Minecraft: Pocket Edition News - Online Multiplayer in development, next update will be 0.5.1

There have been some tidbits of information about Minecraft: Pocket Edition regarding future features and updates from one the main developers on the project, Johan Bernhardsson. While we have news on the next update that will arrive for Minecraft: Pocket Edition and what it will come with, what we are really excited about is what Johan has been working on aside from the next update.

Before we dive into what we are really excited about, let us touch on the next Minecraft: Pocket Edition update and what will be coming with it. The next version will be a small update and now a major version update, being labeled as version 0.5.1. This update will feature some bug fixes that are needed. As for new items and features, Johan has pretty much confirmed that Signs will be added to the game in the 0.5.1 update. However, coding in the current 0.5.0 version we are playing right now shows a few other new items that could very well make it into the 0.5.1 update that are not currently available: Cobwebs and Leather. Of course there are also plenty of rumors regarding what the 0.5.1 update could also come with.

Early armor interface screenshot

So what can we expect after the 0.5.1 update? Well it seems Aron Neiminen, another developer for Minecraft: Pocket Edition is working on the entire armor feature including the GUI for it, according to a recent tweet from him. If all goes well we will see armor arrive in Minecraft: Pocket Edition in the 0.6.0 update according to Aron. If you think that is good news, wait till you read the next bit we have to share with you.

Right now Mojang is working on bringing online multiplayer to Minecraft: Pocket Edition in a future update. In fact they seem to already have to working in an early build. Apparently this early build for online multiplayer seems to work decently well already although Johan, who happens to be working on it, has stated that there is plenty of work still to do on it. That means it could still be a couple of updates away at least depending on how things go. Still, the fact that they are working on it is an extremely positive sign as this has to be one of the most requested features for the game since its launch.

This brigs up the inevitable question regarding player hosted servers and if there will also be software which will allow us to host our own online servers, just like normal Minecraft. It would seem likely that this would come true but you never know until more information is released. Either way, all of the Minecraft:  Pocket Edition players out there have plenty of goodies to look forward to in the near future.
As for a release time frame for the Minecraft: Pocket Edition 0.5.1 update's arrival, right now it is slated for some time around the end of January or beginning of February 2013.

Source: DroidGamers.com

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