Pokémon Go Plus Review – Review

Pokemon Go was designed to be played while doing something else. Niantic’s augmented reality geolocation games are explicitly meant to draw players to areas of interest in their local communities, but parks and outdoor art exhibits are hard to appreciate while staring at a phone. The “Plus” line of companion devices aims to fix that, with some success. The latest device, the Pokemon Go Plus +, might have the hardest-to-Google product name ever but earns all those plusses – alongside one big minus.

Those familiar with the original Pokemon Go Plus or the Poke Ball Plus know the basics: the Plus + connects to Pokemon Go to light up and vibrate when a Pokemon or Poke Stop is nearby. The big button on the front throws a single Poke Ball or spins the Poke Stop to collect items. New here is the option to throw a Great or Ultra Ball for a better chance at catching Pokemon or auto-throw basic Poke Balls without pressing a thing, alongside auto-spin of Poke Stops. Allegedly.

When the Plus + works, it’s incredible. The auto-throw feature bounces quickly between Pokemon with a satisfying buzz, the new Bluetooth Low Energy standard killing all lag. A sleepy Pikachu lives inside and calls out as the Plus + connects, disconnects, or finds a Pokemon the player hasn’t caught yet. However, the auto-throw and auto-spin modes are just plain broken. Only some secret, magical combination of app cache clears, device reconnects, and Bluetooth setting toggles activates the auto modes, and only then for less than an hour. All Plus devices disconnect themselves around the hour mark, but the original Plus and Poke Ball Plus reconnect with no fuss. While the Plus + does reconnect quickly, it almost always defaults to manual mode, prompting the troubleshoot tango outlined above as Pikachu calls out in glee every other step of the way. Pikachu can be silenced via the menu or the device itself, but its surprising number of voice clips are pretty darn cute.

As a tactile device, the Plus + is beautifully crafted. Its soft black plastic back is as smooth as the neatest rock, and the glossy red-and-white front sports a grooved black line down the center perfect to run a thumb across. The large, illuminated center button gives a satisfying click. The vibration is strong enough to feel in a pocket and seems almost organic in the palm, while flashing rainbow lights punctuate successful game actions with a captivating, short-lived glow. To nail the vibration and lights implementation on the Plus + was important as neither feature can be disabled. The Plus + feels great to mindlessly spin around in fidgety hands, but less so with the included wrist strap attached.

This magnetic wrist strap connects to a pillow clip for the Plus +’s most baffling feature: sleep tracking. Pokemon Go and the new Pokemon Sleep let players catch Pokemon and Z’s at the same time by monitoring bedtime movement and noise, and the Plus + can sub in for a player’s phone to track sleep. The Plus + is not at all necessary for Pokemon Sleep (especially not with its bright amber charging LED right next to your face) but it does let sleepy Pikachu join Pokemon Sleep, complete with nightcap. Sleep mode activates after a short hold of the Plus +’s center button, and a lullaby from Pikachu, but only counts after 90 minutes. It activated itself a few times in my pocket throughout the day.

Aside from the unforgivable auto-mode glitch, the Plus + is a solid addition to the Plus device line but fails to address issues with the line itself. A Plus fundamentally changes how Pokemon Go is played but punishes the player for these changes. The Plus line’s quantity-over-quality gameplay style quickly fills players’ Pokemon storage and depletes their Poke Ball supply. Both can be remedied through microtransactions, but that feels like a weird solution to problems created by a device that costs as much as a full, mainline Pokemon title. Pokemon are always prioritized over Poke Stops unless catching Pokemon is completely turned off in the settings.

The Plus + is also just massive. The original Plus was the perfect size to forget at the bottom of a bag or pocket until needed, but pocketing the Plus + feels like an intention. A battery rechargable via USB-C is a welcome addition, but auto-mode and sleep tracking, so far, are harder to recommend.