Details of Pokémon Home, the cloud-based storage system from The Pokémon Company, have emerged, and they’re probably as you’d expect. There’ll be two flavors: Basic, a free version, and Premium, a subscription-based offering.
The free version of Pokémon Home comes with limited features, as expected, limiting your storage to a paltry 30 Pokémon. The premium version allows a somewhat more generous capacity of 6,000.
For those with a Pokémon Bank, the previous storage option for your Poké-storing needs, you’ll need premium to access it. The premium version of the service has three options – a month for $2.99, three months for $4.99, or 12 months for $15.99.
Pokémon Home will work with your Nintendo Switch, connecting to Pokémon Sword and Shield as well as the Pokémon: Let’s Go, Pikachu! and Pokémon: Let’s Go, Eevee! Games. There isn’t any news regarding when Pokémon Go will be supported, but it is there on the road map. Pokémon Bank will connect through both the mobile app and the Switch.
Do I Need It?
Well, no. You don’t need it. This service is for the more hardcore Pokémon fan out there. It’s for those wanting to fill their Pokédex and to keep their favorite companions from game to game.
All Good Then?
Well. The idea of Pokémon Home being a service that can lead to some of your Pokémon being trapped has riled some fans. Following Dexit, fans have pointed out that many of their favorite Pokémon from the current bank service cannot be accessed in Sword and Shield and would be unable to be transferred back to the bank service.
Essentially this traps Pokémon in the new service, unable to be transferred back or used in the newest game. Players will then have a Sophie’s Choice of sorts: pay the fee or lose Horsea.