Quote fromA select group of players now have access to the Minecraft Realms limited alpha test. Minecraft Realms is a service designed to let players play on a server together with minimal setup, and will be available to the public later this year.
Will this change the way I play Minecraft?
- Nothing will change regarding how you create, setup, or host servers today. Minecraft Realms is an additional service of hosting servers for those who want it. Nothing is mandatory.
How can I get into the Realms closed Alpha?
- You can’t yet, sorry. It’s a private, invite-only thing. Keep an eye on this blog for more info!
How much does it cost?
- We’re not sure yet. It will be a subscription service. One subscription = one server. Only the host needs to pay. The host can invite (whitelist) friends to play on his/her server.
How many players can play together?
- This is not confirmed yet. During the closed alpha we have set a limit of four players to test out our systems.
What is Minecraft Pocket Realms?
- It is the mobile version of our Realms service.
How much will Pocket Realms cost?
- We’re not sure yet. It will be a subscription service. One subscription = one server. Only the host needs to pay. The host can invite (whitelist) friends to play on his/her server.
How do I buy a Pocket Realms subscription?
- Realms subscriptions will be available via an in-app purchase within Minecraft – Pocket Edition. You’ll need to log in with your Mojang Account to use the service. If you don’t have an account you’ll be asked to create one.
Players should note that normal Minecraft servers are not being done away with, or being replaced. So far, Realms appears to be targeted towards people who simply want a quick, easy way to play privately with friends and family, and early tests have been very promising. I've personally had a chance to test out the Realms feature, and it's really easy to invite some friends into your game, and just play, without having to worry about port forwarding, setting up permissions, or anything but the game itself.
Keep an ear to the ground, as we bring even more Realms news in the coming days!
Many people, including myself, don't want to host servers on our own home networks because of security issues, and because server maintenance is quite a lot of work. I had one running for a while, but I got rid of it because I was too lazy to keep it running. Most people would just pay a small amount of money every month rather than worry about getting their network hacked, or keeping the server online and updated.
Just an idea.
I don't think it would. It is a great idea though.
Its different questions for PE and PC version, I think.
I remember 4j promising the ability to host 24/7 servers, but we've had no confirmation of a release date yet. It's just presumed to eventually happen.
i play up to 4 peaople easy on xbox & on pc its a pain just to get on a server or finding a server or creating one that will run propror