Pokemon Homeis the new backbone of thePokemonfranchise. The cloud service connects the 3DS Pokemon games throughPokemon Bank,Pokemon Go,Pokemon Let’s Go PikachuandEevee, and the brand newPokemon SwordandPokemon Shieldtitles for Nintendo Switch. The newest update for the service expands it even further.Pokemon Homeis now prepared for the upcoming launch ofPokemon SwordandShield’s first major post-launch DLC, theIsle of Armor.
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In addition to the Battle Data changes,Pokemon Homealso now allows users to directly trade their Pokemon with friends via an online connection. As surprising as it may be, trades were previously limited to local connections with those on a user’s friend’s list. It’s a major change and a necessary one at that. Fittingly for Nintendo, it’s apparently going to be a temporary one, too.
Other temporary changes include a reduction in time necessary forRoom Trades and the Wonder Box. Wonder Box trades now only take 60 minutes to complete, allowingPokemon Homeusers to do many of them a day with relative ease. And as for Room Trades, 10 of them can be done per day.
There’s no clear indication as to how long these trading upgrades will be available to Pokemon Home users. They’re likely available in part due to theCOVID-19 pandemic, since so many are self-quarantining. Perhaps they’ll last until the pandemic has passed or perhaps fans can persuade Nintendo to keep them for longer.
Pokemon Home is the required way to transfer Pokemon from previous generations of the franchise. And for Pokemon that aren’t available inPokemon SwordandShield, it’s the only way to trade those Pokemon to friends. That it’s typically so extremely limited in that capacity, and that it might go back to that, is a disappointment. Hopefully, fans will take advantage of this opportunity. Hopefully,Nintendowill continue to improve Pokemon Home so that Pokemon trainers across the world can use it as they see fit.
