Pokemon Go is almost here and these are the microtransactions to tempt you

It's coming. The time when you miss trains, buses, planes and weddings because there's a Jigglypuff hiding in Starbucks. Pokemon Go appears to have started making its way around the world and been released on iOS and Android in Japan, Australia  and New Zealand. This means it's only a matter of time before we can hunt down Pokemon in the UK and US. 

The release also helpfully means that we can also see the free app's microtransactions. As reported by Kotaku, you can buy extra Pokeballs in quantities of 20, 100 and 200, as well as Incense for attracting the little critters. You can also buy Lucky Eggs, Lure Modules and an egg incubator. 

However, of course it's not that simple. You have to buy these items in Pokecoins which can be bought in various increments. As usual, the more you buy, the cheaper it is. As you can see in the below image, 100 Pokecoins costs $1.49 so that would be the price of 20 Pokeballs. Note that this is a screen of the Australian version of the game so that's Australian dollars. In UK currency, that's about 86p or $1.12 US. I wouldn't be surprised if that evened into 99p or 99 cents but it's unclear until we get official pricing. 

Yes, that's a 14,500 pack for $119 US/£92.29 which of course would make things cheaper but also a serious investment from the get go. A triple figure sum on a free game level of insanity. You can see the full shopping list below. 

If you want the full Pokemon Go experience, there's also the Pokemon Go Plus bracelet which will vibrate and light up when a Pokemon is nearby. It's £34.99 and currently out of stock on the Nintendo website and I imagine it'll be a bit like gold dust for a while but keep an eye out for restocks. Everyone else paranoid about ever being on time again? Yes? Good. 

Seen something newsworthy? Tell us!

Louise Blain

Louise Blain is a journalist and broadcaster specialising in gaming, technology, and entertainment. She is the presenter of BBC Radio 3’s monthly Sound of Gaming show and has a weekly consumer tech slot on BBC Radio Scotland. She can also be found on BBC Radio 4, BBC Five Live, Netflix UK's YouTube Channel, and on The Evolution of Horror podcast. As well as her work on GamesRadar, Louise writes for NME, T3, and TechRadar. When she’s not working, you can probably find her watching horror movies or playing an Assassin’s Creed game and getting distracted by Photo Mode.