Minecraft Coming to Wii U at Last

The mega-hit adds one more console to its list on December 17^th for a premium $30.

The initial reaction may be, “At last!” but it’s quickly tampered by that price tag: $30 is significantly more than the $20 you would pay to play the sandbox building game on another console.  While this version will feature off-TV play and include a few content packs (Battle & Beasts Skin Packs 1 and 2, Natural Texture Pack, City Texture Pack, Fantasy Texture Pack, and the Festive Mash-up Pack), it’s unclear where that added value is supposed to stem from.

Sixteen additional packs will be available for purchase, lending more credence to the question.

• Festive Skin Pack
• The Simpsons Skin Pack
• Doctor Who Skins Volume 1
• Doctor Who Skins Volume 2
• Star Wars Classic Skin Pack
• Star Wars Rebels Skin Pack
• Star Wars Prequel Skin Pack
• Mass Effect Mash-up Pack
• Skyrim Mash-up Pack
• Plastic Texture Pack
• Candy Texture Pack
• Cartoon Texture Pack
• Steampunk Texture Pack
• Pattern Texture Pack
• Greek Mythology Mash-up Pack
• Halloween 2015 Mash-up Pack

It remains to be seen if the GamePad will be used in any other significant capacity, which could certainly bolster this version’s standing.  Nintendo and Mojang are also collaborating on new content, which will be released in the future.  Whether or not this content will be paid or free also remains to be seen.

For those of you waiting to experience Minecraft on your Wii U, the price and wait may still be worth it.  Take it from me: Minecraft is easily enough of a time-sink to be valued at $30 (even if I only paid $20).

You’ll simply want to consider the other options first.

For more, see the official page.