Do You Need A Pokemon Go Plus?

Published: 9 September 2016Updated: 27 September 2016

Pokemon Go Plus will enhance your interactions with the game

Do we really need to remind you that despite no more players falling down the hill or finding dead bodies under bridges, Pokemon Go is still the most downloaded mobile game of all time?

But don’t worry, we won’t talk about Pokemon Go augmented reality mobile video game anymore because now is has a nice little companion to it now. So we’ll focus on that.

The Pokemon Go Plus band is a, what can be appropriately called, peripheral accessory to the original Pokemon Go augmented reality mobile game for iOS and Android smartphones.

If you want to get yourself one of these then you’ll have to shell out about $34.99 for a single unit of these bands.

Pokemon Go Plus bands will be released on September 16, 2016.

If you didn’t notice it by now then you should know that you’ve already been told the good news. Now for the bad news.

The Pokemon Go Plus band won’t get a release in all countries. That’s right, the band will be available in all countries except for some in South America.

However, it was also announced that band would be made available in South America at a later date this year.

What Does Pokemon Go Plus do?

Essentially, the band connects you to your smartphone device via a Bluetooth connection (which uses a lot less energy when compared to other methods).

The Pokemon Go Plus will allow users to get notifications about in-game (that’s in Pokemon Go) occurrences and other events.

The band will use a LED light and some vibration patterns to alert the user about any specific happenings in the game.

Moreover, the device (Pokemon Go Plus band) will also come with a button on it which can be used to carry out actions and tasks in the augmented reality mobile video game such as catching a PoGo monster or collecting items from Poke Stops.

How Does Pokemon Go Plus Work?

It pretty simple essentially. The add-on device will simply light and vibrate when the game requires you to take an action.

So if you’re band goes crazy while you’re walking on the street then you better press the button on it to make sure you catch that last Pikachu before you evolve it into Raichu.

The device will also allow users to check their PoGo journals and bags at some later time to see which PoGo monsters the player has caught and which special items the player has collected when some time has passed.

But this isn’t all what we know about Pokemon Go Plus accessory band. There have been plenty of new stories that have covered the subject in reasonable detail.

So there is very little that isn’t understood about the device.

Hence, we’ll now describe what the PoGo (Pokemon Go) Plus is capable of doing and what it isn’t made to do.

Do remember though, that Nintendo will definitely add some new functionalities and features to the device in the future to make it more interactive.

So keep that in mind when reading the next bit.

Pokemon Go Plus (PoGo Plus) device will notify players for various in-game events.

Pokemon Go Plus Has Been Programmed to Work With The App Even When The App Is Running In The Background.

Perhaps the most important feature of PoGo Plus band is the device’s ability to run in the background while the PoGo player is doing something else, for a change, in his/her life.

It brings a lot of hands-off in-game interactions to the players who have had to walk millions of miles now while having to keep staring at their smartphone screens.

But that’s not all. The PoGo Plus device will not only save users a lot of time (because they won’t have to stare at their smartphone screens while walking anywhere and everywhere) but the device will continue to work even when the Pokemon Go augmented reality mobile video game’s application is not actively running.

Users will only be required to open the PoGo application and then sign into their PoGo profile and then put their specific device on screen lock.

This will also save a lot of battery which is a huge plus considering that PoGo is actually an augmented reality mobile video game which rips through the smartphone’s battery pretty quickly.

So even if a particular player doesn’t have the PoGo application running actively on his/her smartphone, the PoGo Plus will still be able to notify the user if a rare (or otherwise) PoGo monster appears nearby.

As mentioned before, the device will also send out a notification if the user comes across a Poke Stop.

This simple action on part of PoGo Plus band will effectively allow the user to easily click the button on the device to catch PoGo monsters and collect items.

Pokemon Go Plus Device Will Only Catch Previously Caught PoGo Monsters.

Just as in the real world, there is no free lunch in the augmented reality world of Pokemon Go.

Yes, the PoGo Plus device will only help you catch a PoGo monster with the click of a single button if you have already caught that PoGo monster before.

And did we mention that a press on the band’s button only throws a Poke Ball and doesn’t actually catch the nearby PoGo monster?

Too bad. Because it does require you to catch a PoGo monster with a bit more effort. In other words, using the device won’t ensure that you will catch a nearby critter.

Though the device will vibrate if your throw results in the capture of a monster.

However, the device won’t let you change your ball type or anything. So if you want to use, let’s say, a Razz Berry on the annoying pocket monster then you’ll have to take out your smartphone and do that with the help of a screen and some taps.

Pokemon Go Plus Device Will Also Not Track The Distance A Player Has Travelled

Listen, stop trying to take shortcuts all the time.

The PoGo Plus device will not assist players to hatch more eggs or walk the newly announced Pokemon buddies.

For that to happen, the players will be required to have the PoGo application actively running on their smartphone.

But of course, players will have the option of using some unethical means (like changing the apps settings) so that their smartphone screens won’t shut off automatically while they use the PoGo Plus band simultaneously.

Moreover, a setting like that will hurt the player’s smartphone battery life. On the bright side though, players will be able to record distance traveled on their smartphone app,catch PoGo monsters and collect items without ever having to look at the smartphone’s screen directly with two eyes all the time.

Pokemon Go Plus Will Not Notify Players If Nearby Pokemon Has Been Attracted By The Use Of An Incense

Sorry, no more trying-to-get-a-million-xp-without-spending-rest-of-your-life-on-pokemon-go for you.

Not only that, this could also mean that PoGo Plus will also not alert users of monsters that are spawned by Lure Modules.

The device won’t allow you to play the game without your smartphone. It will just assist you in some scenarios.

All Players Will Have To Update The Game In Order To Activate Pokemon Go Plus On Their Smartphone

Just for clarity’s sake, you will actually have to go to a shop to buy a PoGo Plus device.

But along with that, you’ll also be required to update your PoGo application.

If that wasn’t enough, then you’ll also need to update your smartphone device.

Nintendo recently announced these three conditions and said that to use the PoGo plus device with the PoGo app, by Niantic Inc, an app update would be required.

The company, that didn’t have much to do with the development of the augmented reality video game, also revealed that PoGo Plus was compatible with the following operating systems:

iOS Compatible OS versions: iOS 8 – 9 Compatible with: iPhone® 5/5c/5s/SE/6/6s/6 Plus/6s Plus

Android Compatible OS versions: Android 4.4 – 6.0 Compatible with: Android 4.4 or higher that have Bluetooth® Smart (Bluetooth v4.0 or higher) capability and RAM 2GB or more”

Now For The Unknown Part

Will Pokemon Go Plus Alert Pokemon Go Players If There’s A Nearby Unidentified Pokemon Go Monster?

Nintendo already made it clear that players won’t be able to catch completely new PoGo monsters with PoGo Plus band.

But what about being notified if a new Pokemon does happen to appear near players?

Well, currently, we don’t know the answer.

Of course, if it turns out to be the case then it will be nothing but sheer disappointment for the majority of the players.

What if a player misses a chance to sight and capture a Dragonite (very rare but still) because he/she was depending on PoGo Plus?

What About New Features For Pokemon Go Plus?

Niantic Labs’ has rolled out several updates for the main game which have added new features in the augmented reality mobile video game.

And the developers have promised plenty of more features in future updates.

But we do wonder if those promises extend to PoGo Plus as well. Will the device’s software get updates/features in the future?

No one knows.

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Zohair

Zohair is currently a content crafter at Technologypep and has been involved in the technology industry for more than a decade. He is an engineer by training and, naturally, likes to help people solve their tech related problems. When he is not writing, he can usually be found practicing his free-kicks in the ground beside his house.

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