Pokemon Go Plus Launches Next Week. Here's All the Things You Need to Know About It

The Pokémon Go Plus, Nintendo’s wearable accessory for Niantic Labs’ phenomenally popular mobile game, will be available Sept. 16 "in most countries," Niantic announced tonight.

The device will be released later this year in "a few South American territories," according to Niantic.

Nintendo is producing the Pokémon Go Plus, which was originally scheduled to come out in July — the same month that Pokémon Go itself launched. In late July, Nintendo delayed the accessory to September, citing a need for more development time on the update to Pokémon Go that will make the game and the device work with each other.

The Pokémon Go Plus is a $34.99 device that can be worn on the wrist or as a pin. It is compatible with both the Android and iOS versions of Pokémon Go, and is built to allow people to play the game without having their smartphone out. The device uses Bluetooth Smart, a connection designed for health and fitness apps, to alert users to the presence of nearby Pokémon and PokéStops. Players will even be able to collect items from PokéStops and catch Pokémon by pressing a button on the Pokémon Go Plus.

Niantic announced yesterday, during Apple’s iPhone 7 and Apple Watch Series 2 event, that it is also working on Pokémon Go for the Apple Watch. That version will apparently replicate much of the functionality of the Pokémon Go Plus. For more details on the accessory, check out our short overview of Pokemon GO Plus below.

What is the Pokémon Go Plus?

The Pokémon Go Plus is a $34.99 add-on peripheral that interacts with Pokémon Go. The Plus resembles a Pokéball mixed with a Google Maps pin, which speaks to the game's combination of Pokémon and real world travel. It uses Bluetooth to connect to your smart device, and you can clip it to your lapel or wear like a bracelet to stay connected to your game at all times.

What does it do?

The Plus lets you know when you're near a PokeStop, the specially marked locations on the game's map that come with items, Pokémon eggs and, if you're lucky, Pokémon to catch. The peripheral will vibrate when you've approached a PokéStop in the real world.

Does the Plus help me catch Pokémon?

In a way, yes! The Pokémon Go Plus allows you to catch Pokémon without taking out your phone. If a Pokémon is nearby, the device will light up. At that point, you can throw a Poké Ball, just by using the device. This only works if you've already caught that Pokémon before, though; you won't be catching any new Pokémon for your Pokédex using the Pokémon Go Plus.

Is it compatible on my device?

If you meet the requirements, then you can use the device with your phone. Here are the compatibility information for both iOs and Android devices.

IOS:

Compatible with iPhone® 5 / 5c / 5s / SE / 6 / 6s /6 Plus / 6s Plus devices with iOS Ver. 8–9 installed.
Not compatible with 5th generation iPod Touch devices or iPhone 4S or earlier iPhone devices.
Compatibility with tablet devices is not guaranteed.
Compatibility is not guaranteed for all devices.

ANDROID:

Compatible with Android devices that have 2 GB RAM or more, have Bluetooth Smart (Bluetooth Ver. 4.0 or higher) capability, and have Android Ver. 4.4–6.0 installed.
Not compatible with Android devices that use Intel Atom processors.
Compatibility with tablet devices is not guaranteed.
Application may not run on certain devices even if they have compatible OS versions installed.

NOTES:

It is recommended to play while connected to a 3G/4G network in order to obtain accurate location information.
Compatibility is not guaranteed for devices without GPS capabilities or devices that are connected only to Wi-Fi networks.
Compatibility information may be changed at any time on either iOS or Android platforms.

Information about where can we buy the watch are pretty vague at the moment but rest assured that we will keep you posted. So stay tuned for more Pokemon GO Plus news on this page.