Nintendo is giving away a free Mew with every Poke Ball Plus controller purchase, which feels... weird

News
By published

Is.. is this a lootbox?

Pokemon Let's Go Pikachu and Eevee are launching with a special, and totally optional, controller accessory called the Poke Ball Plus. It's basically a Joy-Con shaped like a Poke Ball, and you can use it to play the entire game thanks to its built in joystick, accelerometer and more. 

But it turns out Nintendo is going one step further and offering you a little incentive to buy the Poke Ball Plus. A free Mew. Now, because of the ability to bring your Pokemon from Pokemon Go into Pokemon Lets Go, you may well already have a way to bring Mew into your game. If you complete all the Special Field Research, you'll be rewarded with your very own Mew, but it's unclear as yet whether you'll be able to bring that Mew into Let's Go. 

It feels a bit strange that Nintendo is almost turning its Poke Ball Plus into a loot box for Pokemon Lets Go. It's not quite pay to win, but it is as close as you're going to get in a Pokemon game. 

Latest Videos From

Interesting Nintendo hasn't yet confirmed how much the Poke Ball Plus is going to cost, but if it's anything like the Joy-Cons, it'll be about £40/$40.

Pokemon Let's Go Pikachu and Eevee are arriving on November 14, exclusively for Nintendo Switch. The pair of games are inspired by Pokemon Yellow from back in the Game Boy days, crossed with elements of the easy to pick up and play Pokemon Go on iOS and Android. 

Sam Loveridge
Sam Loveridge
Brand Director, GamesRadar+

Sam Loveridge is the Brand Director and former Global Editor-in-Chief of GamesRadar. She joined the team in August 2017. Sam came to GamesRadar after working at TrustedReviews, Digital Spy, and Fandom, following the completion of an MA in Journalism. In her time, she's also had appearances on The Guardian, BBC, and more. Her experience has seen her cover console and PC games, along with gaming hardware, for a decade, and for GamesRadar, she's in charge of the site's overall direction, managing the team, and making sure it's the best it can be. Her gaming passions lie with weird simulation games, big open-world RPGs, and beautifully crafted indies. She plays across all platforms, and specializes in titles like Pokemon, Assassin's Creed, The Sims, and more. Basically, she loves all games that aren't sports or fighting titles! In her spare time, Sam likes to live like Stardew Valley by cooking and baking, growing vegetables, and enjoying life in the countryside.