Pokémon GO in practice test: Is the purchase worth?

Pokémon GO Plus: We’ve tested the Pokémon wristband in various practice scenarios.


Pokémon GO Plus: The Hardware


After the release of Pokémon GO Plus on 16 September in the United States, many players are wondering: Is it worth buying a Pokémon bracelet at a price of 40 euros? We have tested the Pokémon GO gadget in practice for a number of days and report this from our experience.


Pokémon GO Plus: What it Can - and What It Can not


The Wearable Pokémon GO Plus comes in a small box, about the size of a cigarette box. This includes, in addition to a short guide, the gadget itself as well as the alternative bracelet holder. To provide this instead of the standard clip, you need a cross-slot screwdriver.


Step-by-Step Instructions


How much processing quality can you expect for the price of 39.99 euros? The Pokémon GO Plus gadget itself is still solid, despite the slightly creaking plastic. On the other hand, the fabric bracelet comes rather cheaply - which does not invite you to get into the public.


Lesetipp


But that is not necessary at all. During our several-day test, we used Pokémon GO Plus mainly through the standard clip mount. With this, the Wearable can be flexibly fixed in a variety of places - for example, on the wristwatch, on the belt, on the shirt pocket, on the bicycle or on the baby carriage.


In our opinion, the energy supply is troublesome: Pokémon GO Plus is powered by a simple button cell battery, which then has to be replaced. An integrated rechargeable battery with a micro USB slot would have been the more desirable solution.


Tip: As it looks inside the Pokémon gadget, the Pokémon GO Plus shows teardown at iFixit.


Once the Pokémon GO Plus gadget is installed, it can almost get going. The connection with the iPhone or Android smartphone happens in a few simple steps. Our gallery shows the procedure as an example.


If everything is set up, let's go to the Pokémon hunt. The smartphone stays with the display off in the bag and Pokémon GO Plus now accepts the following functions


There are, however, significant restrictions compared to the Pokémon GO app. These are explained in the following.


If you move into the range of a Pokémon with the Pokémon GO Plus activated, the gadget vibrates once and flashes green if it is a known monster, or yellow if it is a Pokémon that has not yet been registered in the Pokédex.


If you press the LED button, a simple Pokéball is automatically thrown to catch the Pokémon. This is always true but can not benefit from throw bonuses or higher Pokéball classes such as Ultra- or Hyperballs.


After pushing the button, this vibrates three times - like the Pokéball also in the app -, the LED lights up white. Then the LED flashes brightly when the Pokémon has been successfully trapped. If the Pokémon can escape, the sequence will be aborted by a short vibration and the LED will turn red.


How to play Pokémon GO with Pokémon GO Plus


Bitter: If the Pokémon escaped, you do not get a second chance - not even on the app. As a result, rarer, high-level, and valuable Pokémon will always escalate with increasing levels. If the notification LED is yellow, you should not press the button, but quickly pull the smartphone to avoid future frustration. Because only with Ultra- or Hyperballs and the Curve-Ball technique, you have higher chances of catching the discovered Pokémon.


This makes Pokémon GO Plus especially suitable for small cattle. If you're looking for relaxos, lapras, and more, you'll be more likely to benefit from the battery-friendly and more comfortable tracking capabilities when hopping eggs.


Annoyances with the technique


Note: A list of the probabilities with which one Pokémon can be trapped by the one ball is shown by GamePress in their graphics GO Plus Catch Rates


Collecting Items from PokéStops is similar to capturing monsters. If a PokéStop is within range, the Pokémon GO Plus gadget begins to vibrate and shines blue. If you press the LED button, items are collected. The device vibrates briefly for each item that is received. If the PokéStop is out of range, it is red.


Good to know: When both Pokémon and PokéStops are within reach, the monsters are prioritized.


Test Conclusion: A good investment for fans


Especially useful is Pokémon GO Plus, if you want to jog or walk eggs and collect sweets with the Buddy Pokémon. Because the smartphone app does not have to be open in the foreground to count kilometers. This saves battery time and attention.


However, what Pokémon GO Plus has not done so far are notifications of hatched eggs or buddy sweets. Once the necessary distance is reached there is no vibration or LED lighting. Only when the app reopens, the corresponding message appears. Especially for hatching eggs Niantic should improve over here a future update. Then they could immediately give an alarm for arenas within range.


We used the gadget for our test of Pokémon GO Plus in various application scenarios: walking, cycling and as a passenger in the car.


With the gadget in use, the gameplay also changes. Pokémon GO gets even more to the side-by-side, but in a pleasant way. There is more attention for entertainments, music or the jogging track. To leave the smartphone in your pocket is a relief - especially if the temperatures fall into the more uncomfortable Celsius regions in winter.


The physical button proved to be practical in all application scenarios - since this can be easily felt and thus be operated without looking (and with gloves). This is an advantage over the upcoming Smartwatch apps for Apple Watch and Android Wear. For a touch-screen, a glance at the watch is probably essential.


However, when we tested Pokémon GO Plus, we always caught on to the way we were digging out the smartphone. It is because we speculated on a rare monster at famous Pokémon spawns or because we wanted to assure if the Pokémon GO app was still working properly.


Because on the technical side, we had to fight now and then with connection breaks. Here, less the connection between the bracelet and the App seemed to be the problem than the connection between Pokémon GO App and the Niantic servers. The connection was most stable when walking.


Not always without problems was also the bright color of the LED button. Especially in direct sunlight, the difference between yellow and green is not easy to spot when a Pokémon comes in range. Annoying when you miss a rare Pokémon.


After a while, the relatively strong vibration can also be disturbing - especially with dense Pokémon and PokéStop collections. This can not be disabled or adjusted in strength.


If you spend a lot of time in Pokémon GO, the Pokémon GO Plus is a worthwhile investment. Especially at higher levels beyond the 20, the gadget makes it easier to catch frequent Pokémon for lucky egg sessions and hatch the precious eggs.


Buyers of Pokémon GO Plus can also hope that the gadget functionality will be further improved by future app updates. Already the latest Pokémon GO update 0.39.0 / 1.9.0 added the possibility to catch smoke-spun Pokémon over the bracelet.


For most casual players, however, the Pokémon bracelet may be too expensive - and often not handsome enough to adorn the wrist. It is worthwhile to wait for the upcoming Smartwatch apps for AppleWatch or Android Wear, provided you have such a Wearable already or plans to add one.