Skip to main content

Minecraft update lets you customize your world for the first time

minecraft update lets customize world first time v1 8
Image used with permission by copyright holder

The forthcoming v1.8 update for Mojang’s Minecraft (the PC version, just to be clear) gives players the ability to access a variety of world customization tools before even starting a new game. Creativity has always been at the heart of the enduringly popular world-builder, but until this update players had only been able to build on top of whatever randomized world they were presented with.

The coming update adds three pages worth of sliders and switches that allow players to tweak specific aspects of their generated world. Some are easy to comprehend, such as on/off buttons for including elements like villages, strongholds, dungeons, and the like. Others, such as “Main Noise Scale X/Y/Z” and “Biome Scale Weight,” are a little harder to comprehend.

Of course, you don’t need to be a programmer to decide how many dungeons you want to include in your world, or whether or not you want there to be lava oceans (hint: the answer is always an emphatic Yes). The update will include a handful of Mojang-created presets to help guide players as they create their own blocky landscapes.

Check out the forthcoming update in Mojang’s newly posted video, embedded below. There’s no release date set for v1.8, but it should be here soon.

Editors' Recommendations

Adam Rosenberg
Former Digital Trends Contributor
Previously, Adam worked in the games press as a freelance writer and critic for a range of outlets, including Digital Trends…
How to find and use echo shards in Minecraft
End city in Minecraft.

Of all the new things that can be added to Minecraft, some of the most exciting are new enemy mobs and biomes. Enemies give players not only a new threat to contend with, as they typically have their own unique abilities, but also new drops. Biomes, meanwhile, are packed with new content, from blocks to mobs themselves. The Wild Update released with a few new biomes and mobs, plus a new mysterious item called echo shards.

Read more
You can now customize your Xbox Elite Series 2 controller with Design Lab
A customized Xbox Elite Series 2 controller made in Design Lab.

Microsoft added the ability for people to design their own Xbox Elite Wireless Controller Series 2 in the Xbox Design Lab. Starting today, you can customize and order this kind of controller on Xbox Design Lab's website. 
Customize Elite with Xbox Design Lab
Colloquially referred to as the Xbox Elite Series 2 Controller, this enhanced gamepad first released in 2019. Unlike the standard Xbox One or Xbox Series X controllers, the Elite Series 2 features adjustable-tension thumbsticks and shorter hair-trigger locks on the trigger buttons in addition to interchangeable thumbstick toppers, paddles, and d-pads. Meanwhile, the Xbox Design Lab first launched in 2016 and gives people a way to design and order Xbox controllers with customized colors and engravings. 
While there was already a bit of customization with the Elite Series 2's buttons, players can now go to Xbox Design Lab and personalize the colors of the body, back case, d-pad, bumpers, triggers, thumbsticks, thumbstick base and ring, and buttons. You can even adjust the hue of the Xbox button on your controller with the Xbox Accessories App once it's in your hands. You can get the controller itself for just $150, but if you want all of the interchangeable accessories, the price jumps up to $210.
This announcement comes on the same day as the release date reveal for Sony's DualSense Edge, a customizable PS5 controller. It will cost $200 when it launches on January 26, 2023, though people will have to pay an extra $20 if they want to get replaceable stick modules. Whether you play on Xbox or PlayStation, you certainly don't have a lack of options when it comes to customizable controllers. 

Read more
Updated Steam mobile app lets you download games from your phone
The Steam remote mobile app shows details for Control.

Valve has released the updated Steam mobile app on Android and iOS, revamped with improvements to its framework and user interface design. The new and improved app also comes with new features, including the ability to download Steam games remotely from your phone and log in with a QR code.

Introducing the updated Steam Mobile app

Read more