With the release of Pokemon Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl on the horizon, it's no surprise to see fans of the series celebrating the highly-anticipated Pokemon remakes. One fan has taken it to the next level by building a real-life Poketch using a smartwatch.
While the Poketch is an upcoming feature of Pokemon Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl, it dates back to their original incarnations on the Nintendo DS. The Poketch occupied the bottom screen of the system, acting as a sort of smartwatch to aid the player in their journey. It had a variety of apps, such as a clock, a calculator, a pedometer, and more, which could be swapped between at the push of a button.
Now, u/IdreesInc has brought the Poketch to life by recreating it on one of Apple's devices, the Apple Watch. The default apps that come with the Poketch are all included, alongside some of its unlockable features such as the coin toss, region map, and matchup checker. Most impressive, however, is the color changer, which allows the player to alter the color of the Poketch interface with a slider. u/IdreesInc also shared the source code for this remarkable feat, so that others can duplicate the Poketch on their own Apple Watches.
U/IdreesInc's work is an incredible achievement, as the interface is a perfect recreation of the original Poketch from Pokemon Diamond and Pearl. Even small details have been included; for example, the digital clock brightens when touched, and the pedometer will reset if the user swaps out of the app. The animations have also been replicated, making for another neat touch. Clearly, u/IdreesInc paid close attention to the features of the original Poketch, and took no shortcuts in recreating it for the Apple Watch.
The Pokemon fan community is well-known for coming up with creative ways to show appreciation for the franchise. Some make their own custom Pokemon designs, while others will create entirely new fanmade games. U/IdreesInc stands out, however, for bringing a beloved feature from Pokemon Diamond and Pearl to the real world, even going so far as to share it with others for free. With Pokemon Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl slated for release tomorrow, it's a good opportunity to celebrate such beloved entries in the Pokemon series.
For those who may be interested, u/IdreesInc posted the link to the Poketch's source code in the video's comment section. However, Nintendo is notorious for shutting down fanmade content, so access to the source code may be limited. Still, recreating the Poketch is a wonderful way to celebrate the Sinnoh titles, and hopefully Pokemon fans will be able to enjoy it for the foreseeable future.
Pokemon Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl launch on November 19th for the Nintendo Switch.