The PlayStation 4 version of the ever-popular Minecraft released earlier this month alongside its Xbox One counterpart. Unlike the Xbox One version, however, PS4 players were unable to bring their last-gen creations over to the nice, shiny next-gen. For those players still waiting for the ability to do so, the wait's over because that very option has been implemented via a recent update to Minecraft PS3.

Minecraft's console developer 4J Studios announced the update yesterday through its Twitter account, telling players that a "small update for Minecraft PS3 is rolling out now. It adds a feature allowing save transfer of PS3 worlds for Minecraft PS4." In a follow up tweet, 4J explained that the transfer process required users to go to the game's save list, locate the save they wanted to transfer, then bring up the save options. From there, it should be fairly straightforward.

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Additionally, the retail release for Minecraft PS4 is set for October 3 in Europe and October 7 in North America. A day one patch will be required for the "best Minecraft experience possible on PS4." Information regarding the PS Vita version of the game will come int he upcoming weeks, including details on cross-buy support between PS3 and Vita.

Earlier this week, Microsoft announced the purchasing of Mojang, initial developer of Minecraft, for $2.5 billion. Current Xbox head Phil Spencer reassured non-Xbox players that nothing would change for them moving forward and they can keep enjoying the game on PlayStation systems unhindered.

"This is a game that has found its audiences on touch devices, on phones, on iPads, on console and obviously on its true home on PC. Whether you're playing on Xbox or PlayStation, Android or iOS, our goal is to continue to evolve and innovate with Minecraft across all those platforms."

Mojang co-founder Markus 'Notch' Persson, however, made his own announcement following the purchase, revealing that he would be leaving the company to return to a life of relative obscurity. In a post detailing his decision, he said it wasn't about the money, but his own sanity and well-being.

For all you hardcore Minecraft players, how essential was it that the next-gen versions of the game allowed for save transfers? And are you still concerned that Microsoft may eventually cut support for PlayStation versions of the game?

Sources: 4J on Twitter, PS Blog, Xbox Wire