While Pokémon Go isn’t as popular as it used to be, there are still tons of dedicated players trying to become the very best, like no one ever was. If you are, like me, still playing Pokémon Go and you don’t have a Pokémon Go Plus yet, then you are truly missing out. While the watch-sized device was constantly out of stock in its infancy, the Go Plus has been available on the UK Nintendo store for a long old while.
But why should you get a Pokémon Go Plus? And is it really worth that much money? Here’s everything you need to know about the Pokémon Go Plus.
What is the Pokémon Go Plus and how does it work?
The Pokémon Go Plus is a wristband-mounted accessory that connects to your phone via low-power Bluetooth and allows you to catch Pokémon and spin Poké Stops with the click of a button. With the Pokémon Go Plus, you can carry on catching and spinning without ever needing to open the app.
It works by using a series of vibrations and coloured LED lights to alert you when there’s a Pokémon around, or when you pass a PokéStop. When it flashes green, it means you’ve caught it before, and when it flashes yellow, it means it’s a new Pokémon that you haven’t yet registered in your PokéDex.
But the biggest benefit is that you can actually be social while still playing the game.
There are a few downsides, however. With the Go Plus, you are only able to use PokéBalls to catch Pokémon, and if you fail to catch it on the first PokéBall, it will automatically flee. It’s obviously frustrating if it’s something rare and you could have used a Great Ball or an Ultra Ball to catch it.
Secondly, the Pokémon Go Plus runs on button batteries, meaning that you have to replace the battery every month or so. I use the Go Plus about four to five hours a day and have to replace it every three weeks. Your mileage will obviously vary depending on how heavily you use it.
How much does the Pokémon Go Plus cost and where can you buy it?
The Pokémon Go Plus costs £35 and can be bought in the UK from the official Nintendo UK store. It’s clearly very expensive, but the benefits it provides to a daily Pokémon Go player can’t be understated. Being able to spin PokéStops without opening up the game is a definite bonus when you’re in a rush.
What happened with the Pokémon Go Plus when it first launched?
When the Pokémon Go Plus first launched back in 2016, it was hit by delay after delay. Nintendo initially said that the wearable’s release date had fallen back to September, but the company later revealed the real reason behind the setback, and it wasn’t what we’d expected. It turned out that the Pokémon Go Plus had been delayed not because of Nintendo’s need to keep up with demand, but because of improvements that needed to be made on the app side of the ecosystem.
Nintendo clarified the cause of the delay to Polygon in a statement, saying: “In order for us to offer new experiences to play Pokémon Go with Pokémon Go Plus with a quality level high enough to satisfy as many people as possible, we decided that it is necessary to take enough time for the completion. We ask for your understanding.”
Today, the Go Plus works flawlessly, even though it may have issues now and again whenever Niantic updates the app.
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