Pokémon Bank Released in Japan and Korea!

The holidays may have ended for most, but for us Pokemon fans the real treat of the winter season has finally arrived – Pokémon Bank! Simply go to the eShop and download Pokémon Bank as well as Poké Transporter and you’re all set to store your beloved Pokemon from Gen III onwards, and transfer Pokemon to X & Y from Gen V!

A quick reminder that Pokémon Bank is a paid service with a yearly charge of $4.99. However, if you download the app before February 1, 2014, you will be able to use it free of charge for a trial of 30 days!

New information

  • Pokemon Bank and Poke Transporter are 239 and 218 blocks respectively
  • 100 PokeMiles or 10 BP awarded for transferring a box of Pokemon
  • In-game NPC gives you all 4 drives for Genesect
  • Feebas also has the ability Oblivious
  • PokeTransporter will only move Pokemon that are in Box 1 (BW, BW2)

In the spoiler is a quick FAQ for those who still have questions about the app:

[spoiler]

Pokémon Bank…Poké Transporter? I don’t get it – explain!
Announced back in mid-2013, Pokémon Bank is an app that allows you to store Pokémon from Gen III and beyond into a big storage cloud, whereas Poké Transporter is the app you use to transfer Pokémon from Gen V over to Pokemon X & Y. Pokémon Bank allows you to upload and store up to 3,000 Pokémon to the internet, manage them and then (with the help of Poké Transporter) transfer them to X & Y. Pokémon Bank will have a yearly fee of $4.99 (however if you download it before 2/1/14 you’ll get a 30 day free trial), but Poké Transporter is completely free.

Do I need Pokémon Bank to use Poké Transporter?
Yes, Pokémon Transporter will not be usable without Pokémon Bank. Sorry. 🙁

Why does Pokémon Bank have a yearly fee?
Since Pokémon Bank is a huge cloud in the sky storing millions of dedicated fan’s Pokémon it may have problems. As such the app will need maintenance every once in a while – the yearly $4.99 goes towards that.

I don’t want to pay for Pokémon Bank after the 30 day trial. What will happen to my Pokémon after the trial ends?
If you don’t pay the annual fee, your beloved Pokémon are at risk of being deleted FOREVER! I suggest transferring all of them to X & Y as quickly as possible to avoid that!

Can you transfer Pokémon from RSE, DPPt or HGSS?
Nope, you can only transfer Pokémon from Pokemon Black, White, Black 2 and White 2. To get Pokémon from games Gen IV and below to the Pokémon Bank you need to work your way up the transfer ladder and get all your desired ‘mons to BW or BW2. Once your Pokémon are in a Gen V game you’re all set to transfer them to X & Y or store them in Pokémon Bank!

Can you transfer items?
No, unfortunately not. If your Pokémon is holding an item upon transfer the item will automatically be deposited into your bag. So no moving over hundreds of Rare Candies. :p

Does Poké Transporter work with both physical and downloaded copies of Pokémon X & Y?
Yep! The app will work with any number of copies of X & Y, no matter if your game is physical or not!

Anything else I should know?
Yes! Only “legal” Pokémon can be transferred and stored – that means all of those hacked Pokémon won’t be able to adventure in Kalos with you. Also, Pokémon can’t be transferred back to their original game, and if the Pokémon you transfer evolve via trade it will not evolve;

If you have any other questions be sure to ask them in the comments! One of the staffers or a very knowledgeable commentor will be able to answer!

[/spoiler]

So what Pokémon are you guys going to transfer first? I’ll personally be taking the day off to start moving all my Pokemon from Gen III and beyond to the Bank; my beautiful shiny Roserade, originally from my SS game, will be the first to make the trek to Kalos. :3

//ozymandis