation and Xbox on Wednesday, December 9. This process typically lasts one to two weeks unless an issue is discovered. It will hopefully be out on those two consoles by Friday, but it should be released by Wednesday, December 23.
The process to release updates to the Wii U for Minecraft is new, so it may be a little while before TU31 reaches Nintendo’s certification process.
As covered by the Inquisitr, the TU31 update is loaded with new biomes for Minecraft console players and is near equivalent to the 1.8.1 Bountiful update released earlier this year for the PC. There will be more than 20 new biomes along with more than 20 new blocks. Various mobs will receive tweaks as well and the Tutorial World has been updated with new places to explore.
Have you downloaded Minecraft: Wii U Edition yet? Share your thoughts on the game in the comments below.
[Image via Mojang]
