An announcement from the E3 show floor revealed that you can use the Poké Ball Plus accessory to take your Pokémon from Sword and Shield for walks.
Pokémon Sword & Shield was one of the biggest stars of today’s Nintendo Direct, and the news about the game didn’t end when the presentation did. Nintendo led its continuing coverage from the E3 show floor with lots more information about its beloved monster-battling franchise. According to Nintendo, you’ll be able to use the Poké Ball Plus accessory with Pokémon Sword and Shield, though it doesn’t do quite as much as it does in other games.
The Poké Ball Plus launched along with Pokémon: Let’s Go, Pikachu! and Let’s Go, Eevee!, when they came out last year. You could actually use the Poké Ball Plus as a controller to catch the critters you found in those games. That won’t be an option in Pokémon Sword and Shield, but you will be able to use it to take your Pokémon for walks with you.
You can use the Poké Ball Plus accessory with #PokemonSwordShield to take a Pokémon out for a stroll in the real world with you! Spend some quality time with your Pokémon, and something good might happen! #NintendoE3 pic.twitter.com/ZjmVJzkqQJ
— Nintendo Europe @ E3 2019 (@NintendoEurope) June 11, 2019
If you’re unfamiliar with the Poké Ball Plus’s functionality, that means that you can upload any Pokémon you catch in the game into the accessory, then essentially use the Poké Ball Plus as a pedometer. The device will track your steps and once you walk enough, it can grant you in-game rewards, like EXP. The Pokémon you have in the Poké Ball Plus will also occasionally make noise while you’re walking with it.
A tweet from Nintendo even hinted that there were some hidden functions to look out for, saying only that if you walk your Pokémon from Sword and Shield with the Poké Ball Plus, “something good might happen.”
If you don’t have a Poké Ball Plus yet, you may actually be in luck. Nintendo announced that players who use a brand new Poké Ball Plus with Sword and Shield will be able to transfer Mew to the new game. If you’re using an older Poké Ball Plus and have already transferred the Mew inside to one of the Pokémon Let’s Go games, you’ll have a bit of a harder time of it.
Nintendo dropped a ton of new information about Pokémon Sword and Shield during E3 today.
Pokémon Sword and Shield will be available November 15 on Nintendo Switch.
