Product Manufacturer: Brook
Price: $49.99 USD
Estimated Time With Gear: 2 weeks
What Is It?: Upgraded version of the Brook Auto Catch, with enhanced functions
Compatible With: Pokémon Go, Bluetooth Version 4.0 and above
The Brook Auto Catch Plus is my first auto-catcher outside Nintendo’s Pokémon Ball Plus, which was initially sold to play Pokémon Let’s Go Pikachu/Eevee but is way more prominent in use with Pokémon Go players. That device required you to press the Pokéball when it vibrates to throw a ball, although it automatically spins Pokestops. Auto Catch Plus is the full automatic experience that players seek.
Like the very popular Go-tcha, the Brook Auto Catch Plus is a discreet Pokémon Go auto catcher that does exactly what players want. It spins stops, and throws Pokeballs at Pokémon, all without the player having to interact with their phone or the device itself. Most people I know who have used a Go-tcha device have agreed the Go-tcha Evolve is the best of the bunch, although its design is a little too much for me to wear on my wrist alongside my Apple Watch.
What I liked about the Brook Auto Catch Plus straight out of the box was its simplicity and small size. It’s the same dimensions as the original Go-tcha, meaning you can put it into any wrist straps or silicone cases you may already own for that device.
What’s In The Box:
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Pocket Auto Catch Plus x1
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Wristband x1
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Charging Cable x1
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Manual(Multilingual) x1
You’ll find the device itself alongside a wristband, a USB charger, and an instruction pamphlet in the box. After charging the device for the recommended two hours, I opened Pokémon Go and was able to pair the machine in seconds. It’s no different than pairing any other auto-catcher device, and you simply need to head into Pokémon Go’s settings. Once you’re connected, you can press the one face button on the Brook Auto Catch Plus to cycle through different settings, at which point you’ll promptly become very confused, just as I did. Breaking down the hieroglyphics in the instruction manual, you can turn off or on settings for spinning stops, catch-all or just new Pokémon, and adjust the vibration settings. Turning the vibration off was the first thing I did as it got annoying fast with the constant buzzing. Even after a couple of weeks of using this device, I still can’t remember what setting does, so I’d suggest downloading the Pocket Center app, which lets you toggle settings off and on with ease.
The sole vibration setting I’ve left on is the one that’ll let me know when my device is about to disconnect. It usually only does this when it hasn’t come across a Pokémon or Pokestop for roughly half-hour, but I’ve also had the device disconnect after being in use for 2-3 hours. Opening the Pokémon Go app soon fixed this, and I’m not sure I can blame this on the device itself, as I’m sure if it’s timing out on me, it’s my Pokémon Go app seemingly going to sleep.
While in use, this thing does everything you’d want it to, no problems asked. Walking around town, where there are plenty of Pokestops and Pokémon to be caught, the device had a ball. It’ll tell you what’s happening on the device’s screen with icons displaying when it captures a Pokémon or loses one. I don’t see any need for this personally; as long as it’s connected and doing its job, I can check what it caught later. You’ll also want to turn off app notifications for Pokémon Go unless you want a buzz on your phone or smartwatch every time something happens in the game.
I managed to get several days’ use out of the Brook Auto Catch Plus on a single charge. Wearing the device on my wrist next to my Apple Watch may look a little odd to anyone who notices you’re seemingly wearing several devices, but it won’t stand out to most people. If you’re wearing it by itself, with no smartwatch, it’ll just look like a small Fitbit-like device.
If you want to use the device in your car only, plugging the included USB charged in your vehicle will let you catch Pokémon for long or short trips with ease, and this is how I see myself using the device most of the time. Although I ordered a Go-tcha silicone case for the device, so I can hang it off my keys or bag.
The one setting the Brook Auto Catch Plus needs is a way to lock the device. The one-touch button on the front of the device is rather sensitive, and when I tried to put the device in a pocket, I found I was accidentally touching and changing settings without meaning. It’s a minor complaint, but it’s worth mentioning as it means you’ll always have to hang it in open areas or wear it on your wrist if you don’t want to risk tapping the button.
Things could go bad six months down the track with the battery with a device like this. However, my experience over the past couple of weeks has been very positive with an easy-to-setup, connect and use auto-catcher that does exactly what you need it to do. Its small size and design also mean you can be comfortable wearing it on your wrist if you wish without it standing out as a Pokémon Go auto-catcher.
