Mojang has revealed that the upcoming Boss Update for Minecraft will add Oculus Touch controller support to the Windows 10 version. The news broke at the 2016 Minecon 2016 convention in California over the weekend.
Support for the Oculus Rift originally rolled out on August 15, paving a new way for Minecraft players to imagine their creations. The launcher is available on the Oculus Store now, enabling Rift owners to view the Minecraft world up close and personal, or to sit back on a virtual couch and play the game on a virtual TV.
In addition to Oculus Touch controller support, the Boss Update will add the ability to use an Xbox Wireless controller with Minecraft: Windows 10 Edition and Minecraft: Gear VR Edition. This applies to the new Bluetooth-based controller that shipped alongside the Xbox One S console. Microsoft made a separate announcement stating that the controller is now compatible with controller-enabled games on the Samsung Gear VR headset, one of which will be Minecraft: Gear VR Edition.
The Xbox Wireless controller will be compatible with the Galaxy S7, Galaxy S7 Edge, Galaxy Note 5, Galaxy S6 Edge+, Galaxy S6, and Galaxy S6 Edge. Controller-supported games that are on the way in the next several months include Herobound, Spirit Champion, Omega Agent, and End Space.
The upcoming Boss Update will also introduce Add-Ons to Minecraft: Windows 10 Edition and Minecraft: Pocket Edition. This feature will allow players to edit mobs, and do such things as swapping out textures, the models, and their behaviors. Mojang provides a few examples, such as chicken players riding an explosive pig. All components can be tweaked or swapped out by modifying text files that point in their direction.
“Using Add-Ons, you can change the rules, appearances, and mechanics of things in the game,” Mojang states. “Add-Ons can help you bring new gameplay ideas to life. They are the first step on our journey toward a fully customizable Minecraft.”
Add-Ons will work in a single-player game, in a multiplayer game with friends, and even on a Realm. To install an Add-On, gamers simply open Minecraft and click “play,” click on “edit world,” and then select the “Add-Ons” tab. There will be two samples to check out (Alien Invasion and Castle Siege) while the Add-Ons template will allow players to generate their own creations.
According to Mojang, the team will continue to generate Add-Ons over the next year to move the popular world-building sandbox game into a fully customized platform. Players will soon begin to see unlocked behavior changes for blocks and so on. Players are encouraged to hit the feedback forum to provide their thoughts on the new Add-Ons system.
Along with Add-Ons, the Boss Update will add the abilities to use slash commands, import and export worlds from Realms, introduce boss mobs called the Elder Guardian and the Wither, and create new Ocean Monuments. This will likely be the biggest update to Pocket Edition and Windows 10 Edition to date, and will land in the laps of Minecraft gamers on October 18.
The absolutely absurd idea of putting a touchscreen display on a mouse isn't exactly new. Turtle Beach already did it with its Command Series MC7, which features a 2.25-inch control screen. But apparently, even that wasn't ridiculous enough for Arctic Fox Technologies. Its new Super Mouse looks like someone took the chunky old Atari ST mouse, slapped a touchscreen and scroll wheel on it, and called it an upgrade.
The result is a rather unusual-looking mouse that is now on Kickstarter, starting at $199. And as ridiculous as it looks, some of its features are genuinely intriguing.
Apple is less than a day away from launching its highly anticipated OLED MacBook Pro with a touch-sensitive screen. But it appears that the upgrade is going to cost a pretty penny. According to a report by Bloomberg, Apple is reportedly eyeing a starting price of $2,899 for the 14-inch MacBook Pro, while the 16-inch version could start at $3,399 in the US.
"At $2,899, the 14-inch model would mark the highest starting price for a new MacBook Pro model, surpassing the $2,799 Apple charged for a 17-inch version introduced in 2006," says the report. The report claims that Apple is targeting a minimum price hike of $400 for its upcoming redesigned 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pro models.
I've spent a good amount of time digging into the spec sheet of the new M6 MacBook Pro (14-inch), and for all intents and purposes, this is a classic Apple "chip and connectivity" refresh. It's not a full redesign. The chassis, Liquid Retina XDR panel, speakers, ports, and battery, all of them carry over unchanged.
However, the M6 brings more cores, stronger on-device AI, higher memory bandwidth on the larger configs, and modern wireless. Here’s the practical rundown of what actually improved, and whether those gains are worth your money.