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Pokémon Go may well have reached peak cultural relevance over the summer, but its $35 peripheral is meant to rejuvenate the game. That’s a challenge on its own — convincing users of the free-to-play app to drop cash for a bluetooth dongle seems tough — yet the real problem is that the Pokémon Go Plus is seemingly impossible to find.
Due later this week, the Pokémon Go Plus allows players to catch Pokémon without opening up the app. That sounds like a useful accessory, but it’s been sold out everywhere since before the peripheral’s original late-July launch date. Few stateside retailers had it in stock to begin with; there are listings for it on both GameStop and Amazon, but neither store has had them available for months. Even Nintendo, when contacted by Polygon, said it doesn’t have units available for press.
Checking the usual suspects for the Plus turns up some pricey results. Resellers on eBay have the peripheral in stock for anywhere from $65 to more than $100. There are no additional fixings included in these eBay auctions; just the GPS marker-shaped tool and its accompanying bracelet.
It seems like U.K.-based Pokémon Go players are having a better time of obtaining the Plus; some already have it in their possessions, with retailers shipping it out early. But the timely delivery of pre-order units is one thing, while buying one outright is a much trickier bet. We can only recommend pleading with local game stores and signing up for Amazon notifications, because if even Nintendo can’t help us get one, it sounds like stock will remain seriously limited for the foreseeable future. If you're lucky enough to live in the vicinity of the Nintendo NY store, the retailer confirmed to Polygon that it will have the units in stock Friday morning as well.
Just two days ahead of Sept. 16, when the Pokémon Go Plus launches, the peripheral’s scarcity suggests it will be a collector’s item. For Pokémon fans, obtaining one could be the ultimate challenge in the pursuit of catching ‘em all.
