Skip to main content
  1. Home
  2. Gaming
  3. News

Nintendo applies for patent on digital card format, but is it for Pokémon?

By
Image used with permission by copyright holder

Nintendo has filed a patent application for a digital card format that could make trading card games even more exciting, and corresponding images and details sure make it sound like it will be used for something related to Pokémon.

On Wednesday, April 26, Nintendo submitted its application for a “non-limiting example game apparatus” that includes a “card display screen including an image of a card object” displayed on the apparatus’ screen. The image displayed on the card is a composite made of a background as well as a “color change image” that will differ according to “an attitude of the game apparatus” — this could point to the image changing when a monster is damaged in battle, reflecting their drop in health in real time.

Recommended Videos

The application added that, depending on where the user is positioned in relation to the card, it can appear to “glitter,” and other elements can also appear on the screen.

Related

“Although detailed description is omitted, in the virtual game space, virtual objects such as plants (including flowers) objects, terrain objects, and building objects are provided and a player character is arranged,” the application said. “Moreover, in the virtual game space, there are also arranged non-player characters such as an enemy character, a villager character, etc.”

Here’s where Nintendo has made it pretty clear the system is designed for Pokémon — the card system can be used to capture “the character of the wild monster by operating the player character and making it a fellow character.”

If this type of card system ever hit store shelves, it would completely change how collectible card games work. Instead of buying booster packs in the hopes of getting a new monster, you will be able to catch them yourself. It’s an idea that sounds remarkably similar to Pokémon Go, though the terminology regarding the “cards” does make it seem that they are two separate products.

This is just one of the innovative patent applications Nintendo has filed recently. Earlier in April, the company filed an application for screens capable of communicating with each other and transferring objects in real time across multiple devices. Turned sideways or on their end, the devices can even display a 3D image.

Editors' Recommendations

Topics
Gabe Gurwin
Gabe Gurwin
Former Digital Trends Contributor
Gabe Gurwin has been playing games since 1997, beginning with the N64 and the Super Nintendo. He began his journalism career…
All new and returning Pokémon in Scarlet and Violet: The Indigo Disk
A Pokémon trainer holding a glowing Pokémon ball.

It's finally time, trainers. The last DLC for Pokémon Scarlet and Violet, The Indigo Disk, will put a firm cap on the latest Pokédex. The DLC not only adds a handful of new critters to the list but also brings back a huge swath of returning favorites from past generations that make exploring Paldea a fresh experience all over again. Your new adventure will have you attempting to solve the mystery of an ancient myth in Kitakami, and perhaps these new Pokémon hold some answers.

Here are all the new Pokémon you can look forward to battling and catching, as well as the list of returning ones to see if your childhood favorite made the cut.
All new Pokémon
Just like in the Teal Mask DLC, this final expansion only adds four new Pokémon. Here's a breakdown of each:
Terapagos
This is the poster child for this DLC, and is going to play a major part of the game's story. Because of its importance, we don't know almost any details about it, including what type it is, except that it does have a Terastal Form.
Raging Bolt

Read more
Pokémon Scarlet and Violet: The Indigo Disk is a true master’s degree program
A trainer stands in front of two Alolan Exeggutors in Pokemon Scarlet and Violet: The Indigo Disk.

After a rocky year, Pokémon Scarlet and Violet’s story is coming to an end next month. Its second DLC, The Indigo Disk, will conclude its bonus Hidden Treasure of Area Zero arc on December 14. That’ll close out the series’ most scrutinized set of games to date, which were lambasted at launch for performance issues and poor visual quality. The Indigo Disk certainly won’t reverse that narrative, but it at least has a shot at sending disappointed fans home happy -- especially after the underwhelming Teal Mask expansion.

Ahead of its launch, I got a hands-on preview with the upcoming DLC that showed me a bit of what to expect. I explored its new open-world area, saw some familiar monsters, and fought in one of the toughest battles I’ve ever had in a mainline Pokémon story. Every technical problem in the base game still reared its ugly head during my hour of playtime, but The Indigo Disk at least brings some high-level challenges to the mix that will test even the most seasoned competitive players.
Same problems, new challenges
The Indigo Disk picks up right after The Teal Mask’s conclusion (players will need to beat it to start the new DLC). In it, I’m sent to Blueberry Academy, which is a massive biodome floating in the middle of the ocean. It houses a round, open-world area split up into four distinct environments. One corner has your standard grassy plains, while another is a massive snowy mountain full of ice Pokémon. It’s significantly bigger than Teal Mask’s bite-sized open world, though the general design isn’t too different.

Read more
5 Pokémon spinoff series we want to return after Detective Pikachu
Key art from the 3DS game Pokémon Super Mystery Dungeon.

Detective Pikachu Returns launched on Nintendo Switch earlier this month, continuing one of Pokémon's many spinoff series. It follows in the footsteps of Pokémon Snap, which received a long-awaited sequel on Nintendo Switch in 2021.
Seeing both of these side series receive brand-new games on Nintendo Switch has certainly left me hoping that other Pokémon spinoffs eventually make a comeback. Some deserve bigger and bolder games to explore some new concepts, while others could just use a fresh coat of paint on modern Nintendo hardware. Here are five Pokémon spinoff series that I hope are next in line for new installments.
Pokémon Ranger

The first spinoff series that needs to make a comeback is Pokémon Ranger, which hasn't seen a new entry since Pokémon Ranger: Guardian Signs in 2010. In this side series for Nintendo DS, players were the titular Rangers instead of Pokémon trainers and served as ecological Peacekeepers for regions exclusive to these games. They feature some of the wildest plots of any Pokémon game and feel different from most other Pokémon games because of their unique capturing system that has players drawing lots of rings around a Pokémon to tame them.
While the stylus-driven gameplay does heavily tie this series to the DS, a new entry could replicate that experience with motion controls or find a new design approach to taming Pokémon entirely. I grew up playing the Pokémon Ranger games in addition to the mainline series and loved the distinct gameplay experience and look at the world of Pokémon they offered. I'd love to see a developer make another attempt at exploring this concept on modern Nintendo hardware.
Pokémon Rumble

Read more