Gaming

Pokémon Scarlet and Violet are the next Pokémon games

Featuring a cute cat, a fierce croc, and a silly duck

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We’re in for a Pokémon-filled year. After starting with a glitzy Pokémon Legends: Arceus, The Pokémon Company is already preparing for the next generation. On Pokémon Day, the group officially announced the next series coming from the franchise, Pokémon Scarlet and Violet.

 

Coming in late 2022, the two games will bring the ninth generation of creatures to the fold. The still-unnamed region will feature new and familiar Pokémon including three adorable starters: Sprigatito, Fuecoco, and Quaxley.

The first of the pack, Sprigatito, is a cute grass cat Pokémon who might finally break the author’s aversion to grass starters. Fuecoco, the trio’s fire type, is a fiery crocodile we’d love to see go up against a Feraligatr. Finally, Quaxly is a silly duck with funny hat (…or is that its hair?).

Though unnamed, the region looks inspired by Spain — based on the map, architecture, and some of the new Pokémon’s names. (“Fue” in Fuecoco probably stands for “fuego,” for example.) Since it might be in Spain, the two games might have some interesting interactions with the nearby Britain-inspired Galar region.

The Pokémon Company promises that the region will adopt an “open world” approach, potentially hinting at the revolutionary mechanics introduced by Pokémon Legends: Arceus. After 26 years of history, Arceus created meaningful change in the arguably stale zeitgeist with new mechanics to explore, capture, and fight Pokémon.

To abate the excitement, the new series is coming precariously quick after Arceus. Though one can argue that Arceus isn’t a main game, it’ll be interesting to see how Pokémon Scarlet and Violet takes after the acclaimed game released earlier this year.

SEE ALSO: Pokémon Legends: Arceus review: A must-try for newbies and oldies

Gaming

PlayStation might soon let you buy PC games

Cross-Buy might bundle your PS5 games with a PC version.

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Maintaining a gaming library between different platforms is a chore, especially for multiplayer games. It’s way too common to buy a new game on one platform, only to find out that your friends bought it on another. This could lead to double buying or forever missing out on playing with friends. Now, PlayStation, if a new leak is to be believed, will finally help cure the curse of platform mismatches.

Last week, @yAmethxst, an X user, posted leaked screenshots of new icons coming to PlayStation. The leak was also confirmed legit by Dealabs. Though some are less interesting (like a touchpad button), a couple of the new icons are hinting at a Cross-Buy function coming to the platform.

Based solely on the name, Cross-Buy doesn’t offer much. However, a complementary icon, which shows the PS5 logo and a PC logo side by side, confirms how Sony wants this to work. Cross-Buy will likely allow players to purchase two copies of the same game: one for the PlayStation and another for their PC.

There are a few gaps and questions to be answered, though. For one, which games are compatible with this feature? Is it exclusive to PlayStation’s first-party games, or are third-party games included?

Secondly, which platform on PC will the feature support? The likeliest suspect is Steam, but how about users who prefer the Epic Games Store or GOG?

There are so many mysteries about this feature. Heck, we don’t even know if this will actually work as we described. If anything, this is a welcome feature in the world of cross-platform gaming.

SEE ALSO: PlayStation announces a new duotone DualSense color

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Gaming

Grand Theft Auto VI delayed to November 2026

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Back in September, Hollow Knight: Silksong finally launched, ending an almost seven-year wait. Now, the next holy grail of gaming that’s set to launch is Grand Theft Auto VI. However, the wait is now a tiny bit longer. Rockstar Games has delayed the launch of its upcoming game to November 2026.

It’s been over 12 years since the launch of Grand Theft Auto V. In that time, the title has gone through three generations of the Xbox and the PlayStation. It even has an enhanced edition already. That said, the highly anticipated sixth outing is a long time coming.

In the tail end of 2023, Rockstar Games released the first trailer for the anticipated sequel, teasing a launch in 2025. Further reports pinpointed a fall 2025 window. Since then, the studio delayed the game to May 2026 for extra polishing.

Today, Rockstar Games has announced another delay. This time, Grand Theft Auto VI will launch on November 19, 2026. The studio is once again citing the need to polish the final product a bit more.

Besides the game itself, there is a lot riding on its launch. For one, other game developers are notorious for patterning their games’ release windows away from Grand Theft Auto VI (or other major games). They naturally don’t want their games to be the one known for being overshadowed by Rockstar’s surefire hit.

Secondly, publishers are patiently waiting for how much the game will go for. There’s speculation that the title might push the boundaries of videogame pricing. If the game is a hit while going for 90 to 100 bucks, then other publishers might follow suit.

SEE ALSO: Grand Theft Auto VI gets its first-ever trailer

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Gaming

The Nintendo Switch is nearing the end of its lifecycle

Nintendo will focus more on the Switch 2 going forward.

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It’s the beginning of the end for the Nintendo Switch. After almost nine years of the original console, Nintendo is just about ready to move on to the next generation.

According to a recent earnings report, Nintendo has announced that the company will start focusing on the Switch 2. “Going forward, we will shift our primary development focus to Nintendo Switch 2 and expand our business around this new platform,” the report said.

Since it was launched earlier this year, the Switch 2 exceeded the company’s expectations. The new console has already surpassed 10 million units sold worldwide, making it Nintendo’s fastest-selling console so far. In fact, the company is already worried about shortages in some parts of the world.

As pointed out by the report, 84 percent of current Switch 2 users transitioned from the original console generation. Owners of the first console are transitioning at a uniform rate.

Currently, there is no explicit plan to fully move away from the first generation yet. The issued statement, however, heralds the end. This will likely start off on a subtler note: fewer games coming out and fewer consoles available in the market.

So, there is no pressing need to switch over to the newer console immediately. However, this should be a warning for users that the end is nearing.

For what it’s worth, the Switch 2 offers backwards compatibility. If you have a shapely catalog of games from the first generation, you can still use them on the newer one. Also, there is a growing number of exclusive games that make use of the more powerful hardware, so it’s a worthy upgrade.

SEE ALSO: Assassin’s Creed Shadows is coming to the Switch 2

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