‘Pokémon Go’ Plus Now Available (If You Can Find It)

Henry Gilbert
Games Pokémon
Games Pokémon Nintendo

The Pokémon Go app still has millions of people playing worldwide and has been pulling in millions of dollars. And the app is still getting updated, with the recent addition of the Pokémon Go Buddy system. That makes for some other new tips and weird news. But one promised feature was missing and has finally arrived in stores today: Pokémon Go Plus devices are now on sale — but that hardly means it’ll be easy to buy the wearable Pokémon Go Plus device.

Pokémon Go Plus was a huge part of the app’s pre-release marketing like the above trailer, but that wasn’t exactly reality. Plus was delayed once the app launched in July, with weeks passing and little word on an exact release date. Now Pokémon Go Plus is arriving in stores nationwide on Sept. 16, but it’s reportedly hard to find in stores and is not in stock at online retailers like Amazon. Meanwhile, the device is selling for $80 on the secondary market, showing demand is a bit larger than Pokémon Go Plus supplies.

How to Use Pokémon Go Plus

Pokemon Go Plus

But how does the bracelet/pin work? Pokémon Go Plus is meant to save you the trouble of always keeping the app open in your phone to capture any monsters. Once you sync your phone with a Pokémon Go Plus, you can switch to the lock screen and just walk around freely.

With your phone on lock, your Pokémon Go Plus will vibrate whenever a Pokémon is nearby. You could use this as a signal to reopen your app and do a standard capture sequence. Alternatively, you can press the button on the Pokémon Go Plus to attempt to catch the monster, but you only get one try, and one normal Poké Ball is used. You’ll know if you succeeded if the Pokémon Go Plus lights up in multiple colors, or it will turn red if you fail.

Pokémon Go Plus also works with the many Pokéstops you’ll come across. The device lights up when you come across a Stop, and then you press the device to collect. Though you’ll only know what you actually got when you check the app.

Should You Buy a Pokémon Go Plus?

Pokemon Go Plus

At this point, it’s hard to say if the cute device is worth it. Especially right now when Pokémon Go Plus is demanding such premium prices since they’re so hard to find. At the normal MSRP of $35, Pokémon Go Plus might be worth it for Pokémon Go fanatics who don’t want to stay glued to their screens at all times.

Then again, other Pokémon Go players might still prefer to know exactly what monsters and stops they’re passing by, not just counting on the vague information the device shares. Perhaps when the device is more widely available, it’ll be a fun accessory, but at the moment it’s hard to say Pokémon Go Plus is worth the extra cost and effort to attain.

Henry Gilbert
Henry Gilbert is Senior Games Editor at Fandom. He's worked in the gaming press since 2008, writing for sites as diverse as GamesRadar, IGN, and Paste Magazine. He's also been known to record a podcast or two with Laser Time. Follow him on Twitter @henereyg.