Last week over 200 packages of graded trading cards being shipped back to their owners were stolen from a FedEx truck parked outside the headquarters of Professional Sports Authenticator (PSA) in Santa Ana, California, according to a report by The Athletic. PSA is one of the largest third-party sports and hobby card grading companies in the world and it reported to the Santa Ana Police Department that the majority of the stolen packages had an approximate value of over $963,000, but that amount could further increase as PSA continues the process of confirming exactly which cards included in the shipment were taken.

In a statement shared to …

Read the full story at The Verge.

Pokemon GO players are in for a very exciting week as a new event brings the latest debut and new Pokedex entry to the mobile game.

Minior Debuts in Pokemon GO

Today kicks off the first of a handful of special events in Pokemon GO that will see Minior Showers hitting the game and offering players the chance to catch different color versions of the Gen 7 Rock-/Flying-type.

For those who aren’t familiar with Minior, the Meteor Pokemon comes in seven different colors:

• Minior (Red Core)
• Minior (Orange Core)
• Minior (Yellow Core)
• Minior (Green Core)
• Minior (Blue Core)
• Minior (Indigo Core)
• Minior (Violet Core)

Minior will battle in its Meteor Form until its health is reduced to below 50%, when it will change its form and expose its core. While in Meteor Form, Minior will have higher Defense and lower Attack. While its core is exposed, Minior has higher Attack and lower Defense.

Initially, Minior will only be able to change forms when battling Team GO Rocket, team leaders, or in the GO Battle League.

Pokemon GO trainers might find one in its Meteor Form in the wild during the following meteor showers each year, and they’ll receive increased Stardust for catching Minior. During each of the meteor showers below, one of Minior’s different core colors will make its Pokémon GO debut!

• Orionids
  • October 19 at 5:00 p.m. to October 24 11:59 p.m. local time
• Leonids
  • November 14 at 5:00 p.m. to November 19 11:59 p.m. local time
• Geminids
  • December 11 at 5:00 p.m. to December 16 11:59 p.m. local time
  • One of Minior’s core colors will make its Pokémon GO debut in the Northern Hemisphere, and another in the Southern Hemisphere.
• Eta Aquariids
  • May 3 at 5:00 p.m. to May 8 11:59 p.m. local time
• Southern Delta Aquariids
  • July 28 at 5:00 p.m. to August 2 11:59 p.m. local time
• Perseids
  • August 10 at 5:00 p.m. to August 15 11:59 p.m. local time

That should be everything trainers need to know to prepare for the first meteor showers to kick off today. Pokemon GO trainers should be sure to act quickly and take advantage of this opportunity before the meteor showers conclude and the event ends on October 24.

Be sure to check back soon for lots more Pokemon GO news and updates.

Pokemon GO is available now in most regions on mobile devices.

The post Gen 7 Pokemon Makes Special Debut This Week appeared first on VICE.

Hey, remember Pokémon Platinum Version? You know, the best game of Pokémon's best era? Giant fictionalized Hokkaido to explore, evil team that wanted to make the world a nightmare dimension? If you've been hankering to revisit the best of the DS (which I kind of have lately, as it and its rival the PSP re-enter the zeitgeist thanks to hipsters), you no longer have to do it alone. — Read the rest

The post Now play Pokémon with your friends appeared first on Boing Boing.

After covering Amazon’s October sale for the last few days, only one item found its way into my shopping cart, and, lucky for you, it’s still on sale after the event’s conclusion. Pokémon Legends: Z-A for the Nintendo Switch or Switch 2 is $39.88 (usually $59.99 for Switch or $69.99 for Switch 2) at Amazon. The last Pokémon game I played was Let’s Go Eevee!, and Pokémon Moon prior to that, but the unique Lumiose City setting and real-time battles in the latest game have piqued my interest.

Pokémon Legends: Z-A

Pokémon Legends: Z-A is the first game in the main series with a real-time battling system instead of the traditional turn-based formula. You’re still catching pokémon, leveling up, trading, and battling in the game’s Paris-inspired setting, but the more action-oriented battles and smooth performance (on the Nintendo Switch 2) are very welcome.

Where to Buy:

• $69 $39.99 at Amazon (Switch 2)

We reviewed Pokémon Legends: Z-A close to its release last October, and felt like it continued the “Legends” series reputation for overhauling core aspects of the games that many find to be outdated. If you want even more content, Mega Dimension is available as paid DLC (it costs $29.99). A new Switch 2 Edition game bundle that contains the base game and DLC will drop on October 29th, 2026 for $99.99, so I suggest grabbing the game while it’s cheaper.

Read our Pokémon Legends: Z-A review.

After 30 years, Pokémon remains among the most desirable collectible franchises in fandom and auctions regularly prove the cards' growing value. But one scalper went too far in his efforts to acquire the latest Squirter or PewPew or whatever, attaching a GPS tranceiver on a delivery driver's vehicle and using it to track her movements. — Read the rest

The post Pokémon card collector used GPS device to track delivery woman appeared first on Boing Boing.

A couple of years ago, the Pokémon Company clarified that Poké Balls are not tiny pocket monster prisons, but rather like a "high-end suite room in a fancy hotel." Japanese company NOT A HOTEL is a sort of high-end timeshare/fractional ownership company specializing in unique architecture and picturesque locations. — Read the rest

The post A giant Poké Ball hotel room is real, and it's in Hokkaido appeared first on Boing Boing.