For hardcore players, the Pokémon Go Plus is a nifty accessory

MANILA, Philippines – If you’re among the 30 million trainers still playing Pokémon Go fervently then this is the wearable device for you. Pokémon Go Plus, first revealed at E3, enhances the core Pokémon Go experience, allowing you to play the game without having to look down on your phone. You won’t have to whip out your smartphone in crowded or unsafe areas with the wearable, and can be worn as a bracelet or a pin.

Connecting to your smartphone via Bluetooth, the Poké-gadget alerts you of any nearby Pokémon and Pokéstops in the area. If you’re near a Pokémon, the device’s button will flash green, which you can then attempt to catch by pressing its button. It vibrates to let you know if you have successfully captured the Pokémon. 

It will also blink and vibrate when you are within range of a Pokéstop. However, in order to collect the items you will need to take out your smartphone and swipe. The same rule applies if you want to see the Pokémon specie you’re trying to catch on the wearable device. These shortcomings weaken one value proposition of the wearable, which is to cut off the need to bring out your phone. 

The Pokémon Go Plus page has not indicated whether you can walk and hatch eggs with your Pokemon. Pokémon Go Plus is designed to be compatible with all the handheld devices that can run the Pokémon Go app.

The device costs $34.99 and is up for pre-order on Amazon and Gamestop. You can also bid for pre-ordered devices on eBay. It goes on sale on September 16 “in most countries” according to Niantic.

No word yet on whether it will be available in the country, although in a statement released on the Pokémon Go website, Niantic mentioned that it will be available “in most countries and later in the year, in a few South American territories.”

Don’t want to wait for its release in the Philippines? As an alternative, if you are an iPhone user, you can opt to pair the app with the Apple Watch, which sports a similar set of features to the Pokémon Go Plus version. The watchOS version allows you to walk around and hatch eggs, find Pokéstops but you need to capture Pokémon via your smartphone. Apple hasn’t released details on Apple Watch 1 and Watch 2 compatibility.

Are you keen on getting the Pokémon Go Plus or are you leaning towards the Apple Watch version? – Rappler.com

Nadine has been a passionate gamer since she was a freshman in college. When she isn’t playing video games, watching her favorite YouTubers, or trying to share her gaming misadventures, Nadine is working on her photography and her travel plans. Her biggest gaming wish? To build her own gaming PC and to see the release of Devil May Cry 5.