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New 'Pokémon Go' creature throws unpredictability into your game
That didn't take long. Mere days after leaks hinted that Pokémon Go would get more monsters, Niantic and The Pokémon Company have rolled Ditto into the game. The critter is a shape-shifter that won't reveal its true form until you capture it -- in other words, the only reliable way to capture a Ditto is to keep playing until you find one at random. In the Gym, it'll assume the looks and abilities of the first creature it sees and stay that way throughout other battles.
'Pokémon Go' might soon add Ditto and generation 2 monsters
If catch and daily bonuses aren't enough to lure you back into playing Pokémon Go, maybe new monsters are. The SilphRoad has dissected newly added codes in the game's files and found references to shapeshifting Ditto and 100 Generation 2 monsters, from #152 Chikorita to #251 Celebi. Ditto has been in the game's codes for a while, but the team discovered a new "Transform" move meant for the critter with its own animation sequence. As you might know, Ditto is known for turning into the Pokémon it's battling in addition to its ability to breed with any monster.
Pokémon Go expands 'Nearby' test areas, rolls out daily bonuses
Every time there's a Pokémon Go update, the number one thing its remaining players ask about is access to a tracker to help locate the little critters. This weekend Niantic Labs announced it's expanding the test area of its Nearby Pokémon feature from San Francisco to parts of Arizona, Seattle and the rest of the Bay Area. While we wait for that to roll out nation and world-wide, an update that adds the previously-announced daily bonus/streak bonus scheme is about to arrive on Android and iOS.
'Pokémon Go' will keep users hooked with daily bonuses
Now that Halloween is over, the folks at Niantic Labs have cooked up a new bonus scheme to keep players coming back for more. The next update to Pokémon Go will make it easier to rack up more XP, items and Stardust if you catch a Pokémon or visit a PokéStop every day.
ICYMI: Halloween Spooktacular 2; The CGI reckoning
try{document.getElementById("aol-cms-player-1").style.display="none";}catch(e){}Today on In Case You Missed It: Disney figured out a way to make digitally generated faces in a fraction of the time it used to take with a head-worn camera rig. Designers in the Netherlands created a stilt-like elevator that relies on human power to get a person to climb up, though they say it requires very little effort to do it.
'Pokémon Go' offering spooky bonuses for Halloween
If there's one thing our (fictional) mom always told us, it's that we shouldn't go out walking at night with our smartphone on show. The folks at Niantic Labs feel differently, and think that poorly lit Fall nights around Halloween are the perfect time for everyone to catch some pocket monsters. The company is launching its first "global in-game event" to encourage Pokémon Go players to go out and catch some spooky 'mons.
Casual 'Pokémon Go' trainers now have a fighting chance
Pokémon Go players know if their pocket monster is a 'catch' and can even have one of them scurry behind your avatar. The latest update is aimed at balancing the in-game battles, giving the Pidgeottos and Mr. Mimes of the world a (slightly) better chance against the constant armies of Dragonites and Snorlaxes resident in most Pokémon gyms. Not only will trainers be be able to bring six Pokémon to training fights against your own team, the CP (Combat Points) of rival Pokémon will be nerfed to match your own battle level. However, Niantic Labs says that the CP ranking "may" be lowered, suggesting it may not always be the case.
'Pokémon Go' will add catch bonuses to make the grind worthwhile
As Niantic Labs keeps tweaking things to hold onto its Pokémon Go player base, it has revealed another new feature coming to the augmented reality game. Currently, player activities like catching Pokémon can level them up towards earning medals that toss off points, but not much else. Soon, there will be a catch bonus for earned medals that level up based on the type of Pokémon caught.
ICYMI: Another thing likely to survive with the cockroaches
try{document.getElementById("aol-cms-player-1").style.display="none";}catch(e){}Today on In Case You Missed It: Scientists just mapped the DNA of a microscopic organism that can survive both oxygenless places and the Antarctic. Researchers believe they might help humans survive too much radiation, which is a thing we'll probably need soon enough so get hyped, people. Meanwhile a Danish car company is showing off its prototype of a tiny carpooling electric vehicle that will one day be modified for autonomous rides. In case you're interested, you can see the Japanese Pokemon Go video here. As always, please share any interesting tech or science videos you find by using the #ICYMI hashtag on Twitter for @mskerryd.
Pokémon chief says Nintendo's NX is both handheld and console
The head of The Pokémon Company has let slip that his outfit is working on a pocketable monster title for Nintendo's NX. Given that TPC is part-owned by the Japanese gaming giant, he's probably seen the new handheld/console/tablet hybrid up close and personal. The Wall Street Journal quotes Tsunekazu Ishihara as saying that "the NX is trying to change the concept of what it means to be a home console device or a hand-held device."
The Pokémon Go Plus bracelet is great for grinding
My Pokémon Go survival kit keeps growing. It started simply enough, with just my iPhone 6 Plus happily running Pokémon Go, but it quickly became apparent that I would need backup battery power in order to comfortably catch digital monsters for extended periods of time. After all, this is a game that takes players away from their outlets and into the great wilds of the real world, so I shoved a portable power pack and cable into my purse. I happen to live in Arizona, so I soon added an icy water bottle to the mix. Now, with the launch of Pokémon Go Plus, my kit also includes a lanyard bracelet, a plastic vibrating teardrop painted like a Poké Ball and a tiny screwdriver. I'm starting to suspect Ash Ketchum was hiding more than hair under his iconic hat.
The 'Pokémon Go' buddy system is now live and dropping candy
Like an egg you've been walking for too long, Pokémon Go's previously announced Buddy system arrives today with the latest update from Niantic Labs. To add an interesting new dynamic to the game, Trainers can now pick one Pokémon from their collection as their "Buddy." Once you've picked your best PokéBud, that creature will start to drop extra candy that can be used for evolving and powering up the other creatures in your inventory.
$35 Pokémon Go Plus accessory will go on sale September 16th
Pokémon Go players will have their choice of accessories soon, since the Pokémon Go Plus accessory will be available September 16th "in most countries." Earlier today the game's makers reported over 500 million downloads and announced a way to play using the Apple Watch. Now, Niantic says this $35 device will make playing possible "without having to look at your screen all the time." It links to your phone with Bluetooth Low Energy, letting players collect items from nearby Pokéstops or catch Pokémon with the press of a button.
Pokémon Go coming to Apple Watch, phone still required to catch 'em all
It was the question every Pokémon trainer with an Apple Watch asked on day one: "Why isn't this game on my wrist?" Well, now it is -- before the end of the year, Pokémon Go will have Apple Watch support. Trainers will be able to track their steps, egg-hatching progress and collect items from Pokéstops directly from their wrist. The watch app will even notify you when you come across a wild pocket monster. Unfortunately, you'll still need to take your iPhone out of your pocket to actually catch it.
Russian YouTuber imprisoned for playing 'Pokémon Go' in a church
A Russian YouTuber has been imprisoned and could be looking at some serious jail time, all for catching a Poliwag in a church and posting footage of it online. As the Guardian reports, Ruslan Sokolovsky's video has been viewed over 900,000 times since it was posted on August 11th and begins with Sokolovsky addressing news reports warning Pokémon Go players that their hobby could get them locked up if they played the game in church.
Pokémon Go is getting a buddy system
Despite its initial success, Pokémon Go has been struggling to maintain its popularity. The game's active users have shrunk by more than 10 million from its mid-July peak, which makes keeping the remaining players engaged that much more important for developer Niantic Labs. The studio is introducing a new feature in the form of a buddy system that might add an interesting dynamic to the game.
Niantic is reversing bans on some 'Pokémon Go' accounts
Pokémon Go players who felt they were wrongly banned might get a reprieve. That's because developer Niantic has said that in its quest to block bots and data scrapers, some people who used third-party map apps to locate the virtual critters were wrongly blocked.
'Pokémon Go' update explains which monsters are the best
Despite its incredible initial popularity, Pokémon Go has faced a number of issues since launch beyond just keeping its servers working. A Bloomberg report cites analyst numbers claiming the game's active users have shrunk by more than 10 million from their mid-July peak, which makes keeping the remaining players happy even more important. An update that just arrived on Android and iOS is trying to address that, pulling in the recently-added Team Leader characters to give players advice on their Pokémon.
Niantic vows to ban 'Pokémon Go' cheaters
Niantic is trying to make Pokémon Go more fair for its millions of players across the globe, this week officially confirming that it will ban any account that appears to be cheating. "After reviewing many reports of in-game cheating, we have started taking action against players taking unfair advantage of and abusing Pokémon Go. Moving forward, we will continue to terminate accounts that show clear signs of cheating," Niantic said.
French mayor bans 'Pokémon Go' in his town
In what is either great technological misunderstanding or extreme territorialism, mayor Fabrice Beauvois wants every digital pocket monster out of his village. He mailed a decree to Niantic, creators of the mobile game Pokémon Go, demanding they pull their game from the 800-person settlement of Bressolles northeast of Lyon.
