Given the intense popularity of the new augmented reality game Pokémon Go, a few retailers have begun facing shortages of the game's $35 wrist-worn accessory, the Pokémon Go Plus, which allows users to receive notifications about nearby Pokémon right on their wrists. Although some players expected the app itself to send push notifications to their phone's lock screen, as it stands the only way to be notified about a Pokémon's appearance is to use Battery Saver mode and leave the app open, or invest in Nintendo's accessory.
That investment will now cost you upwards of hundreds of dollars, unfortunately. At the time of writing, the Pokémon Go Plus is sold out at Amazon, GameStop, and even the official United Kingdom Nintendo Store lists it as "temporarily unavailable." As discovered by IGN, the wearable is still available on the reseller auction site eBay, but the average price is hitting somewhere between $100 and $250 for the official first-party version, and not a copy cat.
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Some of the cheapest guaranteed pre-orders on eBay begin at around $140, while a few bidding auctions are currently in action with prices that will probably reach closer to $200. There are also a few Buy it Now options around that price range, with the absolute highest-tiers coming closer to $250. Low level auctions are starting frequently, but given that their start price is already a steep amount, like $60, it's likely they'll also break the $100 barrier.
The Pokémon Go Plus not only vibrates and notifies players of nearby Pokémon via a Bluetooth connection, but it lets them tap a button at the center of the device to throw a Poké Ball, without taking out their smartphone, in attempts to catch the Pokémon lurking nearby. The device was announced alongside the game back in September 2015.
As such, the accessory isn't necessary to the experience of Pokémon Go, but some players might see its addition to their time with the game as majorly beneficial, and perhaps more inclined to a safer experience given the fact that it lets players check in on the game without taking out their phone, although its new resell value is likely to impede more than a few purchases.
Those who have yet to do so can download Pokémon Go from the iOS App Store for free. [Direct Link]
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