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Square Enix is hoping that there are folks out there obsessed enough with Final Fantasy VII to drop a few grand on some merchandise. The item in question is described on the Square Enix store as a “chronograph timepiece” which is a fancy way of saying “wristwatch.” For a cool $2500 plus tax, you can roll up your sleeves and strut about town with a limited edition watch that will let you achieve “the truly heroic look of Cloud Strife.”

Manufactured by Seiko Instruments, the Cloud Strife watch has a stainless steel case with a mirrored finish and a blue sapphire glass crown inspired by Materia, which fans will know is an item from Final Fantasy VII. The product description notes that the watch has some design flourishes including “exposed mechanics of the all-glass back panel” and a Final Fantasy VII logo embossed rotor. There’s also a “3D Cloudy Wolf emblem and finishing with a Mako inspired mother-of-pearl central disk.”

Just 77 pieces will be made per region, and each one will come with a special case. The watch is described as being an ideal “centerpiece of anyone’s collection for years to come.” Images of the watch are included in the product listing but these are a prototype and the actual product may be different. It’s expected to release on March 31, 2020, but this is an approximate date and shipping may take longer for those importing. Additionally, once you make an order there is a no-cancellation policy, so you better be extra sure you want it.

The good news is the Square Enix shop has free shipping on orders over $75, which this purchase would just about qualify for.

Note: Cloud Strife does not, and has never, worn a wristwatch.

The much-anticipated Final Fantasy VII Remake was recently delayed a few weeks. The game was originally scheduled to launch on March 3, but will now arrive on April 10. This release date delay, according to Square Enix, was to give the development team a little extra time for finishing touches.

“We are making this tough decision in order to give ourselves a few extra weeks to apply final polish to the game and to deliver you with the best possible experience,” said producer Yoshinori Kitase. “I, on behalf of the whole team, want to apologize to everyone, as I know this means waiting for the game just a little bit longer. Thank you for your patience and continued support.”

Final Fantasy VII Remake isn’t the only Square Enix game to receive a delay this year. Marvel’s Avengers was previously set for a May launch but this was pushed to September.

Over the last few weeks, Super Smash Bros. fans have been at war with Nintendo and with each other over the inclusion of Ultimate’s latest downloadable character. Super Smash Bros. Ultimate closed out its DLC pass with Byleth, the protagonist from last year’s Fire Emblem: Three Houses, kicking off a firestorm of anger and disappointment. The reaction and feedback were so widespread that it might leave outside observers asking what exactly it is about this character that caused so much furor.

Before Super Smash Bros. Ultimate launched in 2018, publisher Nintendo and director Masahiro Sakurai announced a season pass including five new characters for what would become the best selling fighting game of all time. Unlike Capcom, which traditionally announces the Street Fighter series’ season pass rosters at its first reveal, Nintendo keyed in on how important the mystery of character reveals were to marketing. For the last two Super Smash Bros. games, character reveals were a big part of major events like Nintendo Direct streams and E3 presentations, and this strategy continued with DLC offerings.

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Super Smash Bros. Ultimate’s first season reveal began with Persona 5’s Joker, followed by characters like Dragon Quest’s Hero, Banjo & Kazooie, and Fatal Fury’s Terry Bogard. This cascade of introductions set the tone for fan expectation: the thirst for iconic DLC characters from storied, long-running, and perhaps unexpected franchises became palpable. Each reveal rolled out individually over the last year, leaving only one final character for fans to place all their hopes onto. In the middle of January, Nintendo and Sakurai revealed Byleth from Fire Emblem: Three Houses, and the powder keg went off.

As the ninth Fire Emblem character, Byleth functioned as a somewhat redundant choice for a new DLC character. Even before this latest Smash Bros. game came out, fans were already rolling their eyes at the quantity of existing Fire Emblem characters in Smash — there had been a new inclusion in every Smash Bros. sequel so far. Byleth wielding a sword, even in addition to other Fire Emblem weapons, made them feel too close to every other sword-wielding character in the game. Perhaps Byleth’s biggest flaw, however, is simply in who the character isn’t: they’re not a major character from a third party game that would shock fans who woke up early to see the reveal.

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Nintendo’s YouTube reveal has accrued 83,000 downvotes as of this writing, compared to the 1,200 on Banjo & Kazooie’s. On social media, the terms “Byleth,” “Smash Bros.,” and “Fire Emblem” were all trending, usually accompanied by incredulous responses to their inclusion. Those interactions were also often peppered with disappointment that the rumored reveal of Dante from the Devil May Cry series did not come to fruition. While it is likely Nintendo expected some degree of backlash to this choice, as with any choice, it is unlikely the publisher expected exactly how fervent that backlash would be.

If this all seems familiar, you may have been on the internet when Pokémon Sword and Shield were gearing up to release over the last year. After confirming that not every one of the game’s famous monsters would be returning for the Switch sequels, developer Game Freak received a tsunami of anger from players. Criticisms varied from the aforementioned loss of the full ‘Dex to the game’s graphics and animations — some fair and some not, but none of it ultimately affected the sales of the game or, in a lot of cases, its reception. Despite that, the anger persisted, to the point where Game Freak producer Junichi Masuda had to ask people to stop harassing him on social media on his birthday.

The argument that Fire Emblem is overrepresented in Super Smash Bros. is entirely fair; there are eight characters in the series already. The bigger issue, though, stems from Smash Bros. Ultimate’s marketing thrust: the need to bring in every character that has ever been in the series to make good on the “Everyone Is Here” slogan from the game’s big E3 debut. But the good faith argument ends with the insistence that the director of the game is damaging the spirit of the title, or ignoring the fans’ wishes, because of perceived Fire Emblem overrepresentation.

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The end result of Byleth appearing in the game says less about any individual character and more about what fan ownership means for a game like this. Fans invest so much time and commitment into a game, series, developer, publisher (or really any other kind of media that attracts the same level of fandom) that they begin to develop personal stakes and connections with them. Super Smash Bros. occupies a special place in the gaming pantheon as being both incredibly popular and also a beast of burden for any continuation or contribution to its gaming history. The series shoulders the responsibility of being everything to everyone, delivering on sales numbers, deadlines and quotas, while also delivering an experience that resonates with its fans.  When a character disappoints, for whatever reason, people who are invested feel personally betrayed. [poilib element=”quoteBox” parameters=”excerpt=The%20end%20result%20of%20Byleth%20appearing%20in%20the%20game%20says%20less%20about%20any%20individual%20character%20and%20more%20about%20what%20fan%20ownership%20means%20for%20a%20game%20like%20this.”]

Watching the discourse over this game, with entire betting markets based around which character would be added next, I have become fascinated by the narratives that are created by what essentially becomes a one-sided relationship with the series.

It’s very difficult to direct this discourse at any one person on Nintendo’s side. Publishers like Nintendo have multiple considerations in making games, and few of those decisions exist in a vacuum. The marketing, development, executive, PR, and other departments must work in concert with the culmination of demands made on the series. At the end of the Byleth reveal video, when speaking to the next season pass of characters, Sakurai wished he could reveal every character then and there, but admitted that was not within his control. “I’m personally very sorry that we have to release Fighter’s Pass Vol. 2 when the details have yet to be revealed,” Sakurai said. Had Byleth been announced at the very beginning alongside their third-party colleagues, would people still be upset for the reasons they are now? Or is it merely contributing to a larger issue of ownership?

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Of course, it’s entirely understandable to be disappointed by this character’s inclusion as the latest to join the Ultimate ranks. Fan reaction has proven to be a consistent factor in companies opening their sails to that wind. It seems Nintendo will keep revealing and releasing characters in this same cadence, unintentionally doing nothing to tamp down built-up expectations. The backlash against Byleth could have ended up being about any character that ticks a similar number of disappointment boxes and will continue to happen as long as hype and mystery continue to conflate as marketing. For years, fans have requested characters like the Doom Slayer for western representation, or Geno for his popularity among fans of Super Mario RPG, or Sora for the overwhelming popularity outside of his series. [poilib element=”quoteBox” parameters=”excerpt=Of%20course%2C%20it%E2%80%99s%20entirely%20understandable%20to%20be%20disappointed%20by%20this%20character%E2%80%99s%20inclusion%20as%20the%20latest%20to%20join%20the%20Ultimate%20ranks.”]

Disappointment is part and parcel with character reveals — there are too many opportunities for it to ever be completely avoided. In 2018, Sakurai  said , “What I learned is that regardless of doing our utmost, no matter how hard we try, and no matter how many fighters we include, there will always be people who feel [disappointed].”

Nintendo often punctuates their biggest events with Smash Bros. character reveals, and last year they bookended their E3 video with reveals for two different character announcements for the series. The marketing has made each reveal an event unto itself, each time gathering fans to speculate leading up to a reveal they can either celebrate or criticize. Video games are in the same tricky spot as every other piece of media that’s produced for profit is: they’re designed to reach their audience but are simultaneously expected to defy those wishes and produce auteur creations that we didn’t even know we wanted yet.

In a piece we reported, several developers discussed the tricky nature of the fan to developer relationship.  “As far as the consumer goes,” one developer told us, “they aren’t wrong to want things, but in many cases, the lack of separation between them and people who make games turns into ‘You make games for me,’ which really isn’t the case. It can’t be. Devs are just making things they love, or try to love, in the hopes of doing something good.”

The next fighter’s pass continues for six more characters across the next two years, which means we’re in for another rough few years of watching high expectations struggle against reality.

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Imran Khan is a games writer living in San Francisco. You can find his other musings on Twitter.

When it comes to RGB, Corsair is at the top of its game. Whether you’re looking for keyboards and mice, new fans for your PC, or an eye-catching mouse pad, Corsair has a light-up option to take your setup to the next level. When the K95 RGB Platinum launched in 2017, the build quality, dedicated macro and media controls, and supremely customizable lighting set a new high-water mark for RGB gaming keyboards.

This month, Corsair unveiled its successor, the K95 RGB Platinum XT. It raises the game with native Elgato Stream Deck integration, improved switches and keycaps, more onboard storage, and a comfier wrist rest. So is it worth your $199?

Design and Features

At first glance, the K95 RGB Platinum XT looks nearly identical to the original. The biggest visual update comes with the new wrist rest and the new blue keycaps for the macro keys. Apart from that, Corsair has adopted the “if it’s not broken, don’t fix it” approach to product design. I was a big fan of the original version, but if you’re new to the K95 it’s worth noting just how big it is, measuring more than 18 inches wide and 6 inches wide. Even without the wrist rest, you’ll need extra space on your desk to accommodate it compared to more modestly sized boards.

Keeping the same design also means that everything that made the original K95 great is back again for another round. We once again see the “floating key” design that exposes the key switches for improved lighting. Dedicated media keys and the excellent metal volume roller are back for easy control of media playback. So is the hefty “aircraft-grade” aluminum top plate for rigidity and weight. Plus, the six customizable macro keys along the left-hand side and vibrant LightEdge bar on the top rim also make their return.

Just below that, we have the USB passthrough port. It’s still only USB 2.0, so you’re stuck with last-gen transfer speeds, but it works great for connecting a gaming headset or mouse. The cable on the K95 RGB Platinum XT is braided but thick, stiff, and filled with bends from packaging. It ends in two headers, though you can get away with a single USB 3.0 connection if you don’t plan to use the passthrough. If you do, there are also helpful cable guides on the underside of the board to keep the front of your desk tidy.

The lighting on the XT is as gorgeous as ever. Unfortunately Corsair’s proprietary Cappelix LEDs aren’t in the mix here, but even so the light show is impressive. The LEDs are bright and, thanks to the translucent housings on the Cherry MX RGB switches, it looks amazing from any angle. From above, the denser PBT plastic and black metal of the top plate keep the lighting surprisingly isolated and avoid the light bed that occurs on lighter colored keyboards. The customizable LightEdge bar adds an extra touch of visual flair that really takes lighting to the next level, though it’s not as unique a feature as it once was. Even small brands have gotten in on the trend.

The K95 RGB Platinum XT does have some unique tricks to tempt you into a buy. This version comes stock with double-shot PBT keycaps, something you previously had to buy separately for $50. If you’re not deep into the world of keyboards, having keycaps made of a different kind of plastic might not seem like a big deal, but it is. PBT keys are more resistant to shine, so they won’t develop that oily sheen gaming keyboards are known for. Being double-shot also means that the legends are made of a second piece of plastic and will never fade or chip over time.

Ask anyone who has used a good set of PBT caps and they’ll tell you the most important thing: they just feel better to use. PBT is a denser plastic than the ABS used on most boards and, in fact, these keycaps are a good 50% thicker on top of that. Gaming and typing feels more solid and substantial, which is satisfying. Going back to bog-standard ABS caps makes the whole keyboard feel more cheap after getting used to the XT. These keycaps are an excellent value-add that makes the XT upgrade more worth it, and I love that PBT is slowly making its way into more flagship keyboards.

The switches themselves have also received an upgrade. Both the Cherry MX RGB Speed and Brown switches have had their stems redesigned to feel consistent over time. In practice, I didn’t notice any difference in how the keys felt from the prior version. They’re also more durable and rated for 100 million key presses each compared to the standard 50 million. For the first time, you can also order the K95 RGB with Cherry MX Blue RGB switches, but these don’t have the redesigned benefits. I wasn’t able to tell the difference during my testing, but I expect a much greater lifespan as a result.

The other big upgrade comes with the new foam wrist rest. Frankly, it’s about time. Corsair has kept the rubber surface to its wrist rests since the early days of the original Vengeance K70. Look, I get it: rubber is grippy. It keeps you in place while gaming. It also makes your wrists sweat. The new foam padding is a huge improvement and much more comfortable.

If you’re a streamer, the K95 XT’s killer feature is surely the new Stream Deck functionality. Elgato’s Stream Deck is essentially a macro pad custom-tailored to for streamers, and it’s exciting to see that functionality make its way into the K95. With Elgato’s software, you can now use the six macro G-keys as Stream Deck buttons. It’s as simple as dragging actions onto the key and the software does the rest. This integrates seamlessly with an existing Stream Deck or can work all on its own with a special floating window inside Windows.

I don’t stream often but I do produce YouTube videos, and I loved being able to start and stop recording with my capture card with these easy to find buttons. If you host a stream, you can use it to change profiles, trigger GIFs, change scenes or interact with your stream in a way that was, at best, much more difficult with the original K95 Platinum. Corsair has even included some blue, Elgato-themed keycaps to replace the stock silver ones that come installed on the board. In a future version of the board, I would love to see LED macro buttons like an actual Stream Deck.

Under the hood, the K95 XT includes all of the responsiveness and programmability you would expect from a modern gaming keyboard. It features a 1000 Hz polling rate, full n-key rollover, and anti-ghosting to make sure that it tracks your inputs accurately every time. You’re even able to adjust the electrical debounce time to prevent misclicks, which I found helpful with the super-smooth and super-sensitive Cherry MX Speed switches. In all my testing over the last month, the keyboard never once missed a keystroke. If there was a mistake, it was always my own over-eagerness in-game.

Performance

I tested the K95 RGB Platinum XT with both Cherry MX RGB Speed and Brown switches, which provide very different experiences in-game. Speed switches are smooth and non-tactile and actuate 80% faster than either browns or blues. Brown switches, on the other hand, have a soft tactile bump when the key triggers, giving you an extra bit of feedback to prevent misclicks.

Theoretically, the shorter travel distance of the Cherry MX Speed switches should let you send commands more quickly, but this depends entirely on your response time. Practically speaking, you’ll notice how much more typo-prone you are before you ever notice a benefit in-game. This gets better with time, but there’s a definite learning curve. For my part, I enjoyed playing with the Cherry MX Brown switches. The sensitivity of the Speeds led to more misclicks and even made me run from cover once or twice due to resting my fingers too heavily on the board.

Switches aside, the K95 RGB Platinum XT performed phenomenally in games. It’s as responsive as you would expect a high-end gaming keyboard in 2020 and I had no trouble playing through intense matches of Apex Legends and Battlefield V. I really liked that I could quickly record gameplay clips with the Elgato buttons.

The macro row also let me do cool things like move my gadgets and secondary skills off the number row. In the middle of an intense match, it’s much easier to figure out which macro button you’re pressing than an untextured number button without looking at the board. If you’ve ever pulled out the wrong weapon because you hit 4 instead of 3, then you already know what I’m talking about.

I also spent some time using these macro keys in World of Warcraft. Paired with the tools in the game, it’s possible to map pieces of your skill rotation into a single button. This isn’t something unique to the K95 (you can do it with any keyboard) but having skill chains and abilities in their own dedicated row definitely made it more useful. The K95 XT allowed me to have a whole set of standby functions without needing to sacrifice any of my other keys.

The programmability of the K95 XT is useful outside of gaming too. With its five profiles of onboard storage, I was able to create keymaps for my four favorite games and another for Windows. When I login to my gaming PC, I can now press one button to open my email, another to load Discord, another for Notepad or Calculator, and another for Spotify. Since these profiles also store lighting settings, I was able to give each one its own look so I never confused which profile I was using.

Purchasing Guide

The Corsair K95 RGB Platinum XT is available now with an MSRP of $199 on Amazon or direct from Corsair.

Just saw #BirdsofPrey and am happy to report that it’s my favorite modern DC movie yet. Like Shazam, it carves its own path with totally unique aesthetic, action, and tone. Margot, Ewan and all the rest are 100% fantabulous. Why aren’t there more roller skate action scenes?? pic.twitter.com/BDipKiB0qU

— Mike Rougeau (@RogueCheddar) January 29, 2020

So #BirdsofPrey was an absolute blast. Harley feels exactly like the human Looney Toon she ought to be, Black Mask is a scene stealer; Dinah, Helena, Cass, and Renee all rule. This was everything I want from DC movies and then some.

— Meg Downey (@rustypolished) January 29, 2020

Saw #BirdsofPrey this morning! I liked it a lot. The stuff I loved: the action, the tone and just how creative the direction is. Margot Robbie completely sells the incredibly choreographed fight sequences and their gleeful brutality, this whole scene in particular ⬇️⬇️ pic.twitter.com/UBb0FPAa14

— Terri Schwartz (@Terri_Schwartz) January 29, 2020

Birds of Prey is solid. The unpredictable structure keeps the first half moving and the action boosts the rest. Robbie is excellent, as is McGregor. It’s tamer than expected and the basic story can get lost in the complex setups but it works more often than not. #BirdsofPrey pic.twitter.com/H6TxjiudjI

— Germain Lussier (@GermainLussier) January 29, 2020

#BirdsofPrey is a riot – oozing with attitude and some of the most inventive, bone-crunching fight sequences in the superhero genre to date. I went in with low expectations and was pleasantly surprised by how much fun I had. It doesn’t reinvent the wheel, but has style to spare.

— Laura Prudom (@LauInLA) January 29, 2020

#BirdsOfPrey: winning characters, above-average action, and a killer soundtrack hampered by uneven tone and pacing. The girls at their best together, and they’re not together enough. Mary Elizabeth Winstead’s Huntress is the not-so-secret MVP. 💕

— Angie J. Han (@ajhan) January 29, 2020

I really dug #BirdsofPrey! It’s weird, wacky, super violent, occasionally really gory (the R is well earned on this one), and very up my alley.

— Eric Goldman: 2020 (@TheEricGoldman) January 29, 2020

Members of the press were able to attend early screenings of Birds of Prey and the Fantabulous Emancipation of One Harley Quinn, and first impressions are overly positive.

Many praise the film’s action, how great Margot Robbie is as Harley Quinn, and how creative and inventive the latest DC film is.

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Here’s our roundup of the first social reactions to Birds of Prey ahead of its theatrical release on February 7, 2020.

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IGN’s Jim Vejvoda said “#birdsofprey is fun! Probably the most (and best choreographed) fight scenes of any DC movie yet and another great turn by Margot Robbie. Ewan McGregor is a hilarious, scenery-chewing scene stealer as Black Mask. I also enjoyed the nonlinear approach to the story. Not all the characters pop but overall this was a very entertaining romp. It’s also totally a sequel to Suicide Squad despite the “standalone” talk. It’s just way, way better than Suicide Squad was.”

IGN’s Laura Prudom said Birds of Prey is a “riot – oozing with attitude and some of the most inventive, bone-crunching fight sequences in the superhero genre to date.”

IGN’s Terri Schwartz liked Birds of Prey a lot. She also thinks this film may have “one of the highest percentages of action in the modern comic book movie era.”

IGN’s Joshua Yehl thinks Birds of Prey is like watching Amanda Conner and Jimmy Palmiotti’s “zaniest Harley Quinn comics come to life.”

Mike Rougeau of GameSpot says it is his “favorite modern DC movie yet.”

Mashable’s Alison Foreman praised both the movie and the soundtrack.

Atom Ticket’s Alisha Grauso says Birds of Prey is “like if John Wick were run through a crazy funhouse filter and stuffed full of glitter and f-bombs.”

Fandango’s Erik Davis commended Margot Robbie, Ewan McGregor and Chris Messina for their performances.

Mashable’s Angie J. Han enjoyed Birds of Prey but said it is “hampered by uneven tone and pacing.”

Tribune Content Agency and LA Times Movie News’ Katie Walsh thinks Ewan McGregor deserves an award for Best Supporting Actor.

Geeks of Color’s Dorian Parks thought the action in Birds of Prey reminded her of John Wick.

Gizmodo’s Germain Lussier said Birds of Prey is “tamer than expected,” but that it “works more often than not.”

ComicBook.com’s Brandon Davis called Birds of Prey “a lot of fun and violent as hell.”

Forbes’ Scott Mendelson thinks Birds of Prey is “a bonkers bananas crime comedy and a genuine party movie.”

GameSpot’s Meg Downey thought Birds of Prey was an “absolute blast.”

Fandom’s Eric Goldman called Birds of Prey “weird, wacky, super violent, occasionally really gory (the R is well earned on this one), and very up my alley.”

Inverse’s Eric Francisco admits Birds of Prey starts a bit slow, but is “soaring in the end.”

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Have a tip for us? Want to discuss a possible story? Please send an email to [email protected].

Adam Bankhurst is a news writer for IGN who can’t wait and is so excited he just can’t hide it. You can follow him on Twitter @AdamBankhurst and on Twitch.

The Grammy awards red carpet is known for its daring fashion choices, and this year some of those signature looks have been immortalized–as Pokemon fanart. Some fans noticed that the wild styles and bright colors looked a lot like the fancy duds worn by Pokemon trainers in the games and anime series.

The trend started when Twitter user Gatelygate matched four music stars with their red carpet styles–Billie Eilish, Lil Nas X, Ariana Grande, and Billy Porter–to Pokemon types. The comparison took off, and then user Refrainbow took it a step further with fanart of each musician drawn in the Pokemon style, and matched with a coordinating monster. They were dubbed the “Grammy League Elite Four.” You can see the fabulous results below:

The four command a lot of star power, as three were nominated for awards at the 2020 Grammys. Eilish won multiple awards and set a record in the process for the youngest artist in Grammy history to win Best New Artist, Album of the Year, Song of the Year, and Record of the Year.

In the world of actual Pokemon, Nintendo recently announced details for the Pokemon Home, the cloud-based online service for storing and managing your monsters. The feature sets are slightly different for the Switch and mobile applications, but altogether the tools seem fairly robust. Meanwhile, Pokemon Sword and Shield will receive two large expansions this year, the first one coming in June.

Disclosure: GameSpot is owned by ViacomCBS.

Pokemon Home, a new cloud storage service in the vein of Pokemon Bank for 3DS, is set to launch on Nintendo Switch and mobile devices next month. While we’ve known about Home since last June, The Pokemon Company has only recently shared full details about the service, including how much it will cost and what kind of features it will offer.

Ostensibly the biggest appeal of Pokemon Home is being able to bring over monsters you’ve caught in previous games to Pokemon Sword and Shield on Switch, but the service provides other functionality as well. As we recently learned, Pokemon Home also allows you to trade Pokemon with other players outside of the actual games, and you can use it to check information about Pokemon as well as battling stats.

To help catch you up on everything the service entails, we’ve rounded up all the most important details about Pokemon Home below, from its price and features to all the games that are compatible with it. You can learn more about Pokemon Home on its official website.

What Is Pokemon Home?

Like Pokemon Bank, Pokemon Home is a cloud service that allows you to store Pokemon you’ve captured from various games in one place and easily move them between titles. The service also offers a handful of other ancillary functions, such as the ability to trade Pokemon, view detailed information about your monsters, and check battle data for online competitions happening in Sword and Shield.

How Much Does Pokemon Home Cost?

Pokemon Home will be available in two tiers: free and premium. The former can be used at no charge and gives you access to most of the service’s features, albeit in limited capacity; for instance, you will only be able to store a maximum of 30 Pokemon in the cloud using the free plan, and you can only deposit a single Pokemon in the Global Trade System at a time.

The premium plan, on the other hand, carries a subscription fee and offers more benefits, including greater storage capacity. With a premium plan, you will be able to deposit 6,000 Pokemon in Home, and you can place three Pokemon in the GTS at a time. A premium plan also gives you access to some additional perks and features, such as the Judge function, which allows you to view your Pokemon’s base stats.

The premium Pokemon Home plan will cost $3 USD for one month, $5 USD for three months, and $16 USD for 12 months–slightly less than the price of a Nintendo Switch Online subscription. You can see the full breakdown of features for each tier of the service below.

Description	Basic	Premium
Moving Pokemon from Pokemon Bank	Unavailable	Available
Number of Pokemon that can be deposited	30 Pokemon	6,000 Pokemon
Number of Pokemon that can be placed in the Wonder Box at once	3 Pokemon	10 Pokemon
Number of Pokemon that can be placed in the GTS at once	1 Pokemon	3 Pokemon
Room Trade	Participate	Participate and host
Judge function	Unavailable	Available

Do I Need Nintendo Switch Online To Use Pokemon Home?

Pokemon Home is a separate service from Nintendo Switch Online, so a subscription for one does not grant you access to the other. You don’t need to have a Nintendo Switch Online membership to use Pokemon Home, but you do need a Nintendo Account, which can be created for free on Nintendo’s website. However, a Switch Online subscription is required to use the online features in Pokemon Sword and Shield.

What Games Are Compatible With Pokemon Home?

The Nintendo Switch version of Pokemon Home is compatible with both Let’s Go Pikachu and Eevee and Pokemon Sword and Shield. Additionally, both the Switch and mobile versions of the service are able to connect with Pokemon Bank, allowing you to bring your Pokemon over from 3DS to Switch. However, you will need to have a premium Pokemon Home subscription to transfer Pokemon from Bank.

Pokemon you’ve moved from Let’s Go Pikachu and Eevee to Home can either be retrieved in those games or in Pokemon Sword and Shield, provided they appear in the Galar Pokedex; however, any Pokemon from Let’s Go that you’ve taken into Sword or Shield can no longer be used in their original game. Similarly, Pokemon you’ve transferred from Bank to Home can no longer be returned to 3DS.

In addition to those titles, Pokemon Home will also be compatible with Pokemon Go; however, support for the mobile game will not be available when the service launches and will implemented sometime in the future.

What’s Different Between The Switch And Mobile Versions Of Pokemon Home?

You’ll have access to both the Switch and mobile versions of Pokemon Home, provided you own the appropriate hardware and have linked them to the same Nintendo Account. While many of the service’s features are available across both platforms, each also has some unique functionality. For instance, only the Switch version of Pokemon Home is compatible with the Switch Pokemon games. The Switch version also allows you to exchange Pokemon Home Points–which you can accumulate by using the service–for Battle Points, a type of in-game currency used to purchase special battle-focused items at the Battle Tower in Sword and Shield.

The mobile version, meanwhile, offers the ability to trade Pokemon and receive exclusive Mystery Gifts. On top of that, the mobile version displays more detailed information about a Pokemon, such as its Abilities and what moves it is able to learn. You can also use the mobile version to check news updates as well as battle data for Sword and Shield’s online competitions, although this functionality will be added sometime after the service launches. You can see which features are available in each version of Pokemon Home below.

Feature	Nintendo Switch version	Mobile version
Move Pokemon with Pokemon: Let’s Go Pikachu and Let’s Go Eevee	Available	Unavailable
Move Pokemon with Pokemon Sword and Shield	Available	Unavailable
Move Pokemon with Pokemon Bank	Available	Available
Judge Pokemon	Available	Available
Trade Pokemon	Unavailable	Available
Receive Mystery Gifts	Unavailable	Available
Check Battle Data	Unavailable	Available
Check News	Unavailable	Available
Exchange Pokemon Home Points for Battle Points	Available	Unavailable

How Do You Trade Pokemon Through Home?

As previously mentioned, the mobile version of Pokemon Home offers you the ability to trade Pokemon with other players. The service features four different trading options: the Global Trade System, Wonder Box, Room Trade, and Friend Trade.

The Global Trade System allows you to offer up a Pokemon in exchange for a specific monster. You can specify which particular Pokemon you’re looking for–even if you don’t have it registered in Pokemon Home’s National Dex–down to its gender and level. When another player offers a Pokemon that matches your criteria, the monsters will automatically be traded. You will also have the option to search Pokemon other players have put up on the GTS and seek out potential trades yourself.

Wonder Box, meanwhile, functions much like the Surprise Trade feature in Pokemon Sword and Shield. A Pokemon you place in the Wonder Box will be traded for a random one offered by another player. The free version of Pokemon Home allows you to place three Pokemon at a time in the Wonder Box, while the premium plan gives you the ability to place 10.

Room Trade allows you to set up a room and trade with the other players who join. Rooms can host up to 20 players at a time, and you won’t know which Pokemon you’ll be receiving until the trades are complete. All Pokemon Home users will be able to join rooms, but only those who have a premium plan can create one.

Finally, Friend Trade allows you to trade Pokemon directly with other players you’ve registered on your Pokemon Home friends list. The Pokemon Company notes, “The features related to adding and managing friends in Pokemon Home cannot be used by users under the age of 16.”

When Does Pokemon Home Launch?

The Pokemon Company has not yet pinned down an exact release date for Pokemon Home, but the service is slated to launch for Switch and mobile sometime in February 2020.