Java Edition Beta

Beta is the current development phase in Minecraft. It was announced on Notch's blog on December 11, 2010 and released nine days later, on December 20, 2010. As well as some minor updates, the transition from Alpha saw a 50% price increase (therefore making the cost 25% off the full price), 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. Beta 1.2 was released on 13 January 2011, it included Cake which was added after Minecraft won the Mod DB 2010 "Indie Game of the Year" award.

Major New Features

 * Server-side inventory.
 * Cloak support.
 * New Blocks (Note Block, Sandstone, Cake, Dispenser, Redstone Repeater, Bed)
 * New Mobs (Squid, Wolf)
 * Wool Dyes (Cocoa Beans were removed later)
 * Ambient Occlusion (Smooth Light)
 * Three new half-steps (sandstone, cobblestone, and wood)

For full changes, see Beta version history.

Current Version

 * Beta 1.4 (Released March 30, 2011)