gaming

Nintendo on Tuesday unveiled its Switch OLED model, the highly anticipated update to its pre-existing hybrid console. Expanding on the regular Switch model’s 6.2-inch LCD screen, the OLED edition arrives equipped with a seven-inch screen that delivers more vivid colors and sharper contrast. Additionally, the latest model also features a wide adjustable stand for tabletop usage, an updated dock that includes a wired LAN port, 64GB of storage and advanced audio for an enhanced gaming experience. The console employs the same Nvidia Custom Tegra processor as the regular Switch device and offers a similar 4.5- to nine-hour battery life. “The new Nintendo Switch (OLED model) is a great option for players who want to experience the new vibrant screen when playing in handheld and tabletop mode,” s...

Roblox has partnered up with Sony Music Entertainment to bring more of Sony’s recording artists into the online game. The two companies “will work together to develop innovative music experiences for the Roblox community,” according to a press release. This isn’t the first time Roblox and Sony have teamed up. In November 2020, Lil Nas X performed the first-ever live virtual concert on Roblox to the tune of 36 million listeners, and earlier this year in May, Zara Larsson held a launch party for the deluxe release of her album Poster Girl in the game. Both events were paired with in-game challenges and virtual merchandise sales. “With this new agreement, we look forward to expanding our successful partnership with the Roblox team to further unlock commercial opportunities at the intersection...

Private equity firm, Blackstone Group Inc. has recently purchased one of the most popular Pokémon TCG grading companies in the world. The company purchased a majority stake in Certified Collectibles Group (CCG), which is known as one of the oldest memorabilia authenticiating and grading companies. JAY-Z’s Roc Nation had joined in on the latest investment round to bring CCG’s value to over $500 million USD. In a statement, the founder and CEO of CCG, Mark Salzberg and Steven Eichenbaum said, “We had always thought that we would never sell this incredible company, but when we were approached by Blackstone, we quickly realized that we shared the same vision for a larger, more vibrant and more trusted collectibles market. We also knew that Blackstone’s enormous resources, expertise and experie...

Hasbro is merging the worlds of Monopoly and Animal Crossing: New Horizons with the collaborative Animal Crossing Edition Monopoly board game. Customized to the world of the Nintendo Switch title, the Animal Crossing Edition Monopoly board game allows two to four players and switches out the traditional gameplay of buying properties and paying rent with collecting bugs, fish, fossils and fruit. It also includes a customized gameboard, character tokens, skill cards, decoration cards, chance charts, Nook Miles cards, Resource chips, Bell coins, a numbered die and a Nook’s Cranny die. Players can pick up a skill card after one trip around the board and they can keep that ability throughout the game, as well as stop by Nook’s Cranny to purchase decorations using Bells. The decorations are wort...

Gary Haase, the self-dubbed “King Pokémon,” now has the entire Pokémon TCG community turning its back on him. Haase is a 67-year-old collector who owns the most expensive Pokémon collection in the world. The collection is reportedly valued at $10 million USD, giving the collector a great amount of clout in the trading card community. Unfortunately for the “King,” a recent clip from a 2020 video has resurfaced, which sees Haase pull out his “base” Charizard collection. Amongst these cards was a mint condition Charizard in a sleeve that is signed by Mitsuhiro Arita, the original illustrator of the Charizard card, now a highly coveted item across the world. In the clip, he is heard calling the signature of the artist “worthless,” going as far as stating, “In this case, the signature mean...

Following the record-breaking sale of an old copy of Super Mario Bros. for $660,000 USD, Heritage Auctions is back again to offer a super-rare version of The Legend of Zelda for the Nintendo Entertainment System. Pre-bidding has seen the 9.0 WATA graded 1987 NES cartridge surpass $110,000 before the auction’s July 9 start date. This special single sealed copy of The Legend of Zelda is from the game’s very first production run that lasted for a few months in late 1987 and is the earliest known copy of the game in existence at this quality. “Truly, the term ‘grail’ only begins to scratch the surface of describing this game,” said Heritage Auctions. “Of all of the games we’ve offered in our auctions, this sealed, early production copy of the first game in the groundbreaking Legend of Zelda se...