Update #2:
GameSpot’s Kallie Plagge posted a detailed look into Pokémon: Let’s Go, Pikachu! and Pokémon: Let’s Go, Eevee!, and we now have more details:
- The games are not core entries in the series
- Motion controls are required in handheld mode to aim a Poké Ball for capture, but actually throwing the ball uses the Joy-Con’s buttons
- Pokémon appear in the overworld for capture
- There are no wild Pokémon battles
- Pokémon Go! is not required to play the Let’s Go! games
- The starter Pikachu and Eevee cannot evolve, but others that are captured can be evolved
- Pokémon transfer between Pokémon Go! and the Let’s Go! games is one-way (from Go! to Let’s Go!)
- Shiny Pokémon captured in Go! will still be shiny in the Let’s Go! games
- Online trading and battling will be present in the games
- The ride Pokémon feature from Sun/Moon makes a reappearance in the new games, though the Pokémon “has to be large enough to ride”
- No breeding
- No word on Pokémon Bank integration
Unrelated to the GameSpot post, but it’s also been confirmed that the Poké Ball Plus will retail for $50 USD.
Update #1:
Wall Street Journal reporter Takashi Mochizuki confirms via a Q&A session after the reveal event that all original 151 Pokémon from Kanto, as well as some Pokémon from Alola, will be present in the new games. It is currently unknown if Pokémon from other regions will make an appearance.
Original:
We finally have an announcement. After weeks of rumor and speculation, The Pokémon Company has announced via a press conference in Tokyo that Pokémon: Let’s Go, Pikachu! and Pokémon: Let’s Go, Eevee! are coming to Nintendo Switch on November 16, 2018.
Here’s everything we know so far:
- The games are a reimagining of Pokémon Yellow
- Pikachu and Eevee sit on their trainer’s shoulder and head, respectively
- The games can be played using a single Joy-Con
- Poké Balls can be thrown using the Joy-Con’s motion control or via a new peripheral, Poké Ball Plus, using a Pokémon GO!-esque capture mechanic
- Pokémon can be transferred to the Poké Ball Plus and be taken on-the-go
- The games support drop-in/drop-out co-op using one Joy-Con each
- The games support Pokémon GO! integration, meaning Pokémon can be transferred from GO! to the main games
- Pikachu and Eevee can be dressed up
Keep checking back for a bunch more Pokémon news in the coming days and weeks. For now, be sure to check out the announcement trailer below.
