Sign up for the GI Daily here to get the biggest news straight to your inbox
05.09.2023 - 15:41 / theverge.com / Wes Davis / New
By Wes Davis, a weekend editor who covers the latest in tech and entertainment. He has written news, reviews, and more as a tech journalist since 2020.
Niantic has a new Pikmin AR experiment for your mobile browser, called Pikmin Finder, that lets you pluck pikmin from any old place and send them off to collect treasure for you (via Nintendo Life). It’s basically a cute, distilled version of 2021’s Pikmin Bloom, and unless you’re just hopelessly charmed by Shigeru Miyamoto’s imaginary garden creatures, it’s only good for a couple minutes of diversion. And the only official acknowledgment that it exists appears to be a support article.
Niantic has had trouble lately, so it’s not a surprise this was released so quietly. Between summer layoffs, a studio closure, and a lawsuit alleging internal sexual bias, the beleaguered company hasn’t put its best foot forward lately. Niantic has a lot riding on its upcoming AR game Monster Hunter Now, but even if that game is a hit that’s not Pokémon Go, the company has issues to reckon with.
Pikmin Finder clearly isn’t meant to be part of that reckoning — it’s a simple AR toy meant to wet your whistle for the excellent Pikmin 4 (see the ad that shows up when you look at the treasures you’ve collected).
You start by pointing your phone’s camera at a surface, look around for the telltale pikmin stalk poking up from the ground, and swipe up near it to pluck the li’l fella. Once you’ve found all of the two or three nearby pikmin, you can tap a button to send them marching off-screen to find some treasure, which they’ll return to present you with a few minutes later. And that’s it. That’s the game.
Somehow, even as a digital AR game equivalent of a fidget spinner, the Pikmin Finder experiment comes up short. But if you’re looking to pass the time by pulling pikmin out of your desk, just load up your mobile browser of choice and head over to the site.
/ Sign up for Verge Deals to get deals on products we've tested sent to your inbox daily.
Sign up for the GI Daily here to get the biggest news straight to your inbox
Did You Know Gaming? has come a long way. Once a blog full of Facebook-tier image macros about questionable videogame trivia, now it's a YouTube empire with a focus on videogame history and preservation. DYKG's latest project involved the resurrection of a lost Pokémon browser game called Pokémon 2000 Adventure, which has now been uploaded to the Internet Archive.
Next month sees the release of Sony’s next major first-party title and the highly anticipated sequel to Insomniac’s 2018 superhero game, Marvel’s Spider-Man 2.
Razer recently held its annual RazerCon which showcases new releases planned for the future. These releases generally range from the expected to the surprising, and this year was no different.
By Wes Davis, a weekend editor who covers the latest in tech and entertainment. He has written news, reviews, and more as a tech journalist since 2020.
The Nintendo Switch's run might be coming to an end, although there's still no official confirmation on if that's the case or when it might happen, but that doesn't mean new games and accessories aren't still coming our way for the console. On top of a full slate of remakes, remasters, and new titles based on characters from the Mushroom Kingdom launching on Switch over the next few months, there are also still a lot of new amiibo figures launching in the near future.
Rust is truly a timeless survival game, bringing friends from all over the globe together as they struggle to make a base and thrive through the harsh multiplayer world. Garry Newman, the founder of Facepunch Studios, is best known for his work on games like Rust and other Steam classics such as Garry’s Mod. Rust was created using the Unity engine, one that recently sparked controversy among developers due to its upcoming pay-per-install system. Newman responds to the matter himself, where he also mentions Rust 2.
A new RPG is officially on the way with the announcement of Breakers: Unlock the World. This one comes from Vic Game Studios, who plans to show it off at Tokyo Game Show 2023 later this month. For now we’ll have to make do with an announcement trailer. At 15 seconds long, it’s a teaser in every sense of the word.
The biggest phone debut of the year comes with the smallest price tag, as the top US wireless carriers announce free iPhone promotions following Apple Inc.'s introduction of its newest models Tuesday, including the new iPhone 15 starting at $799 and iPhone 15 Pro starting at $999.
A new Sensor Tower report says mobile puzzle games have generated $42 billion since the company began tracking data in 2013.
Spider-Man fans have been comparing Insomniac's vision of New York from the previous game with forthcoming Marvel's Spider-Man 2.
We're thrilled to announce the return of GamesBeat Next, hosted in San Francisco this October, where we will explore the theme of «Playing the Edge.» Apply to speak here and learn more about sponsorship opportunities here. At the event, we will also announce 25 top game startups as the 2024 Game Changers. Apply or nominate today!