Gaming

What’s up with Palworld, the game everyone’s talking about?

Plagiarized or unique?

Published

January 24, 2024

Luigi Leonardo

In case you missed it, 2024’s most viral hit just dropped over the weekend, and it’s only January. If you didn’t miss it, then yes, this is about Palworld, the game that everyone is talking about. Whether you’re already setting up camp in Palpagos Island or still hovering over the buy button, here’s what you need to know about the controversial Pokémon lookalike.

What is Palworld?

As the last two words explicitly hint, Palworld earned its surprising fame to the meme-worthy moniker as “Pokémon with guns.” As soon as everyone started calling it that, social media immediately hopped on and strapped a rocket onto the indie game’s back, making it one of the most successful launches on Steam.

In fact, calling it a finished game might be overstating it. Steam released Palworld as an early access game on January 18. Developed by an independent studio called Pocket Pair, the small game relies heavily on mechanics from other popular games.

Besides featuring creatures that look awfully similar to Pokémon, it also has a survival mechanic reminiscent of Ark: Survival Evolved, Minecraft, and Rust. The exploration in the game also reminds players of The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild and Genshin Impact.

In a nutshell, players find themselves in Palpagos Island in a simple quest to survive. To do so, they have to gather resources, research technologies, and build bases. The island’s inhabitants aren’t the friendliest either. Boss battles are aplenty featuring a crime syndicate right on the island. Also, if players commit crime, a police force is ready to arrest them.

Now, players don’t have to do the heavy lifting on their own. Around the island, Palworld has over a hundred creatures known as Pals. To catch them, players have to use ball-shaped items called Pal Spheres. Every Pal has their own special ability to help out with battling or base-building.

The controversy

Catching adorable animals with balls for battles? The premise will likely sound familiar to most players. After a lot of people jumped on the “Pokémon with guns” meme, the other side of social media turned on the trendy game by criticizing its apparent plagiarism on the popular Nintendo franchise.

Some users have even accused Pocket Pair of using AI to generate creatures for Palworld. To be clear, there is absolutely no evidence that the game uses AI for creature designs. At the very least, it’s apparent that Pocket Pair heavily relied on existing Pokémon designs for its own creatures.

AI or not, nothing could stop irked Pokémon fans from sharing their grievances against the game. Some have even called for boycotts.

Are the allegations justified?

However, despite the obvious similarities to the Pokémon franchise, Palworld remains playable on Steam. For a generally litigious company, Nintendo hasn’t touched the base game at all.

To further hammer that point in, a modder developed a way to import Pokémon assets to the game. Nintendo wasted no time and took the mod down. The base game was left alone, though. It’s clear that Nintendo is fine with the game (or, at the very least, does not have any legal recourse against it).

Also, this isn’t Pocket Pair’s first rodeo. The studio’s previous game, Craftopia, likewise gathers a lot of inspiration and assets from another Nintendo property, The Legend of Zelda. The available screenshots clearly show a reskinned Bokoblin and a paraglider. Despite all those, the game is still up on Steam. Whatever Pocket Pair is doing, Nintendo seems perfectly okay with letting things roll.

Should you play Palworld?

As with every incredibly popular game today, play what you want. Palworld is clearly capturing everyone’s attention right now. If you want to join the fun, you absolutely could. It’s a fun game with a unique creature-catching mechanic. If anything, The Pokémon Company can take some pointers to improve their own series.

Likewise, if the plagiarism issue is too much, refusing to play the title is an acceptable choice, too. After all, originality should be valued in the creative industry. Just don’t force others to make the same decision.

Regardless of which side you lean more towards, Palworld is certainly a moment in time for 2024. Of course, the game’s longevity still remains to be seen. At the very least, it’s something a lot of people can enjoy.

Gaming

Valve unveils price of the Steam Frame

The VR headset starts at US$ 1,059.

Published

September 15, 2026

Luigi Leonardo

The trifecta is complete. Almost a year after announcing their new hardware, Valve has finally unveiled the price tag of the Steam Frame, complementing the Steam Machine and Steam Controller revealed a few months ago.

Whereas the Steam Machine is a console of its own, the Steam Frame is a traditional VR headset with a pair of controllers for both hands. Unfortunately, despite being in a different segment, the headset is not immune to the rising prices of technology. The Steam Frame will start at US$ 1,059 for a 256GB model and can go up to US$ 1,299 for the 1TB model. On the plus side, each box will come Half-Life: Alyx packaged along with the headset.

Here’s a more detailed rundown of what you’re getting. The Steam Frame will ship with the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 chipset, paired with 16GB of RAM. Each eye comes with a 2160 x 2160 LCD screen, putting out images at up t0 a 144Hz experimental refresh rate. As mentioned above, the headset will start with 256GB of storage but can go up to 2TB. It will come packaged with SteamOS 3 and a rechargeable 21.6Wh battery.

This might be a hard buy for some. The industry currently has more affordable options, for one. Also, virtual reality isn’t the most thriving segment of gaming today.

If you’re still decided on buying one, however, Valve is using its lottery system. Interested customers can sign up from now until September 17. The company will then randomize the purchasing order. Those who draw the first ones in the lottery can get a purchase email as soon as September 18. Meanwhile, anyone who registers after September 17 will automatically be put at the back of the queue.

Gaming

BlizzCon 2026 announces World of Warcraft: Forever and Diablo V

StarCraft, Overwatch, Hearthstone, and more also get news

Published

September 14, 2026

GadgetMatch

Blizzard Entertainment kicked off BlizzCon 2026 with a packed Opening Ceremony featuring new games, major expansions, updates, and other announcements across its biggest franchises.

Blizzard Entertainment President Johanna Faries opened the event at the Anaheim Convention Center, celebrating the community behind the company’s games and the teams that bring its worlds to life.

World of Warcraft: Forever and Diablo V

The biggest announcement was World of Warcraft: Forever, a new World of Warcraft experience launching November 5 AEDT, with its beta beginning September 18 AEST. The new experience will feature three zones, more than 1,000 quests, nine dungeons, two raids, and a new Skyborne race.

Blizzard also officially announced Diablo V, marking the next era of the franchise. The game is set to launch in North America in Spring 2029, with Sanctuary having fallen and Diablo having won.

StarCraft is also returning with a new story-driven, open-world shooter. The game is currently planned for a Spring 2030 release in North America.

Beyond games, Blizzard revealed that an animated series set in the Diablo universe is in development with Netflix. The company says this is only the beginning of its plans to expand its universes beyond gaming.

For Warcraft III Reforged, the new Forsaken Kingdom campaign is available today. It marks the Warcraft RTS series’ first new storyline in more than 23 years and explores the fall of Lordaeron and the origins of the Undercity. The accompanying 3.0 update also brings graphical improvements and a revamped World Editor.

Heroes of the Storm is adding Xal’atath as its newest Hero. She arrives in the Nexus on September 29 AEST, with her PTR release scheduled for September 15 AEST.

Existing games updates

Meanwhile, Diablo IV is preparing for its next major content drop. Season of Hell’s Legacy begins September 16 AEST and celebrates the franchise’s 30-year history with the return of the Prime Evils and Deckard Cain, alongside themed rewards and gear.

The legendary Amazon class will also arrive in the first half of 2027 as part of Diablo IV’s first class pack. The Diablo IV: Age of Hatred Collection is additionally coming to Nintendo Switch 2 on September 16 AEST with cross-platform play and cross-progression.

For World of Warcraft, Blizzard teased the next major update for Midnight. Eclipse (12.2) will see Xal’atath move closer to her goal of claiming Azeroth’s Worldsoul. Blizzard also offered another look at The Last Titan, the next expansion in the Worldsoul Saga and a major culmination of more than two decades of Warcraft storytelling. More information is coming early next year.

Overwatch is getting a major update with Season 5. The season introduces new Support Hero Doctrine, reworks for Sombra and Roadhog, and the new Watchpoint: Grimsvötn map. It will also conclude The Reign of Talon, Overwatch’s first year-long narrative arc.

LE SSERAFIM & YOASABI

BlizzCon also featured performances from YOASOBI and LE SSERAFIM. YOASOBI will perform during the first-ever esports halftime show at BlizzCon, while LE SSERAFIM will return to the Main Stage to close the weekend. A new LE SSERAFIM in-game collaboration is available now, with another Overwatch Spotlight scheduled for February 2027.

Finally, Hearthstone is getting its first new class in more than six years. The Monk arrives in 2027, while the upcoming Reign of the Black Empire expansion takes players back to the earliest age of Azeroth. It introduces the Assemble keyword, which combines two cards into a new one. Battlegrounds is also adding Aberrations as a new minion type.

BlizzCon 2026 is now underway, with Blizzard promising more announcements and details throughout the weekend.

Gaming

Just Dance: Decades of Hits to launch on October 13

All-new Just Dance experience that brings every generation together

Published

September 12, 2026

GadgetMatch

Just Dance: Decades of Hits will launch on modern consoles on October 13, Ubisoft has announced.

This will offer fans of the franchise a new experience across eras of music. The game will be available on PlayStation5 , Xbox Series X|S, and Nintendo Switch on the launch date.

Nintendo Switch 2 users, meanwhile, will be able to enjoy the title by November 10, 2026.

Just Dance: Decades of Hits brings together every generation to one dance floor with 25 iconic songs across six different decades:

Mamma Mia by ABBA
Uptown Girl by Billy Joel
It’s Tricky by Run-DMC
No Scrubs by TLC
Wannabe by Spice Girls
Bye Bye Bye by *NSYNC
Feel Good Inc. by Gorillaz
Turn Down for What by DJ Snake and Lil Jon
Danza Kuduro by Don Omar feat. Lucenzo
Manchild by Sabrina Carpenter
NUEVAYoL by Bad Bunny
And more!

Bringing every generation together

Songs, visuals, and an all-new Adventure Mode are all designed to immerse players in the spirit that made each decade unforgettable.

From the funky ’70s disco floors and the electrifying ’80s rock scene to the glossy 2000s pop and beyond, travel through time and share the joy of rediscovering iconic moments with friends and family.

In Adventure Mode, follow Lyra, Dr. Gigavolt’s daughter, in a playful journey through time to rescue her father.

Explore the decades through six themed worlds, enjoy fun mini activities, and unlock exclusive rewards.

For unpredictable, chaotic fun where the rules change every round, players can jump into Party Mode. Or they can get moving with the Workout Mode, which tracks calories burned with each dance.

Up to six players can dance locally in the game, with no extra accessories needed.

In addition those who own Just Dance: Decades of Hits as well as Just Dance 2023-2026 editions will be able access all their songs in one place on the same console without having to switch games or separate menus.

This also includes songs from purchased Music Packs and songs available through an active Just Dance+ subscription.