If we want to play Minecraft on a Windows computer, we will find that there are two different versions. What at first glance may seem the same, but they really have different characteristics and, therefore, different branches of development. What are the differences between the two versions and what performance can we expect between the versions Minecraft Java Edition and Windows 10 Edition of Minecraft?
One of the paradoxes of Minecraft is that despite being programmed in Java, and therefore ensuring that it runs on any system that runs a virtual machine for that language, it cannot be run on mobile devices. Indeed, despite the fact that Android and the operating system of Apple devices are not compatible with said virtual machine. The results? Having to create a separate edition which they baptized Minecraft pocket edition.
Well, over time, Microsoft ended up buying Mojang, the company that developed Minecraft, and decided to develop a version for Windows 10 for that operating system, but basing it on the Java version and yes on the Pocket Edition. We can therefore say that Minecraft Windows 10 Edition is derived from the mobile version, with the difference that it is a version optimized for PC processors and that it uses the services of the Microsoft operating system.
Minecraft Java Edition vs Windows 10 Edition
Because the capabilities of mobile phones were in their infancy compared to what we now have in our pockets, Minecraft for mobile started out as a very miniaturized version of Minecraft. Minecraft Java Edition. Of course, we cannot forget the evolution that both versions have had, which have been titanic for all these years, but because they start from different origins, they have had different developments over time.
Minecraft Java Edition, requiring running the Java Virtual Machine to work, you need a much more powerful processor than Windows 10 Edition, the latter therefore requires less powerful hardware to operate. In addition, it has the advantage of having its graphics engine optimized to use dedicated hardware such as the graphics card of our PC.
Faced with multiplayer gaming, Minecraft in its Windows 10 edition has the ability to cross-play online with platforms other than PCThis includes Android, iOS, Nintendo Switch and Xbox. This is something we cannot do with the Java PC edition. Instead, the big advantage of Java Edition is the large number of mods it has
On the other hand, the Windows edition receives improvements from Microsoft staff. Of course, a good portion of them are ideas taken from the Java Edition modding community.
| minecraft version | advantage | Disadvantages |
|---|---|---|
| Java Edition | Much more comprehensive mod support | Has no inline cross with consoles // Requires more power |
| Windows 10 edition | Crossplay with consoles // Ideal for small teams | there are no mods |
Which of the two is best for me?
So we are left both versionsAfter all, we can both run them on our PC, and the Windows 10 edition of Minecraft is light enough that you can even run it on a low-end PC without issue. Let’s not forget that it derives from the Pocket Edition which was designed to work on mobile. So a computer that can run the Java edition will be able to run the other version without issue, however, we cannot say the same otherwise.
