A new service has raised eyebrows in the Pokémon trading card community, using X-ray technology to examine the contents of unopened booster packs. The new practice claims to guarantee authenticity and protect players from fraud, but it also raises questions about the impact it could have on the collecting experience and the trading card market. The service isn’t cheap, though, with a minimum cost of $75 per pack.
Using a CT scan, the company called Industrial Inspection & Consulting allows collectors to verify the contents of packs, ensuring that they have not been tampered with or altered. This is especially important given the value that some rare cards can fetch. And according to the creator of the service, by being able to see the inside of packs without opening them, buyers can ensure that they are purchasing genuine products, reducing the risk of being fooled by counterfeits or reselected packs.
You can read: Pokémon TCG player ate his opponent’s card to get him disqualified and win, but he still lost
While this may be beneficial to a large portion of the community, others see it in a bad light. For them, a fundamental part of collecting is the thrill of opening a pack without knowing what cards are inside. X-ray technology can take away the surprise, which could detract from the experience for collectors. Also, if buyers can know the contents of a pack before they buy it, this could decrease the value of unopened packs and alter the dynamics of the trading card market.
In the end, it’s possible that widespread use of X-rays could redefine the collecting of Pokémon cards and other trading cards. But while the technology offers clear solutions to real problems and also transforms the nature of the hobby, for now it will likely be used by few, since the use has a higher value than the new booster packs themselves.
Pokémon player creates world’s first functional Pokédex that recognizes all Pokémon, even drawings, and broadcasts their data in the anime’s voice
We have finally reached the era where a Pokédex, beyond Pokémon video games and anime, exists in reality. This is because a technology enthusiast and Pokémon fanatic has taken on the challenge of recreating the iconic gadget, resulting in a 100% operational device that is causing a stir.
The “world’s first functional Pokédex,” created by “abe’s projects,” is designed to scan images of Pokémon and compare them to an online database. It uses a camera on its back to capture the Pokémon’s image and then consults a database to provide the corresponding information through an AI-generated voice, emulating the voice of the anime.
