A beautiful new Pokémon Go accessory spotted some bugs at launch.
Pokémon Go is designed so that you can play while doing something else. Niantic’s augmented reality geolocation game is clearly meant to draw players to areas of interest in the local community, but it’s not like admiring parks or outdoor art exhibits while staring at your phone. It Is difficult. The “Plus” line of companion devices aims to solve this problem, with some success. The latest device, the Pokémon Go Plus+, may have the most Google-friendly product name ever, but it gets all those pluses alongside its big minuses.
Those familiar with the original Pokémon Go Plus and Poké Ball Plus know the basics. Plus+ connects to Pokémon Go and lights up and vibrates when a Pokémon or PokéStop is nearby. Press the big button on the front to throw a single Poké Ball or spin PokéStops to collect items. New features here include throwing Great Balls or Ultra Balls to increase your chances of catching a Pokémon, auto-throwing a basic Poké Ball without pressing anything, and adding Auto Spin for Pokéhis Stop. It is an option to Reportedly.
When Plus+ works, it works wonders. The auto-throw feature quickly bounces between Pokémon with a satisfying buzz, and the new Bluetooth Low Energy standard eliminates all lag. Inside lives a sleepy Pikachu, who chirps when the Plus+ connects and disconnects, or when the player finds a Pokémon they haven’t caught yet. However, the auto-slow and auto-spin modes are totally broken. Only a secret magic combination of clearing the app cache, reconnecting the device, and toggling the Bluetooth settings will activate automatic mode, and only within an hour after that. All Plus devices automatically disconnect around 1:00, but the original Plus and Pokeball Plus reconnect without issue. The Plus+ reconnects quickly, but most of the time it defaults to manual mode, prompting the troubleshooting tango outlined above with Pikachu gleefully screaming every other step he takes. Pikachu can be silenced via menus or the device itself, but its amazing number of voice clips are very cute.
The Plus+ as a haptic device is beautifully crafted. The soft black plastic back is smooth as the most well-groomed rock, and the shiny red and white front has a grooved black line in the middle that’s perfect for putting your thumb through. A large, illuminated center button provides a satisfying click. The vibrations are strong enough to be felt in your pocket and almost natural in the palm of your hand. On the other hand, flashing iridescent lights punctuate successful gaming action with a mesmerizing, short-lived glow. Implementing vibration and lights on the Plus+ was important as neither feature can be disabled. The Plus+ is great for mindless spinning with fidgety hands, but it’s not so comfortable with the included wrist strap attached.
This magnetic wrist strap connects to the Plus+’s most baffling feature: a pillow clip for sleep tracking. With Pokémon Go and the new Pokémon Sleep, players can catch a Pokémon and her Z at the same time by monitoring bedtime movements and noises, and Plus+ can sub-in to a player’s phone to track their sleep. . Plus+ isn’t needed at all for Pokémon Sleep (especially since it has a bright orange charging LED right next to its face), but it does get sleepy Pikachu to join Pokémon Sleep and complete the nightcap. Sleep mode is activated after a short press of the center button on the Plus + followed by Pikachu’s lullaby, but only counts after 90 minutes. I booted it several times in my pocket throughout the day.
Aside from the inexcusable auto mode glitch, the Plus+ is a solid addition to the Plus device line, but it doesn’t address the problems of the line itself. A Plus fundamentally changes the way Pokémon Go is played, but players are penalized for these changes. The Plus line’s quantity over quality gameplay style quickly fills a player’s Pokémon storage and depletes their Poké Ball supply. Both can be solved through microtransactions, but it feels like an odd solution to a problem posed by a device as expensive as the full version of mainline Pokémon. Pokémon will always take precedence over PokéStops unless Pokémon catching is completely turned off in the settings.
The Plus+ is also huge anyway. The original Plus was the perfect size to forget in the bottom of your bag or pocket until you needed it, but having the Plus+ in your pocket feels like a purpose. A rechargeable battery via USB-C is a welcome addition, but automatic mode and sleep tracking are hard to recommend for now.
