Expert’s Rating
Pros
Cons
Our Verdict
Mojang ’s blocky star is now one of the Apple TV ’s unspoiled game , provided that you have a gamepad handy — or are willing to purchase one .
Best Prices Today: Minecraft: Apple TV Edition
Minecraft is the bragging ( paid ) gaming sense of the last decade , racking up more than 100 million downloads across platforms and still growing in popularity after several years . It ’s enormously pop with young kids , has a vivacious sports fan residential district , and even isused in classroom for educational purposes . And now you could act it on the Apple TV .
release justly before Christmas , Minecraft : Apple TV Editionis essentially a grown - screen changeover of theMinecraft : Pocket Editionyou might know well from iPhone and iPad . It ’s not only the biggest biz to hit the Apple TV to particular date , but also simultaneously the high - profile plot on the gimmick torequirea gamepad — you wo n’t be able-bodied to run with the Siri Remote . And that ’s for the best , because it means that Minecraft is n’t diminished in this Modern avatar .
Block by block
Minecraft on Apple television offers essentially the same experience as Pocket Edition , which itself follows the same sum tenet as the original Minecraft on Mac and PC : it ’s all about little blocks . Like a modern - twenty-four hour period digital take on LEGO , you ’ll wield pixelated mental block of all sorts — dirt , sand , iron ore , and much more — in your charmingly erose world . you could apply them to build a house , a urban center , a detailed re - creation of the Millennium Falcon … or anything else , really .
You ’ll also bop them to morsel as you grind into the primer and mountain , exploring beneath the surface to mine all sorts of minerals . And then you ’ll craft , of line , using the multitudinous blocks you ’ve accumulated to construct swords , shovels , pickaxes , fishing rods , and other pecker to help you in the lo - fi wild . As ever , Minecraft is about as broadly speaking structure as a game can be . You ’re dropped into a earth with no tutorial , a minimum on - screen port , and no objective or storyline . It ’s up to you to detect meaning and fun in each randomly generated human race you enter .
Be favorable with the blocky wildlife … or punch them until they turn into beef and leather .
Luckily , that ’s not difficult : the allurement of freeform , trial - and - error geographic expedition discover surprises and secrets along the mode , specially as you learn the circle in the Survival fashion , and there ’s actual joy in forging your own adventure in the face of unexpected challenge . With condemnable block teras appearing every Nox , you ’ll need to utilize the resourcefulness around you to ramp up shelter , craft better tools , and ultimately feel your way to the final realm , called The End .
Meanwhile , in Creative Mode , you have all of the tools , blocks , and resources ready in your armory , and you could even soar through the aura — all of which allow you to build massive structures and make your own experiences along the agency . And you may also connect to on-line servers for multiplayer in either mode , and toy with fellow fan - made maps and jury-rigged minigames .
The Apple TV Edition come with a jolly nerveless bonus sheaf of Christmas capacity right now , even if its contiguous relevance has passed .
Playing Minecraft with a proper gamepad is so much better than using virtual buttons on your iPhone or iPad . While that ’s adequate enough , there ’s nothing quite like the stiff , tactile sense impression of feeling an analog stick and buttons under your thumb , not to mention having an unencumbered view of the secret plan on your TV . I ’m using theSteelSeries Nimbus($50 ) , which is still thebest of the bunchwith Apple TV and iOS MFi gamepads , and Minecraft make for as well here as it does on other console table and computers . While it ’ll take a fairly hefty investiture to start work , it ’s the only choice that take a shit gumption on the Apple TV : trying to well squeeze all of the controls onto the circumscribed Siri Remote seems an impossible chore .
Double up?
Minecraft : Apple TV Edition is almost very to Pocket Edition in well-nigh every respect . It has the same content as the recent 1.0 release of Pocket Edition , which also stomach gamepads . However , the Apple TV Edition lacks a couple of features flop now : support for Realms , the official serve for setting up and operate secret Minecraft servers , as well the ability to contract into Xbox Live and total friends via the service . Both of those feature are in development , which is gravid , but it ’s no surprise that the Apple TV Edition ’s $ 20 cost tag is throw some Pocket Edition possessor for a loop .
Dig into the earthly concern to determine rarified mineral . Ooh , redstone ( and lava , too ) !
While many buy iOS game are then free to download on Apple TV , Minecraft : Apple TV Edition has its own $ 20 Mary Leontyne Price tag that is disjoined from Pocket Edition ’s paltry $ 7 guardianship . Seven Pearl Buck for Minecraft on your iPhone is a bargain , while $ 20 for a home cabinet version feel spot - on . However , give that you ’re essentially getting a blow - up version of Pocket Edition , it seems foreign that you ’re asked to pay again , not to mention at a much high price .
It ’s a matter of Mojang and Microsoft follow their usual playbook here , in which console table version of Minecraft cost $ 20 , while Apple ’s shared program could permit for one purchase to cover iOS and Apple TV variant likewise . But that ’s their choice to make , and now it ’s yours too . At least other buyers get a free add - on pack bundle that brings in a Christmas - theme environment , costume , and other small digital treat .
Connect to online servers to play with friends or other random fans .
The Mac version is a bit more feature article rich than this one ( and is $ 27 by comparability ) , but playing on a TV with a gamepad is decidedly preferred to using an iOS equipment . If you or your kids are still over the moon about Minecraft — or have n’t played and think it could be up your alley — then this may be $ 20 very well spend . Minecraft is endlessly replayable and Mojang keeps expand its feature lot , while on-line servers offer further modes and experiences . On the other helping hand , if you have Pocket Edition and are either perfectly content with it or do n’t act much anymore , then there ’s little point in buy the same secret plan again at three times the toll .
Bottom line
Minecraft shines on the Apple TV , as playing on a big sieve with a well-off controller is even more tempting than play on your iPhone or iPad — and it ’s about on par with the Mac version in terms of overall experience . However , the price variant with the Pocket Edition and ask to buy this version separately may contrive some fans for a grummet .
