Legacy Console Edition

Legacy Console Edition refers collectively to several nearly identical and discontinued editions of Minecraft developed by 4J Studios for game consoles. It comprised editions for:
 * Xbox 360
 * Xbox One
 * PlayStation 3
 * PlayStation 4
 * PlayStation Vita
 * Wii U
 * Nintendo Switch

Legacy Console Edition introduced new features such as a simplified crafting system, in-game tutorials, and split-screen multiplayer (excluding Vita), as well as online multiplayer for up to eight players online, which required a PlayStation Plus subscription (PS4), Xbox LIVE (requires Xbox Live Gold subscription), Nintendo Network (Wii U), or Nintendo Switch Online (requires subscription). As with all editions, updates were free of charge.

Previously, the simpler term "Console Edition" was used to refer to these on this wiki, but with the release of the Better Together Update, three of the platforms received an implementation of Bedrock Edition as well. (Additionally, New Nintendo 3DS Edition was released a few days before and is also an edition that runs on a console platform but is not based on the same codebase as Legacy Console Edition.) Since it no longer comprised all implementations for all consoles, the term was amended. Each edition of Legacy Console Edition was updated for as long as is feasible.

On September 20, 2017, the Xbox One Edition was withdrawn from the Microsoft Store, in conjunction with the Bedrock Edition's Better Together Update. People who owned it were entitled to download the new Bedrock Edition of Minecraft for free, and their worlds and most purchased DLC transfered to the new edition. At the same time, they can continue to play Legacy Console Edition. This also happened with Nintendo Switch Edition on June 21, 2018, and with PlayStation 4 Edition on December 10, 2019. To transfer a world from Xbox 360 Edition to Bedrock Edition, it still has to go through the original Xbox One Edition because there has been no announcement of direct transfer functionality between the two versions.

Initially, Xbox One Edition was planned to no longer receive updates, starting with the lack of an equivalent update to TU58, but the edition later received CU50, an update adding the MINECON Earth Skin Pack, and later updates resumed entirely with CU51, an update equivalent to TU60, which also added all the features from TU58.

On May 3, 2018, Mojang officially announced that most Legacy Console editions would be getting the Update Aquatic, but would receive no further feature updates after its release. The Xbox One and Nintendo Switch Editions were excluded because the Update Aquatic features would be available to them in the Bedrock Edition. The PlayStation 4 Edition would still receive feature updates until December 10, 2019, when it was replaced with Bedrock Edition on the platform, at which point the Legacy Console Edition codebase was discontinued entirely.

Gameplay
The objective of the game remains the same as its Java Edition and Bedrock Edition counterparts, where players can build virtual realities in a sandbox-like environment. There is no preset goal; the player may choose to set their own goals.

For the most part, Legacy Console Edition is almost identical to Java Edition with few apparent differences, but was released with the Xbox 360 Edition in an earlier version equivalent to Java Edition Beta 1.6.6, rather than the current Java Edition version at the time of release, 1.2.5. The Wii U Edition was released with an earlier version equivalent to Java Edition 1.6.4, rather than the current Java Edition version at the time of release, 1.8.9.

Differences from Java and Bedrock Edition
Differences from Java Edition and Bedrock Edition include:


 * The game features splitscreen functionality, a HDTV with a Component or HDMI cable is required for split-screen play. Split-screen functionality works with a VGA connection to a PC monitor as well as HDMI-to-DVI cables to a PC monitor. Up to 4 players can play in split screen, as well as the possibility to play 8-person online multiplayer game modes in split-screen. Nintendo Switch Edition also supports splitscreen on the console's own screen, as well as local wireless communications. PlayStation Vita Edition only supports up to 2-4 players online and Ad-Hoc support.
 * The game includes an automatic crafting system where it is not required to place the blocks in the grid. There is an option to use the manual crafting grid from Java Edition.
 * Legacy Console Edition includes a version-exclusive tutorial mode. This tutorial leads the player through the basics of digging and placing blocks, crafting, as well as building their first house to survive the night, fishing, enchanting, brewing, and more.
 * The player always begins a new world with an empty map.
 * On the Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, PlayStation Vita and Wii U platforms, the world size is limited to 864×864 blocks. Because the outer-most block is unusable on each side of the map, it is effectively 862×862 blocks that can be used. The worlds on the Nintendo Switch edition can be up to 3072×3072, whereas the Xbox One and PlayStation 4 worlds can be up to 5120×5120.
 * The Nether is limited in size and, as a consequence, the Overworld-Nether ratio is 1:3 (1:6 in Switch Edition) compared to 1:8 in Java Edition. The Nether is limited to about 288×288 for the PS3, Xbox 360 and Wii U editions, and to about 512x512 for the Nintendo Switch. The End also uses the aforementioned sizes.
 * Players can choose from three different biome scale options when generating a world.
 * Skins can only be chosen from those available as default or from downloadable content.
 * Breeding and utility mob spawning works the same as Java Edition with the exception of limiting tamed wolf and snow golem populations to 16. If the player attempts to tame or breed a 17th wolf, it will be killed by other wolves, and if a player attempts to build a 17th snow golem, upon placing the pumpkin all three blocks will break, dropping one pumpkin and eight snowballs. Also, wolf pups are born with full health and reach adulthood without player input.
 * The edge of the world cannot be mined and is completely sea. The edge of the map is a strip of water surrounding the map followed by an invisible barrier. This can cause problems as sometimes chests in abandoned mineshafts generate at the edge of the map where they are inaccessible. To solve this problem, the player can make and place a new chest next to said chest and use the accessible half of the resulting large chest to open it, making the previously inaccessible items available.
 * When flying, the player is restricted to 8-way digital directional movement, meaning that they cannot drift in a full circle. This was done to increase precision when building with a controller.
 * When building a portal to the Nether in a superflat world, the Nether will also be flat.
 * Nether wart randomly generates on soul sand in the Nether.
 * The edge of the Nether is a bedrock wall.
 * PlayStation Vita Edition and Nintendo Switch Edition have local multiplayer support between multiple consoles..
 * Statistics are replaced with leaderboards, with the exception of Wii U and Nintendo Switch Edition.

Different modes
The different gameplay modes and settings may vary from the other platform versions, such as hardcore mode, as it is currently a Java Edition exclusive feature.

Creative
Using Creative mode permanently disables achievements/trophies and leaderboard updates during normal gameplay on that world.

Adventure
The Adventure Mode on Legacy Console Edition differs from the original as follows;


 * There are no public Servers. You may set the player's world to be similar to a server by enabling the option Allow Friends of Friends to join, however there is a limit of 8 players in an online game.
 * Blocks can be destroyed by the proper tools and depending on the block, the quality of the tool. Example: blocks can be destroyed by using . While only   and higher can break and gather  blocks.

Survival
In Survival mode:
 * All blocks are breakable except and.


 * Fists and any tool can break blocks such as.
 * The quality of the tool affects the breaking speed of the block.
 * Progression of the game is similar to other versions of the game, however in the End dimension to travel to other islands you must teleport as there exist invisible walls outside the area.

Trivia

 * 4J Studios, the company that ported Minecraft to consoles, also ported several other video games, namely Banjo-Kazooie, Banjo-Tooie, and Perfect Dark for XBLA as well as The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion for PS3.
 * Notch stated that the Xbox 360 would be the sole console provider of Minecraft. However, Sony later annnounced that there would be editions for the PS3, PS4, and Vita released. Later, Mojang released the Xbox One edition, announced a Wii U edition, and still later a Nintendo Switch edition, as well as the New Nintendo 3DS Edition.
 * In Creative, entering the Void is not possible (except in the End, where it is easily accessible due to the large gaps between the islands), as the lowest level of bedrock will remain indestructible in that mode.
 * There is no way to modify Legacy Console Edition legitimately, but it can be cracked to do so. Note that you stand a chance of getting banned when using mods, except on Wii U.
 * The player can grab edge blocks with sticky pistons. However, it's impossible to push blocks into the edge.
 * Spiders can climb the edge of the world, as it's classified as a block.
 * The player cannot fly to the top. While it is only 2,147,483,647 blocks tall, the world height is only 511 blocks tall, so the player cannot go anywhere near the top.