Pokewalker mini-game to ship with new versions of Pokemon, Pikachu unavailable for comment
By Joseph L. Flatley 
posted January 11th 2010 11:39AM
posted January 11th 2010 11:39AM
Nintendo's DSi portable gaming device not portable enough? Looking for a discrete way to keep up with your Pokeyman during mass or in your seventh grade English class? Nintendo has just the device for you: New editions of Pokemon will include the Pokewalker, a Tamagotchi-like device that you can transfer your Pocket Monsters to wirelessly. By "walking," one can catch wild Pokemon, search for hidden items, and even find new routes within the new HeartGold and SoulSilver versions of the game. Due to hit the scene March 14 for a price yet to be announced. PR after the break.
Update: To be clear, yes, this thing contains a pedometer -- meaning that you can earn experience points by walking around the neighborhood. Finally a reason to leave the apartment!
Update: To be clear, yes, this thing contains a pedometer -- meaning that you can earn experience points by walking around the neighborhood. Finally a reason to leave the apartment!
Nintendo News: New Pokéwalker Lets Players Bring the Fun of Pokémon Wherever They Go
REDMOND, Wash.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--For more than a decade, millions of Pokémon™ fans around the world have enjoyed training their Pokémon within their video games. The March 14 release of the Pokémon™ HeartGold Version and Pokémon SoulSilver Version games lets players continue to enjoy the world of Pokémon away from their Nintendo DS™ or Nintendo DSi™ systems, taking their favorite Pokémon with them wherever they go with the new Pokéwalker™ accessory. This new accessory will come included with each copy of these games.
In Pokémon HeartGold and SoulSilver Versions, players can wirelessly transfer any one of their Pokémon from one of the two games to the Pokéwalker and walk them through virtual routes as the player walks around in real life. By walking, players earn Watts, which are used within the Pokéwalker to encounter and catch wild Pokémon or search for hidden items, and can be transferred into Pokémon HeartGold and SoulSilver Versions to unlock new routes. There are even special versions of certain Pokémon that can only be found within routes on the Pokéwalker, giving players added incentive to keep their Pokémon with them wherever they go. The Pokémon in the Pokéwalker will gain experience points as the player walks, and can even go up one level when they are transferred back into the game. Players also can wirelessly connect two Pokéwalkers to trade items.
Letting players return to the beloved Johto region first introduced in Pokémon Gold Version and Silver Version for the portable Game Boy™ system, Pokémon HeartGold and SoulSilver Versions introduce several new enhancements for the series that enrich these timeless adventures. Created exclusively for the Nintendo DS and Nintendo DSi systems, the games feature detailed graphics that spotlight the unique environments and hundreds of Pokémon that players can encounter and catch. Players can even see and interact with their favorite Pokémon outside of battle, selecting one from their team to follow behind their Trainer as they travel through the Johto region. The games also include robust touch-screen functionality, allowing for smoother control and seamless navigation by the player.
For more information about Pokémon HeartGold and SoulSilver Versions, please visit www.pokemon.com. For more information about Nintendo, please visit www.nintendo.com.
REDMOND, Wash.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--For more than a decade, millions of Pokémon™ fans around the world have enjoyed training their Pokémon within their video games. The March 14 release of the Pokémon™ HeartGold Version and Pokémon SoulSilver Version games lets players continue to enjoy the world of Pokémon away from their Nintendo DS™ or Nintendo DSi™ systems, taking their favorite Pokémon with them wherever they go with the new Pokéwalker™ accessory. This new accessory will come included with each copy of these games.
In Pokémon HeartGold and SoulSilver Versions, players can wirelessly transfer any one of their Pokémon from one of the two games to the Pokéwalker and walk them through virtual routes as the player walks around in real life. By walking, players earn Watts, which are used within the Pokéwalker to encounter and catch wild Pokémon or search for hidden items, and can be transferred into Pokémon HeartGold and SoulSilver Versions to unlock new routes. There are even special versions of certain Pokémon that can only be found within routes on the Pokéwalker, giving players added incentive to keep their Pokémon with them wherever they go. The Pokémon in the Pokéwalker will gain experience points as the player walks, and can even go up one level when they are transferred back into the game. Players also can wirelessly connect two Pokéwalkers to trade items.
Letting players return to the beloved Johto region first introduced in Pokémon Gold Version and Silver Version for the portable Game Boy™ system, Pokémon HeartGold and SoulSilver Versions introduce several new enhancements for the series that enrich these timeless adventures. Created exclusively for the Nintendo DS and Nintendo DSi systems, the games feature detailed graphics that spotlight the unique environments and hundreds of Pokémon that players can encounter and catch. Players can even see and interact with their favorite Pokémon outside of battle, selecting one from their team to follow behind their Trainer as they travel through the Johto region. The games also include robust touch-screen functionality, allowing for smoother control and seamless navigation by the player.
For more information about Pokémon HeartGold and SoulSilver Versions, please visit www.pokemon.com. For more information about Nintendo, please visit www.nintendo.com.
Should have told me 10 years ago when I probably would have cared
The gameboy games are still fun though.
@Dapman02 dsi games such major compared to gameboy bring back proper games that dont use leave touch screen gaming to apple its less painful to
@steve jobs clone no3 - translation
DSi games are such a major _____(?) compared to Game Boy games. Bring back proper games that don't use touchscreen. Leave touchscreen gaming to Apple, it's less painful that way.
Even when I clean it up it doesn't make sense.
Wow, I was not expecting a Tamagotchi story ... not sure if this would have been news-worthy for Engadget-1998 either ... (if it existed...)
With the wii and this pedometer, it sheds light on Nintendo's direction in the gaming market. They want to get people to be more active. This will be their angle in the future gaming market where they don't have the resources to compete on processing capability of systems alone.
@highdefinition
Too bad it's not what u think: "...you don't do any actual walking..."
It would been a good attempt to get kids to be more active.
@(Unverified)
nvm, sound like u do have to actually walk. In that case, Nintendo could market this as "fitness for ur kid" lol
@highdefinition
I doubt that kids are gonna walk to get there steps up.
Back when I was a kid I had a Pokemon Pikacu pedometer
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pokémon_Pikachu
and to get more "Watts" I would just sit there and shake this thing for minutes on end.
@highdefinition
Ninty wants the buyers of the games - the parents of gamers - to think that these games will make the players - their kids - more active.
Thankfully, they have to actually build the device to make these claims, and it's cool that some kids will actually benefit from it.
@highdefinition In what future is Nintendo not allowed to buy processors to compete with its competitors? A successor to the Wii doesn't necessarily have to have the same design philosophy - but moreover, you're saying they won't have the resources? Nintendo isn't hurting for money...but I might add that both Sony and Microsoft are.
heart gold and soul silver for the win, dood!
@skyblaze
Um . . . what?
@Smart People Play Tuba
Pokemon Gold and Silver remakes for DS :D
@skyblaze
thats the name of the pokemon games this thing is coming with
@skyblaze
thank you unverified :D
Kids are going to be jiggling these all the time in class :)
@Ethan
don't forget the washing machine trick
@skyblaze I'm not sure, but do you mean inside the washing machine... :P
@Kit
Tape it to your running washing machine and watch the miles fly by!!
I thought Dad took Pikachu to the 'farm' years ago.
@DizWhiz No, that was Pokémon Ranch on the Wii.
Love pokemon in private, but im not taking one of those things out of my house!
Engadget is wrong once again. The Pokéwalker DOES require you to walk around (shows you how much Engadget's Japan sector pays attention, and they should've have known this for at least 4 months).
By "walking" (that is, playing the game -- you don't do any actual walking)
I get it the gadget has a built in pedometer? So you actually do have to walk?
@kopmis That would be correct. Engadget posts news without doing research or even reading the press release.
@TSSKiller Nobodies perfect. I'd say Engadget is a lot better than most blogs, even tech ones, at fact checking.
@TSSKiller
engadget shits on the competition. don't get it twisted
By "walking" (that is, playing the game -- you don't do any actual walking)
@Petey7x Somehow a character (left arrow) just got rid of the rest my comment. You DO need to walk. There's a pedometer in the device.
DO want. I still like Pokemon lol.... Even though it is so corny and Ash is the Hero always and Pikachu is the iPhone of the Pokemon world... I still ... like it ! I am waiting for a Pokemon MMORPG :D
I've been waiting for the remake of Gold and Silver since the japanese release. I'm glad that the state-side release will be including these pedometers as they did with the japanese release :D
@TikiTeko
I believe that would be one hell of a competition against WoW, especially if they add as much detail, customization, and as large of a world for the game. Preferably they use the original regions than a whole new one lol
now i will have to leave my bedroom! =(
A black and white screen? When I was a kid they had this in color along with a full d-pad and more buttons! I guess this one comes bundled with the game though so if the price is not higher because of it I guess it's ok for free.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pokémon_Pikachu
I choose you Pikachu!!
Walking? Please, you simply strap it to your wrist and.. yeaaah
@plastik
i lol'd
Is this old news?
http://kotaku.com/5282710/pokemon-heart-goldsoul-silver-come-with-pedometer
@thoughtmonster
This is VERY old news, I mean like, months old, if not more.
I think i will put this on my cats. I'll let them do the walking for me. it would also be interesting to see how much my cats walk around everyday
@CoolTri
Cats walk?
The concept isn't new.. I got one of these Pokemon Pikachu virtual pets many years ago: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pok%C3%A9mon_Pikachu
'course, I had the original in yellow.
@SoulinEther
hahaha yeah, what the hell? i cant believe they are making more of these crap. i think i used mine for like a week and i was like screw this! damn thing alwways wanted to play and crapped everywhere
Now we know who to blame when a whole slew of child-disappearances occur...
Flatley: other than church and middle school as mentioned, would any college undergraduate or graduate student be carrying this thing around?
I have no idea why, but I'm spazzing over this.
Isn't this just like the Gen4 Digimon I have sitting at the bottom of my drawer?
Or the Pocket Pikachu? Remember those?
Go Pikachu!
I picked one of these up in Japan a few months ago. The concept is pretty interesting and the walker itself is pretty fleshed out when it's comes to usefullness. It's not so much a virtual pet as a way to gain xp for your pokemon and catch wild ones. On top of that, the included belt clip means that I can impress coworkers and attrack that girlfriend that Ive always wanted. I'm suprised, given the obesity levels here, that they just didn't leave the walking to the Japanese kids.