Minecraft Pocket Edition update will add clouds, gravity-affected blocks and signs

Information about the upcoming Minecraft Pocket Edition update has been floating around for a little while, and now we have some idea about exactly what will be included when the update goes live.

Clouds in the sky and customizable signs are confirmed additions to the game. The option to render clouds will be made available on high-end devices, whilst slower devices will have to make do with clear skies. Improvements to the physics engine should also appear in the update, as certain blocks will now obey the laws of gravity. So beware, as your epic sand sculptures could well end up collapsing in on you in the future.

Update 0.5.1 will also come with some less interesting, but equally important performance optimizations and bug fixes. There are also rumors of extra content like stone brick slabs, stairs and Redstone powered objects coming to Minecraft Pocket Edition soon. But these features might not appear until the 0.6.0 version, which is expected to follow soon after 0.5.1. Either way, there will be a host of new content available for Android Minecraft players in the near future.

The update is expected to roll out sometime near the end of January or early February, so get your pickaxes ready.