I’m disappointed with the gameplay. I hope they atleast added the option to have regular gameplay rules
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There’s increasing evidence, mainly through sales, that the 21st century propulsion away from physical media has pushed people back towards craving physical, tangible items such as cassettes, CDs, board games, TCG cards, photographs and books. Physical objects also provide more psychological validation of ownership. This app continues the move away from the tangible, and while I think there’s a clear market for being able to collect digitally, especially for those who also like to play the card game on their phone, I think it’s limited in long term sustainable appeal for collectors who grew up with the physical tcg.
This is also a completely different release to Pokemon GO, and I don’t think the two should be compared too closely. POGO fulfilled the pre-existing massive consumer demand for a game that would bridge the gap between an individual’s day-to-day reality and their love of the Pokemon games; something that was and could only ever be enjoyed digitally. I don’t think Pocket will have anything like the impact of POGO on the numbers of people coming into the physical TCG. Overall this is a very positive move for the brand, but from a collector’s perspective I’m not convinced. That said, I’ll definitely get hands-on with the app so I should reserve complete boomer judgement until it lands… very open to being proven wrong!
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I’m selling my whole physical Pokémon collection for this /s
Honesty can you see Pokémon allowing trading for real money?! It’s never going to happen.
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I think this app will be really great in regions where it is very hard to get physical product. As an example, in a country like India, official product for collection has to be sourced from specialist people and sources. Even stuff available on Amazon is not guaranteed to be legitimate. Not to mention the end costs even after jumping these hoops is too much for anyone to be invested in having a substantial collection.
However, in India, almost 50% population is online. India really has a thriving PoGo community and a very intense UNITE community despite almost no Nintendo presence. This is because these apps can be accessed via mobile and most importantly free on the base level. A free app like this is awesome for people who want to be collectors and scratch the collecting itch. I am pretty sure there are several other regions which face the same issue which can benefit from digital collecting.
The other point being, I sincerely hope this digital collection age opens more avenues to talented artists all over the world. Even if I can’t think of any, I am sure there are valid reasons why the Pokemon Art Illustration contests are not open to everyone in the World. So maybe all digital will open up opportunities for more artists to showcase their talents towards Pokemon.
Cheers!
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Hopefully it’s fun. Sadly won’t spend a dollar on the app
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I really like Austin John’s videos and his breakdown of Pocket is worth the watch.
There’s many things I like and many that I dislike about this game but this was one thing that stood out to me.
The pull rate % to get a rare pack is rough but to get a crown card from a rare pack is actually hilarious.
You have a 99.95% chance to get a ‘regular’ pack and a 0.05% chance to get a ‘rare’ pack. Within that rare pack you have a 0.013% chance to get a crown card.
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I think the overall goal for this app is to literally put Pokémon in more pockets. Everyone has a phone these days and you get a free pack every 12 hours. Seems like the perfect gateway drug.
Personally I’m really looking forward to it. I must be Pokémon’s ideal demographic because this will go into my daily rotation of Pokémon Go, Sleep and now Pocket twice a day to open my free packs.
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This is par for the course for mobile gacha games actually. They’re incredibly predatory and prey on people with addictive tendencies or poor self control. Now couple that with communities that flex their incredibly rare pulls (and amount spent) and you’ve got a toxic relationship brewing.
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It certainly fills that mental gap between buying actual cards at the lgs/Pokémon Center/online. You’ll be constantly reminded of Pokémon cards
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Oh absolutely! I don’t play these types of games although, I would like to see what Pocket is like. However, I actually don’t want to fall into that trap and it would be too easy to start spending. I might have to just not download it after all and save myself the headache…
I’m definitely going to download and play it though.
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And all it’ll be is a rainbow rare or gold card
Thanks for posting this.
I originally thought the concept was that the ‘digital’ cards in the app were all ‘immersive’ meaning you could pull a base set caterpie and view the art from different perspectives.
After getting 12mins into this video it seems that’s not the case and my head is spinning.
Getting old sucks 
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This has me thinking… I wonder if they’ll put any controls in place to curtail child spending on this app? In general it’s up to parents to control app spending, but knowing how addictive the physical TCG is with the inherent gambling element, this looks like it could create a more accessible addiction to the TCG. At the moment you have to either go online and enter card/paypal details, or physically go to a shop to buy packs. On the face of it this looks like a quick swipe-and-go type situation. Maybe they’ll require verification for any spending in the app.
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A single “are you sure” window pops up.
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Apple enters the chat
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I am enjoying it, but at the same time, I would rather spend time and money on the real thing. For me, no. But it certainly has some meat to it. However, who knows what the future holds…
(30min * 365 + 10 USD * 12) * 2 years > 4 clicks and $200 on ebay
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Really enjoying Pocket so far, a lot more than modern physical TCG. I’ve spent less than a modern booster box and have almost the full genetic apex set, 31 secret rares and 2 immersive cards.
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Here in Japan I see people everywhere opening packs on trains or in my classes. It’s wildly popular right now.
Have you guys seen people in your country playing Pokemon pocket?
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I think they should have redemption cards available where you take your phone to game stop or similar and exchange for physical cards
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Pokemon buyback program. Send in your real cards for a digital promo.
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