pokemongo
Latest
'Maguss,' the game that definitely isn't 'Harry Potter Go'
It's a little bit complicated," Ondrej Tokar says with a laugh. Tokar is the creator of Maguss, an augmented reality mobile game that transforms players into wizards wandering around a world of spells, potions, duels and fantastical creatures. But let's get one thing absolutely clear: It's not a Harry Potter game. Tokar has to emphasize this fact because his team has already been contacted by someone claiming to represent the Harry Potter brand, asking them to distance Maguss from J. K. Rowling's world, or else. Strangely enough, this is precisely what Tokar wants.
Spotify Gaming puts your favorite soundtracks in one place
Video game soundtracks hold a pretty special place in the Engadget Gaming crew's heart. Whether it's a collection of painstakingly curated licensed tracks a la Hotline Miami or wholly original compositions from Austin Wintory or Jesper Kyd, the right music can make a good game great and an excellent one even better. Spotify recognizes this too and is launching a new subsection dedicated to gaming music. The new collection brings everything under one category now (finding gaming stuff was a bit messy before), works across pretty much every platform and even includes chiptune stuff from the '80s.
'Pokémon Go' update warns you not to catch and drive
You probably know that it's unwise to play Pokémon Go while you're behind the wheel, but Niantic and The Pokémon Company aren't taking any chances. They're trotting out an update to the mobile game (on both Android and iOS) that tells you not to catch creatures while driving. You have to tap an "I'm a passenger" button if you want to keep playing while moving at high speed. The game can't check to see that you're being honest, of course, but this will at least serve as a reminder that irresponsible gameplay can have serious consequences.
Twitch is cracking down on 'Pokémon Go' cheaters
While livestreaming can be a boon for game developers, Twitch has made it clear the company has zero tolerance for players who flagrantly violate any game's terms of service. For players streaming their Pokémon Go sessions, that means taking a hard stance on shared accounts and GPS spoofing.
'Pokémon Go' welcomes trainers in 15 more countries
Apparently, Pokémon Go's launch in Japan signified a wider release in the region. Niantic's hit app is now officially out in 15 more countries in Asia and Oceania, specifically Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, Vietnam, Taiwan, Papua New Guinea, Fiji, Solomon Islands, Federated States of Micronesia and Palau. A lot of people in those locations began playing way back when the application first launched by downloading its APK. But now that the game is officially available, they can get it straight from the App Store or from Google Play.
Iran bans 'Pokémon Go' over security jitters
A number of governments are already nervous about the security implications of Pokémon Go, but Iran is taking that fear one step further: it just became the first country to ban the critter catching game entirely. The nation's High Council of Virtual Spaces wouldn't say what prompted the decision besides "security concerns." However, it comes after reports that Iran wanted to see what cooperation it could get from Niantic before taking action.
'Pokémon Go' dev says it needed to block scrapers to expand
Niantic Labs is still facing backlash from some players over blocking many third-party Pokémon Go services, but insists that the moves are necessary. In a blog post it provided a graph (without any numbers) that it says shows how much traffic dropped off after it blocked many scraper services. It says that "freeing up those resources" is what enabled it to launch in Central and South America earlier this week, and blamed scrapers for delaying the rollout in the first place.
'Pokémon Go' battery saver mode will return to iOS soon
Day by day Niantic Labs keeps tweaking its incredibly popular game, and now Pokémon Go is rolling out to players across Central and South America. No matter where you're trying to catch 'em all, if you're on iOS you can expect the"battery saver" mode to return in the next several days. According to a Facebook post it was pulled because of bugs, but now that they're fixed it's coming back.
New York bill would ban 'Pokémon Go' stops near sex offenders
New York state might not just ban sex offenders from playing games like Pokémon Go -- it may eliminate the incentives for them to play, too. A group of senators have introduced a bill that would prevent augmented reality game developers from placing objectives (such as pokéstops) within 100 feet of where a registered sex offender lives. Companies that don't heed the warning could face fines of up to $100 per day for every location that violates the legislation.
'Pokémon Go' makers explain why they blocked third-party apps
Gotta catch 'em all. It's the itch you just can't stop scratching -- and one where a wave of unofficial Pokémon Go apps and web-based maps helped clue you in on exactly where those Jynx were hiding. Unfortunately, alongside an app update last weekend, the team behind the app shut down data access to third-party services like PokeVision. It released a statement to users on its Facebook page, saying these services were "interfering with our ability to maintain quality of service for our users and to bring Pokémon Go to users around the world." It added that the huge number of users has had an effect on its roll-out plans.
'Pokémon Go' hits 100 million downloads
Pokémon Go is still going strong, despite privacy scares and feature bugs. According to a report by App Annie, it has now been installed over 100 million times, up 25 million from late July. While that number is from an analyst report and the actual number of downloads could be slightly different, it's not that hard to believe. As TechCrunch noted, the game was downloaded 50 million times on Android within only 19 days according to previous estimates, whereas it took 77 days for ColorSwitch to get to that point.
New York Governor bans sex offenders from 'Pokémon Go'
New York Governor Andrew Cuomo has forbidden registered sex offenders in his state from downloading and playing Pokémon Go and similar augmented reality games. According to a statement released Monday morning, the Department of Corrections and Community Supervision will apply the governor's directive to "nearly 3,000 Level 1, 2 and 3 sex offenders currently on parole" in the state of New York.
From Machop to Machamp: Surviving London's 5K Pokérun
One had escaped earlier, but not again -- this time, Squirtle, you're mine. I yanked at the peak of my cap, and began to spin the Pokéball patiently as the target area grew smaller, and smaller still. A good throw, but not a direct hit. The ball shook for what I thought was the last time, then poof... Before you could say "Mew," it was gone. No time to dwell. "Make that Pokéball your last! It's time to get moving," our leader bellowed. Eyes stinging, I dragged an already soaked T-shirt sleeve across my brow. It'll only be another 10 minutes of pounding the pavement, I thought, before respite at the next Pokébreak. I groaned quietly as my legs kicked into a light jog. This, fellow trainers, is the Pokérun.
'Pokémon Go' update kills battery-saving mode, footprint tracking
Pokémon Go's first substantial update adds tweaks for overpowered Pokemon (those consistently at the top of Pokemon gyms: cough, Vaporean, cough), where the critters can be found, and a raft of bug and text fixes. Niantic has decided to drop the footprint tracking system that didn't even work in the debut iteration of the game; you'll have to make do with the vague list of nearby Pokémon. And pray. The update also nixed the battery-saving feature (update: on iOS only), although this editor and others found that feature often made the app unresponsive. Your mileage may have varied, but regardless, battery-saving mode is no more. So turn that screen brightness down, and definitely bring your portable battery pack on your Pokémon hunts.
I've accidentally joined the cult of Pokémon
Pokémon passed me by when it arrived in the UK back in 1999, and I've never been a fan. The way my friends were suddenly gripped by its cult-like lure made it seem like the worst thing ever. In my mind, 15-year-olds shouldn't be hunched over their Game Boy Colors; they should be trying (and failing) to talk to girls. I also objected to the title on moral grounds, since it glorifies blood sports like dogfighting for an audience that isn't old enough to appreciate nuance. My stance between the ages of 15 and 30 was simple: Fuck Pokémon. That's why it's so galling that I spent last weekend roaming the city for Pokéballs. Thanks to Pokémon Go, I've become everything that I hate.
Nintendo's lack of breakthrough games hit profits hard (update)
Despite Nintendo's attempts to lower expectations ahead of announcing its financial results, its latest quarterly earnings aren't good. At all. Net sales are down 31 percent compared to the same quarter last year, down to 62 billion yen ($587 million). Meanwhile, it saw an operating loss of 5.1 billion yen (roughly $48 million). Nintendo managed to sell 220,000 Wii Us, nudging the total number of consoles sold over 13 million, while the aging 3DS notched another million sales. Despite the company owning parts of Pokémon Go, it isn't reflected in the earnings, as the game was released after the quarter that ended in June. However, the company took to Twitter to announce that its curious Pokémon Go Plus accessory has been delayed two months until September.
I went on a Pokécrawl and all I got was this lousy Bulbasaur
"This is going to be awesome," I thought as I climbed the steep grade up to the statue of Hidalgo in San Francisco's Mission Dolores Park. I was there for a Pokécrawl, you see, but after a week of local news stories and Twitter hype, all signs pointed to it being a circus. And who doesn't love the circus?
Nintendo loses billions in value after 'Pokemon Go' truth bomb
Pokemon Go is an unprecedented success, but Nintendo recently admitted it won't directly profit from the augmented reality game, leading to a loss of $6.7 billion in Nintendo's market value on Monday. Nintendo's market value rose by $7.5 billion on July 11th, just after Pokemon Go went public and became an instant, massive hit across the globe. Since its launch, Pokemon Go has added nearly $12 billion to Nintendo's market value, meaning today's dip, while sizable, isn't a total disaster for the company.
OneDrive cribbed a lot from Google Photos for its new update
Competition is good for everyone. Case in point: Microsoft has added some features to the OneDrive platform that should be pretty familiar to anyone accustomed to Google Photos. First up are Automatic Albums, which, as the name implies, groups photos together based on metadata to give you a comprehensive view of a given time period's events. In a neat twist, the folks in Redmond say that every Monday morning the service will automatically create albums of the pictures you took over the weekend. The platform will do a TimeHop-style "On this day" photo-resurfacing as well.
What's next for 'Pokémon Go'? Custom locations and more monsters
As Pokémon Go continues its global assault, Niantic Labs founder John Hanke took to a panel discussion at Comic-Con to tease at what's coming next to the app -- and how the team hopes maintain this insane momentum. To start, more Pokémon critters will eventually make their way to Go, although Hanke's wording makes it sound like not all of them will make the cut. "Beyond first generation [the original 150], there are some others that may make their way into our universe. We're looking forward to finding interesting ways to make that happen in the coming months and years." The CEO went on to elaborate on developments for the in-game world too -- and that's where it got interesting.
