Nintendo Switch's First Joy-Con Alternative Revealed: The Poke Ball Plus

The Pokemon Company has revealed a new controller for Nintendo Switch that effectively serves as the first non-standard Joy-Con. The Poke Ball Plus works much like a Joy-Con, with an analog stick in the center of the Poke Ball. The new controller launches Pokemon Let's Go Pikachu and Let's Go Eevee on November 16 but will be sold separate from the newly announced games.

The Poke Ball Plus uses motion controls, meaning you can "throw" it to toss Poke Balls at wild Pokemon, which is a key mechanic in the Let's Go games. It lights up, vibrates, and plays sounds, though it's not clear if it has all the functions of a Joy-Con. It's also compatible with Pokemon Go and can take the place of the Pokemon Go Plus. Finally, you can "store" a Pokemon from the Let's Go games inside the Poke Ball Plus and get rewards for taking it with you, similar to the Pokewalker from HeartGold and SoulSilver.

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In addition to the Poke Ball Plus, The Pokemon Company has announced Pokemon Quest, a spin-off game that is out now on Nintendo Switch. The company also confirmed that the Switch Pokemon game teased during Nintendo's E3 2017 press conference is set to release in the latter half of 2019.