The Pokémon Company has unveiled Pokémon TCG Classic, a premium card collection inspired by the original Base Set, during the recent Pokémon Presents event.
The product features a foldable game board, counters toolbox, and three decks starring Venusaur, Charizard, and Blastoise, with three-deck boxes also included. The company noted in a blog post that the new cards, except for basic energy cards, won’t be eligible for tournament play. Instead, Pokémon TCG Classic will be a set product for casual play.
According to Tsunekazu Ishihara, the CEO of The Pokémon Company, the product is meant to last a lifetime as a premium Pokémon TCG set. The new set will be released later this year and includes never-before-seen cards, such as Ho-Oh ex and Lugia ex, to spice up the gameplay.
Netflix and The Pokémon Company have announced a new stop-motion series called Pokémon Concierge during the latest Pokémon Presents event. Although details are scarce, we know the show follows a young Pokémon concierge named Haru and the Pokémon that visit the resort where he works.
The series is being produced in collaboration with dwarf studio, known for its work on animated shows like Monsters at Work and Trash Truck. With the long-running anime series featuring Ash Ketchum nearing its end, The Pokémon Company is likely seeking new opportunities to engage with audiences through fresh, original content.
Pokémon Sleep is finally waking up from its slumber, as The Pokémon Company has announced its official launch for this summer.
During the recent Pokémon Presents event, more details were revealed about the app, which will track users’ sleeping patterns and showcase different sleeping styles of pocket monsters.
The app aims to make sleeping more engaging by incorporating players’ sleeping and waking times into the game, allowing them to wake up to Pokémon every morning.
Pokémon Sleep will be available on both Android and iOS. Additionally, a new gadget, Pokémon GO Plus+, will be released on July 21, designed to work with both Pokémon Sleep and Pokémon GO, featuring a Pikachu that sings lullabies and becomes friendlier with more sleep.
It is with a heavy heart that we share the passing of beloved Disney Legend, Director, and Story Artist Burny Mattinson. You made our world a happier place and inspired generations of artists with your heart, humor, and storytelling. Thank you for your legacy, Burny. pic.twitter.com/FLTjxcfw5X
Burny Mattinson, the longest-serving cast member of The Walt Disney Company and a Disney Legend, has passed away at the age of 87. Disney announced that Mattinson died on Monday, February 27, at the Canyon Oaks Nursing and Rehabilitation Center in Canoga Park, California, after a brief illness.
Mattinson was set to receive his 70th-anniversary service award, which would have been the first given out by The Walt Disney Company, in June 2023. He was still working full-time as a story consultant and mentor at Disney before his passing. Mattinson had an extensive career as an animator, director, producer, and story artist, and worked on several Disney classics such as Lady and the Tramp, One Hundred and One Dalmatians, The Sword in the Stone, The Jungle Book, and The Rescuers, as well as more recent films like Big Hero 6 and Strange World. He was also a member of the story team for Aladdin, Beauty and the Beast, The Lion King, Pocahontas, The Hunchback of Notre Dame, Tarzan, and Mulan.
Born in San Francisco in 1935, Mattinson’s lifelong dream was to work at Disney. He began his career in the mailroom and eventually worked his way up the ranks, becoming a Disney Legend in 2008. He is survived by his wife, Ellen Siirola, and his two children, Brett and Genny.
Cheating in PC gaming is a longstanding issue, but there’s a growing effort to crack down on those who create and distribute unauthorized cheat tools. The latest group to be hit with a hefty fine is EngineOwning, a Call of Duty cheat seller whose two developers were recently ordered to pay $3 million for designing cheating software.
According to Axios, the judgment specifies that the cheats were used in several Call of Duty titles, including Modern Warfare, Modern Warfare 2, Vanguard, all of the Black Ops games, Warzone, and Warzone 2. EngineOwning also reportedly created similar software for Overwatch, which is another game published by Activision.
As online multiplayer games have grown in popularity, major publishers have become more aggressive in their pursuit of cheat sellers, particularly Activision, Bungie (developer of Destiny 2), and Riot Games (developer of Valorant). Many of these legal cases cite the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA) as a crucial component in their arguments against cheat makers. Bungie is currently involved in several lawsuits against cheat sellers and recently won a $4.3 million judgment in arbitration against well-known cheat provider AimJunkies. Additionally, Bungie is suing a Destiny YouTuber who is accused of posing as the company to send DMCA takedown notices to other content creators. Last year, PUBG Mobile cheat makers were hit with a $10 million fine following a legal victory for Tencent.
Fortnite enthusiast, and content creator, Hypex, recently revealed that he sought the help of an AI service called ChatGPT to decode a cryptic message teasing the upcoming season of the popular game. Fortnite is known for its enigmatic teasers, and the latest message was shared on the official Fortnite Status Twitter account. The tweet contained a sequence of numbers, followed by an update on when the next game patch would be released.
After the tweet was posted, Hypex announced that he had successfully deciphered the code with the assistance of ChatGPT. He shared that the numerical cipher actually spells out the message “CRACK THE CODE”. Although this message is somewhat vague, it appears to be in line with Fortnite’s ongoing Most Wanted Event, which centers around themes of thievery and heist-inspired items that players can earn by completing certain challenges before February 28. This teaser is likely the first of many that will hint at what’s to come in Chapter 4, Season 2, which is expected to debut after March 8, the final day of the current season.
ChatGPT, which was created in late 2022, is a versatile AI service that can be used for a range of purposes, including writing stories, fixing errors, answering queries, and more.
Nokia unveils a dramatic new brand identity, including a new logo, for the first time in nearly 60 years. The iconic typeface and “Yale blue” that defined its previous logo are gone, replaced by a more modern and digital look.
The company’s CEO, Pekka Lundmark, stated that the change reflects Nokia’s evolution into a business-to-business technology innovation leader, focused on networks and industrial digitalization.
However, it’s important to note that Nokia’s phone business has not been a part of Nokia proper since 2014, and the company currently licensing the Nokia brand for smartphones and tablets, HMD Global, has been doing its own thing. It remains to be seen if HMD Global will continue to use the classic Nokia l
It’s great news as Polymega unveils free app for cloud-based retro gaming.
Polymega has long been renowned for its physical emulator, which enables gamers to enjoy their favorite classic titles using original games and controllers. With prices starting at $549, the base unit allows access to a range of CD-ROM based games, including the original PlayStation and Sega Saturn, with cartridge-based games playable via additional modules. The system has ports for connecting original controllers and even includes a light gun designed for use with modern HDTVs. Now, however, Polymega has revealed its latest innovation: the Polymega App.
This free downloadable app enables users to access their games collections, game states, and installs via the cloud, using any standard disc drive to start playing, installing, and managing legacy games from any device. Although disc drives are becoming increasingly rare, Polymega has catered for users without them, with the Polymega Remix – a piece of hardware that enables CDs and cartridges to be connected to a PC and other devices via USB for use with the Polymega App. Retailing at just $149, the Polymega Remix is a much more affordable option.
Polymega has also announced the Polymega XL, a premium subscription that will offer additional features, including Cloud access for playing games on multiple devices. Details of pricing and other features are yet to be released, but those who purchased a Polymega Base Unit or Deluxe Bundle before December 31, 2022, will be granted access to the closed beta for the Polymega App, along with exclusive access to Polymega XL during the beta and a free one-year upgrade to Polymega XL following the beta. Customers who have ordered other products from Polymega will receive access to the closed beta under the free-tier.
Finally, Polymega has announced a new Universal Wireless Controller, compatible with Android and featuring improved battery life and lower-latency 2.4GHz connectivity. This new controller will be included in all Polymega devices delivered in 2023 and beyond.
A 39-year-old man named Nadeam Nahas has been arrested and is facing charges in Cohasset, a small town located about 10 miles outside Boston, after local authorities discovered an illegal cryptocurrency mining operation. Nahas had previously served as the assistant facilities director for Cohasset before resigning shortly after the operation was uncovered.
According to a report by the BBC, the mining setup was hidden under the floors of Cohasset High School, and was discovered during a routine inspection of the school in December 2021. Cohasset High School’s director of facilities noticed electrical wires, temporary ductwork, and numerous computers that seemed out of place. Upon further inspection, local authorities found that the ducts and wiring were all leading towards the same area, near the school’s boiler room, where an illegal cryptocurrency mining operation was discovered.
The mining operation consisted of 11 computers, including some that were inside coolers that vented to the outdoors. Despite not being a large-scale operation, the mining setup was drawing a significant amount of power and was estimated to have racked up electricity bills for the school totaling around $17,500.
Authorities say the mining setup had been in operation from April to December 2021, and an investigation involving local police, the US Coast Guard, and the Department of Homeland Security led to Nahas’ arrest. Nahas plead not guilty in a court appearance last week and is currently facing charges related to the illegal cryptocurrency mining operation.
