A new Minecraft preview build has introduced two items — straw beds and cushions — that for the first time let players rest and sit almost anywhere in the game, a change some fans are calling a milestone after 17 years. Beyond their intended uses, the items have quickly captured the community's attention because they enable a range of unexpected mechanics, from practical jokes to novel forms of movement and decoration.

The single-use straw beds are crafted from hay bales and allow players to sleep through the night without resetting their spawn point, while cushions are made from wool slabs, can be placed on any flat surface and come in 16 colours. Players have already combined cushions with note blocks, redstone-powered pressure plates and hidden mechanisms to create whoopee cushions, and others have devised elaborate cushion-based "fast travel" routes that reportedly outpace options such as sailing. Fans are also using cushions decoratively to build couches, chairs, stools and flags, with community reactions ranging from "genius" to jokes about minecarts being left behind.