Minecraft is available almost everywhere: it's on the PC, Linux, Mac, Xbox 360, iOS, and Android. And now, it's also on the Raspberry Pi.
For those unfamiliar, the Raspberry Pi is a credit-card-sized, single-board computer. It's the creation of the Raspberry Pi Foundation, from the UK, and is designed to promote basic computer literacy and science in schools.
What's under the hood you might be asking? Well, according to Wikipiedia entry: a Broadcom BCM2835 system on a chip (Soc) runs the whole show, along with a ARM1176JZF-S 700 MHz processor (which can be overlocked up to 1 GHz, all without voiding the warranty). Plus you have a VideoCore IV GPU and 512MB of RAM. There is no build in hard drive. Instead, it uses a SD card for booting and storage.
The Raspberry Pi will not give your PC gaming rig a run for it's money for sure, that's for sure (especially if yours is ready to accept Crysis 3). Though due to its size and relative horsepower, the thing is fairly cheap. There are actually two variants; the cheapest model goes for $25, and the more expensive one for just $35.
And it's just powerful enough to run the recently released Minecraft: Pi Edition:
As the video explains, only creative mode is available at the moment, but otherwise, it's Minecraft. One that’s apparently super close to the very first iteration of Pocket Edition (the iOS/Android variant).
Hopefully in time, the above will be refined, but even as is, it’s beyond impressive.
Just the other day, President Obama told the country that he believes children should learn how to make games, not just play them. Critics have pointed out, and rightfully so, that it’s easier said than done. The biggest hurdle? Cost.
And one cannot think of a better solution than a computer that cost just $35. And one that is still powerful enough to run a version of the most of the most popular (as well as creatively inclined) games today. For more information, simply click here.
