If you think that all sounds a little nerdy, we haven't even reached the best bit: the reason the specification of the DCPU-16 processor matters is because Notch plans to emulate the chip directly within the game, giving users access to an in-game computer based on the fictional 16-bit processor.
That's something which has never before been attempted in a game. While titles like Uplink have provided users with an in-game computer system, it's all smoke and mirrors; 0x10c, by contrast, will provide gamers with access to a fully-working virtual computer system for which they could - in theory - write their own code.
"The computer in the game is a fully functioning emulated 16-bit CPU that can be used to control your entire ship,' Notch explains, 'or just to play games on while waiting for a large mining operation to finish."
It's something with which Notch has previous experience: much to his surprise, hackers found a method of implementing simple processors and even entire computing systems in his block-based game Minecraft - a concept he's now looking to take to the next level.
