(Morpheus Voice) What if I told you, that you can automatically spin PokStops, What if I told you, that you can capture Pokmon all without opening your phone.
(Ash?s Voice ) Can?t you just do that with the Pokmon GO Plus watch thingy??
(o_o) Hrmm? (clears throat), yea but it?s not a Pokball nor can you control your Nintendo Switch with it. (only has two buttons).
If the Pokball Plus was only a Nintendo Switch Pokmon Let?s GO (Pikachu or Evee) controller, then it wouldn?t be worth it?at least to me. This is because I play the Pokmon title in the handheld mode as I once did as a young lad.
Is it worth purchasing the Pokball Plus for exclusively using it with the Pokmon GO mobile game?
It is for me, but it might depend on you. Would you rather wear a watch-like device that might offer the same features? If so then perhaps purchasing the Pokmon GO Plus might be more up your alley.
Where the Pokball Plus shines for me is the nostalgia, the ergonomics and the freedom from the screen it offers. In regards to the ergonomics, I?d rather hold my Pokball while walking and press the button to try to capture a Pokmon than to have a watch-like device in which I then have to use my other hand to cross my body and press a button. (Power Ranger Pose)
Pokball Plus relationship with the Pokmon GO game is not without its issues. You?ll need a tiny bit of strategy to get the most out of your experience with it.
Worth It Points
- I don?t have to look at my mobile phone when I?m walking. I just hold Pokball Plus and press the button.
- It doubles as a fidget-esque toy. The Pokball Plus has a great build, it feels quality. You can fidget around with the joystick, push it in, and press the top button.
- Auto spinning PokStops, big win!
- Throwing it at peoples shoulders at work. I don?t do this :/. By throwing it I mean that I have the Pokball Plus attached to my wrist and I lightly underhandedly throw it.
- Auto catching Pokmon on button press.
Annoyances
- Lack of any instructions. If you?re one that likes discovery than perhaps this isn?t an issue. If you need to know how to use something luckily some Reddit members created an unofficial guide: https://www.reddit.com/r/PokemonLetsGo/comments/9y2e85/an_unofficial_guide_to_pokeball_plus/
- You don?t pair the Pokball Plus to your mobile device via the Bluetooth setting, rather you have to open the Pokmon GO settings menu and scroll down to the bottom, and then it ?should? find it and make the connection. I?m assuming they?re doing this for battery management. This also means that if you close your Pokmon GO game or your mobile OS does, then you?ll have to reconnect the ball when your game loads. You?ll have a new Pokball Plus icon on your Pokmon GO screen
- Sometimes the Pokball Plus just won?t connect to your phone, and you have to go to the Pokmon GO settings, then Pokball Plus and eject your ball and reconnect it.
- If you set your Pokball Plus to detect nearby Pokmon for you to catch, and you have no regular Pokballs the Pokball Plus still notifies you, meaning it will vibrate and display a green led light. It?s annoying because the game knows you don?t have any balls.
- If you set your Pokball Plus to detect nearby Pokmon and PokStops you need to catch or fail to catch all the Pokmon around the PokStop so it can automatically spin the stop for you. This really annoys me, because I would have liked if they made the stop a priority over the Pokmon, or allowed you to change the priority.
- Sometimes it just doesn?t fit in your pocket.
Strategies
- I try not to use any regular Pokmon balls for catching Pokmon when I?m playing through the mobile device. The Pokball Plus can?t use any other balls for attempting to catch Pokmon for you, so I try not to waste them if I plan to use the Pokball Plus for the catching Pokmon.
- If you don?t have any Pokmon balls, go into your Pokball GO settings and then your Pokball Plus settings and uncheck the nearby Pokmon. That way you can go around town and automatically spin PokStops until you have a full bag. I?ve been able to acquire almost 200 Pokballs (mix of the regular, grater, ultra) this way.
- If your hunting for shining or candies, don?t use the Pokball to catch your Pokmon. When using the Pokball Plus, it will only try once to catch that Pokmon once, if it fails that Pokmon is GONE SON!
- I usually don?t turn on the nearby Pokmon feature unless I have a lot of regular Pokballs or I just want to take a nice walk with friends or family, BUT STILL, WANT TO DOMINATE IN POKMON-ING.
MSRP: $49.99
The Pokball Plus cheapest prices when released was through the Nintendo Switch Pokemon Let?s Go bundles that retailed for $99.99. That means that the Pokball retailed for $40.00 and the game for the Nintendo switch retailed for $59.99, giving you a $10.00 discount. Since it?s release I?ve seen the price drop twice, once down to $34.98 and then at some retailers such as Target on clearance for $14.98.
If you got or can get the Pokball Plus for $14.98, then it?s more than worth it if you?re playing Pokemon Go on your mobile device.
Conclusion
Even though, it may seem like the annoyances outweigh the ?Worth It Points?, using the strategies to make the experience better has made it worth it to me.
