The Redstone Update is a planned major update labeled as 1.5. It will probably be released sometime in mid or early January 2013.[1]
Planned changes Note: Most of the changes listed here have no detailed references since most of them were mentioned at MineCon 2012 . Especially the Future Updates with the Minecraft PC Team [1] The Future of MOD API talk [2]
More predictable and consistent redstone behavior
The functionality of BUDs will be affected
Eliminating directional quirks
Most of the timings of redstone contraptions will change
Overall redstone will be more like analog signals
Redstone signal strength will matter (for some blocks)
The Capacitor block
Only outputs a signal if the input has a specific strength
Configurable like a repeater
Possibility of a BUD Switch block
A way of sucking up items into a container/transport items between containers
This will most likely be a revised form of the Allocator idea
Weighted pressure plates
Perhaps a Daylight Detector
Outputs a signal with a strength corresponding to the intensity of the sunlight
Redstone repeater lock improvements[citation needed Some Redstone bugfixes[3] [4]
Perhaps a new ore for crafting the new redstone devices
Will most likely be available only in the Nether , encouraging exploration of the dimension New ways of transporting items
Using minecarts similarly to Railcraft systems
New uses for storage minecarts
Filling and emptying of storage minecarts
Specific rails to empty them
The possibility of linking minecarts together (driven by furnace minecarts )
Rails to unload mobs and perhaps players when reached Rendering engine rewrite Current engine has some bugs
Will require a higher OpenGL feature-set
Will include some sort of fallback for older hardware
Support for high resolution textures [5] The internal layout of texture packs will change
Every block will have its own texture file
Supports the use of animated textures for all blocks[2]
The geometry of individual textures can differ
Not intended to support HD skins
Much faster overall rendering, resulting in more frames per second (FPS [6] [7]
Lighting fixes similar to the ones first introduced in snapshots 12w39a/b (during 1.4 development)[2] Support for fancy lighting control [8]
Support for more realistic lighting, such as active furnaces only giving off light from their front surface[9] [10] Other No new mobs.
Fireworks for New Year's Eve as said in Minecon
Perhaps a method of enchanting equipment with paper
The player would enchant the paper, then use an anvil to combine it with equipment
The anvil cost to do this would be very high
The Possibility of Ghast Fireballs' sizes to be edited with third party programs.(Mods )[11] Will not Effect damage given to Player. (Steve )
Slabs made up of Netherrack /Nether Brick Possibility of a Nether Furnace
A crafting recipe for Nether Brick [12]
A crossbow which doesn't have to charge up like a normal bow, but dealing the same damage as a charged up bow. References 