The Pokéball Plus may be the year's hottest accessory for Pokéman fans, but peripheral maker Datel has released a device which, if you're only looking to play Pokémon GO, could end up being more appealing. The Go-tcha Ranger is the sequel to the standard (and totally unofficial) Go-tcha, which basically aped the functionality of the Pokémon GO Plus but came with the added benefit of auto-catching of 'mon and auto-collecting at Pokéstops.
As you'll know if you've used the GO Plus, you have to push a button to perform actions like making capture attempts and spinning nearby Pokéstops. The Go-tcha removes this limitation, which means you (in theory) shouldn't miss a capture or spin, but also takes away the one piece of interaction you have with the app. Some may see this as a positive, while others will no doubt come to the conclusion that it lessens the experience; the Pokémon GO Plus already simplifies the core Pokémon GO challenge, and the Go-tcha takes this to the next extreme by totally removing the need for any input from the player.
The Go-tcha Ranger retains this core functionality but adds in some other interesting features. The most obvious is the inclusion of a 1200mAh rechargeable battery which not only gives the unit prolonged stamina when compared to the standard Go-tcha, but also means you can top up your smartphone's ailing battery when you're out and about. The issue here is that with a capacity of just 1200mAh, it won't totally replenish your phone's juice; as an example, on our Samsung Galaxy S9+, a fully-charged Go-tcha Ranger took the phone's battery from around 60 to 80 percent before it stopped charging. Naturally, if you rely on this device to extend the longevity of your handset then it will use up all of its own power, rendering it almost useless until you next return home.
We say almost useless as the Go-tcha Ranger also has a compass on the top which naturally doesn't require battery power to function. There's also an LED flashlight which is activated by holding down a button on the top of the unit, positioned next to the OLED touchscreen which is identical to the one seen on the original Got-cha. How much you'll use these two features is debatable – the LED light is quite weak – but it's nice to know they're present all the same. Finally, there's a removable strap at the top complete with a keyring, so you can safely secure the Go-tcha Ranger to your keys or bag.
Both charging and topping-up are handled by two cables which clip into the sides of the device. The left-hand cable features a USB connection which can be used to replenish the Go-tcha Ranger's battery, while the right-hand cable features a Micro USB connection for charging other devices. Inside the box you'll also find adapters for the Apple Lightning connector and the more recent USB Type-C connection. There's a little plastic keyring for the former which can be attached to the Ranger's metal ring, but nothing for the latter – so if you have a phone with a Type-C port and you intend to charge on the move, you'll need to make sure it's put somewhere safe in the meantime.
The unit itself feels rather light, and is covered in a matte-feel plastic which picks up greasy fingerprints fast; compared to the bright colours seen on the official Pokémon GO Plus, it appears rather muted and boring, but that may not be a negative for those players who love the game but don't want to be judged by the rest of humankind for having a flashing child's toy on their wrist. The Go-tcha Ranger is small and lightweight enough to slip into your pocket, but the vibration which accompanies each catch and spin attempt is really loud, so you may wish to make sure you have that turned off if you're in a quiet environment.
When it comes to changing the settings of the Go-tcha Ranger, you can use the touchscreen (which, it should be noted, is almost impossible to see in bright sunlight) to toggle things on and off, such as auto-catching, auto-spinning of Pokéstops and even the connection to your phone. The unit has two 'catch' choices; you can, if you so wish, prevent the Ranger from catching any monster that already exists in your Pokédex. Likewise, you can choose to take the alternate approach and avoid wasting auto-catches (which are done with standard Pokéballs and therefore give you the weakest chance of success) on 'mon you've yet to meet; in these cases, you'll ideally want to use your phone for the best chance of bagging the elusive beast.
The other big news with this updated unit is that Datel has released a companion smartphone app which allows you to change settings from your phone, as well as update the firmware of the Go-tcha Ranger – the rather counterintuitive catch is that you have to disconnect the device from Pokémon GO entirely, otherwise Datel's app can't interact with it. The app keeps track of statistics related to the use of the Go-tcha Ranger too, but strangely it doesn't tell you how much battery life is left – something that would have been really useful. Naturally, the stamina of the Go-tcha Ranger will vary depending on how much you use it, and in what way; if you don't want to sacrifice any of the battery life to top-up your phone's stamina then you'll be pleasantly surprised at how long this thing can last between charges - we're talking weeks rather than months. While the official Pokémon GO Plus device has impressive stamina, it's reliant on a battery which has to be replaced when it's out of juice – with the Go-tcha Ranger, you don't have this added hassle (although it goes without saying that even rechargeable batteries have a finite lifespan). While we're on the subject, it's worth noting that two members of the Nintendo Life team found their original Go-tcha devices refused to charge after a few months; it remains to be seen if similar reliability issues will impact this new model. (UPDATE: Yep, our Ranger unit died within a year of ownership. Not great, right?)
While there are plenty of elements here that could be a lot better, the fact remains that the Go-tcha Ranger – like the standard Go-tcha before it – performs its function brilliantly. If you want to be able to catch 'mon and spin stops when you're out and about but don't want to have to keep pressing a button in order to do so, then this device will suit you down to the ground; it might sound lazy but there are legitimate situations – such as driving a car – where interacting with a Pokémon GO Plus could put you at serious risk; the Go-tcha's automated system avoids this danger and takes the effort out of playing the game – but when you've got a device which is doing the bulk of the work for you, are you really playing at all?
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Comments 32
Looks pretty awful to be honest, it compromises the small lightweight device by adding a bunch of unnecessary stuff your phone will already do (LED light, compass), and a weak power bank.
Also your Amazon link doesn't work.
Just stop playing surely.... you basically aren’t playing the machine is...
So this is by the same people who used to do the Action Replay cheat cartridges/discs for consoles? I always wondered what they were up to now days.
I thought these things were illegal?
Ah no, that was the guy who modded a Go plus wasnt it?
Gotcha waste 'em all, my money.
Does Go even allow 3rd party accessories like this? Unless I can hatch eggs with the screen off and my phone in my pocket, no accessory interests me for Pokemon Go.
I don't remotely like flicking the screen to catch Pokemon in the game, but it's not so hard or inconvenient that I want to spend money to have a machine do it for me...
@Heavyarms55 The game 'sees' the Go-tcha as a PGO Plus.
50 Bucks to not play Pokemon Go?
What a world we live in.
@Damo But is that technically allowed within Pokemon Go's terms of service? I mean they just announced a 3 strike policy. Imagine not only paying 50 bucks for a toy to play the game for you, but paying 50 bucks to get your account banned...
Wasnt someone arrested in japan for using a modified GO plus accesory?
@Heavyarms55
"Unless I can hatch eggs with the screen off and my phone in my pocket, no accessory interests me for Pokemon Go."
I have the original Go-tcha and it most definitely allows that
@Heavyarms55
if they don't know then you're all good
I never understand the need to go so far out of your way to cheat. Why not play the game as intended?
@Heavyarms55 The app has no way of knowing you're not using a real PGO Plus.
@Ryu_Niiyama Cheat? This device simply does what the official PGO Plus does, but you don't press a button.
How is it... cheating?
Not really the best looking case. Even with that battery extender, I'll stick to my go-tcha band.
@Ryu_Niiyama Except it's not really cheating? This device's main feature is the equivalent of holding the Go Plus button to auto catch, except that it only works on iOS, not Android. Guess which platform I have? Plus this accessory is the main reason I'm back to playing this game after two years. One of the things that made me stop playing the game was because it was too disruptive during my exercises. With this accessory's auto catch/spin feature, I can jog uninterrupted while being rewarded.
I suspect it won't be long before people who use this device will have their accounts banned.
@Damo then just use the go plus.
@Ryu_Niiyama When I'm driving my car, having to take one hand off the wheel to press the PGO Plus is actually quite dangerous - esp if I'm rounding a corner - so this is much better.
Again, please explain the cheating comment.
@Mountain_Man The original Go-tcha has been available for over a year and not a single account has been banned using it. Without wanting to repeat myself, PGO sees the Go-tcha as a PGO Plus. There's literally no way the app can tell you're using another device, because the PGO's Bluetooth signature cannot be altered via firmware updates so it will never change. All Datel has had to do here is clone the PGO Plus. If Nintendo / Niantic banned this unit based on the connection, it would ban all PGO Plus devices at the same time.
@Damo Yeah, I don’t see this as any different than a Nintendo brand wireless controller vs a Madcatz brand. In the case of PGO, an accessory is an accessory for recognition. Nice that this device allows an actual “hands free” experience for those who use it.
Why would I ever buy this over the Go-tcha? It's bulky and the big thing about the Go-tcha and Go Plus is they're wearables that are accessible simply by raising your wrist.
The Go-tcha's still too expensive in my opinion, but if I did get one, I'd turn auto catch and auto spin off. It's not too much work to tap the screen, and it makes me feel like I'm doing at least something to progress in the game instead of just "congrats, you left your house".
I don't play Pokemon Go but I think it's still quite a useful thing
Just walking around and having to press and having to worry about the actual game while I do something else like walking is kinda lame imo
It can be really fun to play with friends tho, but alone it makes no sense
So the comments like "50 bucks to not play what a world we live in" are kinda absurd, I could say some [removed] like "everyone staring at their phone while they walk, what a world we live in", an accessory like may let you enjoy your walk when you know that you don't have to take care of that, and enjoy the game when you want
That's just the point : enjoying the game the way you want. Where's the problem in that ? If some people enjoy to walk and not having to press a button just to make sure that they receive something at a pokestop I don't think there's anything wrong
But still, it's too expensive, I would never buy it, but I can absolutely understand the purpose of this item
@Damo Some people in the PoGo community do see the Go-tcha as cheating as it allows you to make catches quicker, in more difficult places (e.g. while driving or as a passenger as it allows you to catch at higher speeds than without a Go-tcha) and is MUCH more efficient in farming Stardust.
However, I don't agree & owned a Go-tcha myself for a long time until it disappeared while ice-skating at a Christmas work do in London.
Also, don't press the button on a PG Plus at all - the Go-tcha IS the only safe way to catch while driving.
I already been burnt twice with the go-tcha with the same issue of completely dying after two and a half months, so don't mind me being skeptical on this one. I'll just stick with the first party, even if it's a bit more manual effort.
@xshinox You profile pic is dangerously cute...
@Mountain_Man been using my go-tcha since last summer and no ban! niantic doesn't know you're using one kuz it acts like a go plus.
My thought on the idea that it “spoils the experience” or “is basically like you’re not playing the game anymore” is this!
This game is extremely repetitive; the point of a tool like this is to eliminate a little of the monotony, to cut down on how much it can feel like a grind, especially once you reach that mid-30s level range.
The two things the Go-Tcha helps automate:
1. Spinning poke stops. The interaction for collecting items in the first place is a formality, at least in its current form. Most of the time, I’m visiting the exact same stops every day - I’ve seen the pictures, I know what the sites are - it does nothing for me to have to manually spin. I do manually spin a lot of the time when in a new place because I like seeing what the stop actually is. But largely, automating the spin means I can drive by the alley next to Starbucks in the morning and get at least my daily stop without having to look at my phone.
2. Catching Pokémon. How many Pokémon has the average player caught? 5,000? 10,000? We have caught so many Pokémon that it’s far from being the enjoyable part of the game! It’s a chore to do it repeatedly, and it’s considerably slower than using a device that skips the animation even if the success rate is slower. Also, the fact that the success rate is lower and it only uses regular pokeballs? There is still an incentive to do regular catching to ensure better rates on the rarer Pokémon and to use up Great and Ultra balls. I know I do a healthy mix of the two.
What’s left of the game after that? Most of it! Community interaction, gym battles, defending, evolving Pokémon, raiding, theory crafting/planning teams, strategizing coin spending, the Friend system, inventory management, and much more. It really is only a small portion of the game - the most “grindy” portion - that gets somewhat automated. I don’t feel like I’ve lost a single thing playing with my Go-tcha - in fact, trimming out some of that grinding has helped me keep my motivation to continue playing.
@LightBeam Mind your language!
I would only recommend the Got-cha for the auto spin only not both because like the Go+ it always prioritizes catching a Pokémon versus the Pokéstop. It does count for egg walking which is great when I am at work.
One warning I do have is if the game updates and it breaks the Official Go+ then yours breaks too. So, it's up and down with the Go-tcha and the Go+. As of the Gen 4 release the Got-cha pairs perfectly every time.
I have android, I drive and I have a Got-cha, it's perfect for Community Day when I want to auto spin, and selectively choose what Pokémon to attempt auto catch with. This way I can focus on all the possible shinies to manually catch. In addition, I also use it so I can continue to spin while I am fighting the raid boss. Another bonus is that while I am driving during Raid Day I can get the Pokéstops and I don't have to click anything. I just drive my focus on the road. Honestly, I'm happy with my Got-cha, I've had one for two years now and it still works great. I got another from a friend who had issues with hers and I got it from her and it works fine but I did need to hard reset it which is when you plug it in and pull it off the charger about 20 times? It hard resets the device.
I don't drive during community day, I walk with my community and enjoy catching up with them while we catch Pokémon, it's also a great item to use while we eat afterwards and there's a Pokéstop. It helps me interact with my friends instead of focusing on a game.
I bought mine in september 2018. Still lives
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