Pokémon Home launches, introduces a new Professor Oak

Pokémon Home, the cloud service app that allows trainers to store monsters for easier transfers across titles, is now live on the Nintendo Switch eShop. Beyond utility, there’s good reason to use the service — Home on console gifts all players a Pikachu. The mobile version, which is also now live, lets players choose between Charmander, Squirtle, and Bulbasaur. The Kanto starter you pick on mobile will come with a hidden ability.

The app also introduces fans to a new version of Professor Oak. This one has long hair and has funky glasses and is called Grand Oak. Previously, Game Freak included Professor Oak’s cousin in Pokémon Sun and Moon, and while they weren’t the same character, everyone referred to him as “Alolan Oak.”

Pokémon Home allows players to import monsters from Pokémon Sword and Shield, Pokémon: Let’s Go, Eevee and Pokémon: Let’s Go, Pikachu, Pokémon Go, and Pokémon Bank. These creatures, in turn, can then be brought into Pokémon Sword and Shield — meaning that the Pokédex, which was previously limited, has now expanded. This should make lots of Dexit people who criticized the smaller compendium in the Nintendo Switch games much happier.

Players can enroll into a Premium Plan, which costs money depending on how long you want a subscription. Thirty days costs $2.99, 90 days costs $4.99, while a year costs $15.99. Premium Plans allow users to store up to 6,000 Pokémon, while also gaining access to other features, such as a service that tells you how strong your monsters are. The basic plan, which is free to everyone, allows the storage of up to 30 monsters.

Now that the feature is live, players have access to 35 new monsters in Sword and Shield, including previous starters such as Bulbasaur, Squirtle, and Charmander. The full list can be viewed here.

Update: Pokémon Home is now available for download on iOS and Android.