Pokeradar

So how does this thingamabob work? If you've tried using it, you probably got a message saying it didn't work there. Most people don't seem to realize that you need to step into a grassy patch (but NOT tall grass!) for the Pokeradar to function. Once you're in the grass, activate the device. If it's successful, you'll see some of the grass move and new music will start to play.

By stepping on the patch of grass you saw moving, you are guaranteed a wild pokemon encounter. If you defeat the pokemon you meet there, you'll see more shifting grasses after the fight, indicating more guaranteed encounters. Often times the next pokemon encounter will be of the same species as the last one. It's possible to chain together several same-species encounters with the Pokeradar in this fashion, though eventually you'll either encounter a different pokemon (stopping the chain), or run out of encounters. The Poketch application Prof. Oak gave you in Pal Park tracks the longest streaks of Pokeradar encounters you've had.

That's all fine and dandy, but the real utility of the Pokeradar is finding various non-Sinnoh native species. By watching how the grass shakes, you can estimate the rarity of the pokemon you'll encounter. The more the grass shakes, the rarer/higher level the pokemon encountered there is likely to be. Almost all the non-Sinnoh pokemon will cause the grass to shake a great deal, so if you don't see any, you may just want to run another 50 steps to recharge the Pokeradar, then try again. See our demo movie for a visual illustration of how the Pokeradar works.

Different areas yield different Pokeradar pokemon, and a few are even version-exclusive (Aron and Larvitar can only be obtained in Diamond, while the much-beloved Slowpoke is Pearl-only). One poke you'll absolutely want to get is Ditto, found on Route 218 near Canalave City. Dittos are the K-Y Jelly of the pokemon universe: they exist solely to help pokemon get it on. They can mate with any pokemon of any type (except Legendaries) and produce offspring, which can be a godsend when you're trying to get more of a rare species. Be sure to grab one!

One thing to note while using the Pokeradar is that random encounters will break the chain. You may want to use Repels or random encounter-reducing hold items while you're out trying to catch some new critters.