Java Edition Beta

Beta is the current Minecraft version, replacing Alpha. It was announced on Notch's blog on December 11 2010 and released nine days later, on the December 20 2010. As well as some minor updates, the transition from Alpha saw a 50% price increase, a change in the disclaimer (Notch removed the line that said "all future updates will be provided free of charge") and minor updates to the main website.

Many updates were included such as:


 * Many minor bug fixes
 * Server-Side Inventory
 * Fixed /kill
 * Gravel and sand now fall properly in Multiplayer
 * Tooltips in inventory - When you mouse over an item, its name appears
 * Notch introduced leaf decay again with a slight difference
 * Eggs can now be thrown, and have a chance of spawning a chicken when hit
 * Clan cloaks for Mojang members
 * Something very rare not yet leaked into the internet.

Many bugs have been found since the release of Beta yet to be fixed on December 21st, most Mac OS users aren't able to play until then. In addition, there was an extremely bad lag problem which seriously affected gameplay. Consequently, many users took to flaming Notch for the early Beta troubles.

The "something very rare" has not yet been discovered, and many have wondered if it actually exists or not. User-made hoaxes were created and released onto the Minecraft Forums, provoking an outlash of anger from players.