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Razer's Pikachu wireless earbuds are stored in a Poké Ball
These earbuds are the cutest, like no one ever was.
Gigantamax Pikachu is coming to ‘Pokémon Sword’ and ‘Shield’
We know that Pokémon Sword and Pokémon Shield will feature a new mechanic called Gigantamaxing, which will turn certain creatures into giant forms and give them a special move. Today, Nintendo revealed the Gigantamax forms for some of the most popular Pokémon: Pikachu, Charizard, Eevee, Meowth and Butterfree.
Playing ‘Pokémon’ as a kid may have rewired your brain
If you played Pokémon video games extensively as a kid, there's a good chance that a specific region of your brain gets fired up when you see the characters now. In a recent study, researchers from Stanford University showed test subjects hundreds of Pokémon characters. As you might expect, the brains of longtime Pokémon fans responded more than those unfamiliar with the game. But what's more surprising is that, in all of the fans, a specific brain fold responded, an area just behind the ears, called the occipitotemporal sulcus.
Snap selfies with Pikachu in Google Pixel's AR Playground
You don't have to wait until May 10th to see Pikachu come to life in new ways. Ahead of the long-awaited Pokémon movie, Google released Detective Pikachu, Charizard, Jigglypuff and Mr. Mime as Playmojis for the Pixel's Playground mode. As you can with Google's other Playmojis (previously called AR stickers), you can drop these characters into scenes around you and interact with them through the Pixel's cameras.
Eevee lives inside the first Pokémon Tamagotchi
The ultra-cute collaboration we've been waiting for has been confirmed: Pokémon's Eevee is coming to Tamagotchi. Information leaked earlier this month hinted at a new dawn in virtual pet ownership, now Pokémon website Serebii has settled the rumors.
‘Pokémon Go’ Community Days bring exclusive captures every month
Starting this month, Pokémon Go players will be able to participate in monthly events that will bring out special Pokémon with exclusive moves. Community Days will be worldwide events and to take part, you'll just have to head outside to your local park. Each Community Day will feature a special Pokémon that will pop up more frequently for a few hours. Other event perks could include increased XP or Stardust, and Lure Modules activated on Community Days will last for three hours.
'Detective Pikachu' game's US debut set for March 23rd
Ever since the Detective Pikachu game launched in Japan in early 2016, there's been a lingering question: when would it be available elsewhere, if it ever left Japanese shores? At last, there's a date. The Pokémon Company has announced that its 3DS sleuth title will reach the US and Europe on March 23rd, 2018 for $40. On top of that, there will be a $30 giant Detective Pikachu amiibo (nearly double the usual height at 5.35 inches tall) which unlocks videos that might provide clues.
Ryan Reynolds is Detective Pikachu
The Hollywood Reporter reveals that the upcoming live-action Pokémon movie has found an actor for its title role: Ryan Reynolds. In a performance that its sources say is "motion-capture in nature" (think Jar Jar Binks or Gollum) Reynolds will embody Detective Pikachu alongside Justice Smith (The Get Down, Jurassic Park: The Lost Kingdom) as the teen searches for his missing father. Other details are scarce, but now the movie (which got its greenlight just as Pokémon Go fever exploded last year) is said to start shooting in January, and will include Kathryn Newton (Big Little Lies) in the cast. Just something to think about while you're watching Deadpool 2 in June.
Talk to Pikachu through your Amazon Echo or Google Home
Pikachu is virtually inescapable in the tech world, and that includes the smart speaker in your living room. The Pokémon Company has previewed Pikachu Talk, an app meant for Alexa- and Google Assistant-powered devices like the Amazon Echo and Google Home. The name says it all, really: you can hold conversations with the iconic yellow critter. We wouldn't expect deep discussions when Pikachu can only respond with variants of its name ("pika pika!" isn't exactly My Dinner With Andre material), but it's bound to be fun for at least a little while if you're a Pokémon fan.
Snag a mediocre selfie with Pikachu using Snapchat’s latest Lens
For those of you who've just been dying to get a selfie with Pikachu, I have good news. For a short time, Snapchat has a Pikachu Lens available that gives your face that coveted Pikachu makeover -- its iconic ears and button nose, really big eyes and bright, rosy cheeks. When you open your mouth, Pikachu shows up on screen with you while making very Pikachu noises, and then your face explodes with lightning.
The Morning After: Monday, April 10th 2017
Still haven't cut the cord from your cable TV package? YouTube might get you there. In more outlandish weekend news, international scientists plan to drill deep into the Earth, and are searching for the ideal chunk of oceanic crust to get things started. We also explain why Ghost In The Shell's remake underwhelms and ransomware that demands a high score.
The live-action 'Pokémon' movie starts production next year
Last week the rumblings of a live-action Pokémon movie were just that. But now Legendary Pictures has confirmed that it has secured the rights for a Detective Pikachu flick, according to The Hollywood Reporter. The game it's based on isn't available stateside just yet, but perhaps it will be by the time production starts on the movie next year. We now know that Universal is doing the distribution work outside of Japan. However, any other details are light.
Hong Kong Pokémon fans protest over Pikachu translation
Nintendo and The Pokémon Company have caused a minor international kerfuffle after deciding to reduce the number of languages it translates Pokémon games into. Back in February, the pair revealed that Pokémon Sun and Moon would be released in traditional and simplified Chinese -- the former for Hong Kong plus Taiwan, and the latter for Mainland China. But rather than keeping the three original sets of localized character names for these markets, the companies dropped Cantonese -- the main dialect of Hong Kong and many overseas Chinese folks -- and unified the Mandarin Chinese names used by the two other larger markets. The news didn't go down well with Pokémon fans in Hong Kong, and yesterday, around 20 locals staged a protest outside the Japanese consulate, with help from anti-communist political party Civic Passion. They came armed with banners demanding that Pei-kaa-jau (Pikachu's new name in Cantonese) should be restored to Bei-kaa-chyu (the original Cantonese Pikachu) for their local market.
Operation Finish All The Games: March 2016
I have a confession to make: I didn't finish a game before the end of March. Now, I've certainly had some squeakers in the past. I've spent plenty of nights grinding through games just to wrap them up before midnight. And, there was at least one title where I ran a bit over but still counted it in my monthly tally. But, since I just finished up Pokémon Yellow last night, I can't in good conscience pretend I got it done in time. But at least it's done.
The world's largest Pokemon card is actually 13,000 cards in one
Pikachu has evolved once again -- this time into a massive mosaic featuring his original pose as drawn by famed Pokémon illustrator Ken Sugimori. The mosaic is 32 feet tall, 23 feet wide and it's created out of 12,987 individual Pokémon trading cards. And yes, you better believe that's a new record for trading-card mosaic art. British artist Quentin Devine completed the work as part of The Pokémon Company's year-long 20th anniversary celebration of the Pokémon franchise. Devine previously made a mosaic of the Mona Lisa entirely out of fan self-portraits, and a portrait of Queen Elizabeth II using penny coins.
Sherlock Pikachu is the best Pikachu
Nintendo has just announced a new (Japan-only) title starring Pikachu as a world-famous detective. Named Famous Detective Pikachu: The Birth of a New Partnership (translated by our Japan-based editor), it's described as a cinematic adventure game in which a "smug," "wise-cracking" Pikachu will team up with a boy named Tim to solve a mystery. We already have a trailer, which very, very clearly takes influence from the BBC's Sherlock.
A visual tour of the Pokémon Research Lab
There's no better way to inspire children into a career in animal taxonomy and species classification than Pokémon. Possibly. A temporary Pokémon Lab in Japan is opening its doors to wannabe researchers (and their parents), offering them a Poké ball and 12 different stations to test and identify the critter inside. Once you've derived the specific pocket monster (fortunately, at this junior research center, it's limited to a pool of around 30), there's also a healthy spoonful of real science and biology at the end -- oh yes, it's edu-tainment. This part of the exhibit tries to convey how important discoveries have occurred through observation and categorization of animals and creatures (the game's creator was famously fascinated by categorizing insects as a child). There was also a giant Pikachu in a lab coat to assist where needed -- although he didn't really help all that much.
Pikachu gets its own Hori Battle Pad for Wii U controller in Japan
Super Smash Bros. for Wii U fighters planning on leading their offense with Pikachu should take note of Hori's controller inspired by everyone's favorite electric rodent – the above version of the Battle Pad for Wii U has appeared on Amazon Japan for 3,434 (~$30 USD), with a release date of November 20. The packaging also depicts a matching Wiimote cover, presumably to help complete the effect. For those unable to order through Amazon Japan, there's always the Mario and Luigi-themed variants available in the North American store for $24.99 apiece. The turbo-enabled Battle Pad for Wii U connects to a Wiimote rather than the upcoming GameCube controller converter and can be used with games that support the Classic Controller or Classic Controller Pro. It won't work as a stand-in for the Pro Controller, however. [Image: Hori]
Cute new Pikachu, Skylanders balloons in Thanksgiving Parade
Happy November! It's the month of family, too much food and the 88th annual Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade, this year featuring a new Pikachu balloon and a big balloon of Eruptor from the Skylanders series. The new Pikachu wears a festive scarf and he's carrying a snowman version of himself in his little paws. Yes, it is too adorable. Eruptor is the lava man from Skylanders, and in the Thanksgiving Day Parade promo image, he looks happy to be flying high. The Pillsbury Doughboy, Thomas the Tank Engine and Paddington Bear are on board for the parade as well. To our knowledge, of the floats we've mentioned here, only the Doughboy hasn't starred in his own game. Seems like the perfect fit for anything with a touch screen. The Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade is on Thursday, November 27 from 9AM to noon in New York City. For those outside of the city, catch it live on NBC. [Image: Macy's]
Barely Related: Alan Moore's million, James Franco's Rant
Welcome to Barely Related, a conversational Friday column that presents the non-gaming news stories that we, the Joystiq staff, have been talking about over the past week. And no, we're not stopping our focus on industry and gaming news. Think of this as your casual weekly recap of interesting (and mostly geeky) news, presented just in time to fill your brain with things to discuss at all of those weekend shindigs. Grab a fresh drink, lean back in your armchair, and get ready to talk nerdy with us.
