Thanks to its dual functionality which enables it to be played with 2018’s Pokemon: Let’s Go Eevee and Pikachu as well as Pokemon GO on smartphones, Nintendo’s Poke Ball Plus controller proved to be a hit among fans. Recent findings by blogger Japanese Nintendo have found a range of alleged patents filed in Japan suggesting that Nintendo might be working on an updated version of the peripheral.
The alleged patent designs uploaded by the blogger looks mostly similar to the existing version of the Poke Ball Plus – down to the analog stick on its front, and a single button on its top. It is anyone’s guess right now to what are the new features that we could be expecting from this version of the ball. It would also seem that the improvements could only be related to its internal components.
With Pokemon Sword and Shield recently released, it’s possible that Nintendo might capitalise on this by introducing a new version of the peripheral. On that note, the original Poke Ball Plus’ controller function is not fully supported by the new game, but will still allow you to take a Pokemon from Sword and Shield out for a stroll and collect various items with it.
As for the possibility of a new Poke Ball Plus, we won’t know for certain if Nintendo is actually planning to release a new version that supports Pokemon Sword and Shield, or for any other reason. Filed patents doesn’t necessarily mean an imminent release, so we’ll have to wait for an official announcement from Nintendo instead.
[ Source, patent image: Japanese Nintendo (blog) // Images: Nintendo. ]
