It seems 1.6 is solidifying as something that actually exists. Steve has released several showcase about what can be expected, I pasted the playlist below.

I know a lot of the community is burned by Steve with 1.6, and these videos don’t outline a sure thing but it is a bit exciting to see that it may actually be a thing. 

😂more self loading cargo hype.. I hope he's having fun with 1.6

I bet he could start a twitch account and get real patrons to watch/donate to these videos he keeps making as Surprisingly there are alot of people who still believe in this. 
 

Now I will say does it feel like a more imminent release this time? Yes. Does it matter? No. 
 

How about releasing it for a change of pace 

Update still in progress after two years