Minecraft: Bedrock Edition beta 1.16.200.51 focuses on accessibility fixes

Minecraft Nether Update Java Image (Image credit: Windows Central | Zachary Boddy)

What you need to know

Minecraft has an insider beta program it uses to test future updates, fixes, and more, before releasing them to the public.
The program is quite active, usually getting at least one update a week, and is available on Windows 10, Xbox, and Android devices.
The latest Minecraft: Bedrock Edition beta makes some fixes for accessibility features, death messages, and more.
There are no new features in beta 1.16.200.51.

Minecraft is a massive game that just keeps getting bigger, as we saw at the recent Minecraft Live event, and those enrolled in Minecraft's super secret (not) beta program can get a sneak peek at future changes and updates. The latest beta, 1.16.200.51, mirrors other recent betas in that it simply contains bug fixes for the Nether Update, but it's still important to make sure everything is working as advertised before the update is rushed out to the public.

The latest beta fixes some issues with accessibility features, death messages, and a few other tidbits. The changelog for beta 1.16.200.51 includes:

Accessibility features

Fixed a bug where UI screen reader did not read the screen title in-game
Fixed a bug where the UI screen reader did not read the shortcut button on the Pause Screen
Fixed a bug where the UI screen reader did not read the title on the Profile and Edit Character screens
Fixed an issue where the numbering of buttons in the Pause screen was wrong when using text-to-speech
Fixed several issues regarding text contrast

Gameplay

Death message bugfixes
- Death message for being shot by Shulker is now "sniped by shulker" instead of "slain by shulkerBullet"
- Death message for being fireballed by Blaze or Ghast is now "fireballed by Blaze / Ghast" instead of "slain by Blaze / Ghast"
- Death message for being shot by Skeleton is now "shot by skeleton" instead of "shot by arrow"
- Death message for being spit at by Llama is now "spitballed by Llama" instead of "slain by Llama spit"
- Death message for being killed with a trident is now "was impaled to death by " instead of "slain by Trident"
Nether Brick Blocks are once again craftable
Fixed the number of Nether Bricks in the Crafting Table

Mobs

Increased allowed spawn distance for raid mobs as well as improved the ability to find a valid raid spawn position

Components

Armor with the lock in inventory component can now be placed in the armor slots

Items

Fixed an issue of anyone using query.get_equipped_item_name with an item that was renamed wouldn't get the right result. Now we tie this to vanilla versioning so that the old name will be returned if the world is tied to a specific vanilla version

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Minecraft is an inarguable and complete success. It has sold copies in the hundreds of millions, has a huge following of dedicated players, and lets you unlock your every creative desire. It's also available on every platform imaginable, including Xbox One, Windows 10, Playstation 4, and Nintendo Switch. Play with anyone, and play anywhere.

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Zachary Boddy (They / Them) is a Staff Writer primarily focused on covering the latest news, the best Xbox and PC games, and the most interesting hardware. They have been gaming and writing for most of their life, and have been with Windows Central and its sister sites since 2019. While originally brought on to write about all things Minecraft, Zachary has since expanded to write about practically everything that Windows Central covers. You can find Zachary on Twitter @BoddyZachary.