Poké Radar: Difference between revisions

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Revision as of 10:46, 15 December 2016

Artwork from the TCG

The Poké Radar (Japanese: ポケモントレーサー Pokémon Tracer, ポケトレ Poké Trace for short) is a Key Item in Pokémon Diamond and Pearl, Platinum, X, and Y that is used to seek out wild Pokémon hiding in tall grass. Its most notable use is to increase the probability of encountering the normally extremely rare Shiny Pokémon.

In the games

050Diglett.png This section is incomplete.
Please feel free to edit this section to add missing information and complete it.
Reason: In what games is it possible to encounter roaming Pokémon using the Poké Radar?

In all games that it appears in, the Poké Radar is obtained after receiving the National Pokédex.

It can only be used in tall grass, while on foot. When used, a tune will begin to play, and up to four patches of grass will shake briefly. Upon entering one of these patches of grass, a battle with a wild Pokémon will begin immediately, even if the player is using a Repel. Depending on the game, different patches may shake in a different way, corresponding to rarer species of wild Pokémon. However, all games feature a very rare and distinct type of shaking grass that glows white twice; such a grass patch will always contain a Shiny Pokémon.

Like the Vs. Seeker, the Radar's battery must be charged after use by walking around. It takes 50 steps to fully charge the Poké Radar.

If the wild Pokémon is knocked out or captured in a Poké Ball, a chain will begin; this is the principle mechanic of the Poké Radar and crucial to increasing the probability of encountering a Shiny Pokémon. When a chain is in progress, the Poké Radar will automatically activate again at the end of the battle, causing up to four more grass patches to shake. Depending on various circumstances, one of these patches may be more likely to contain the same species of Pokémon as the one just encountered; defeating or catching such a Pokémon will continue to increase the chain by 1. If a wild Pokémon of a different species is encountered, or if a battle ends without defeating or capturing the wild Pokémon, or if a wild Pokémon is encountered outside of the Poké Radar, then the chain will break and the Poké Radar will not activate again at the end of the battle. A chain can also automatically break if the player uses the Bicycle or Roller Skates, if the player scrolls all shaking grass patches off-screen by moving too far away from them, or an Egg hatches.

Activating the Poké Radar manually in the middle of a chain will not break the chain, and will simply generate up to four new patches of shaking grass, replacing the old ones. This action is known as "resetting" the Radar. It is commonly used when none of the four patches is deemed likely to continue the chain; this determination varies between games.

As the chain length increases, the probability of finding a Shiny patch also increases, up to a certain maximum. After reaching this maximum, the player no longer needs to attempt to increase the chain, and can simply recharge and reset the Radar over and over until a Shiny patch appears.

In Diamond, Pearl, and Platinum

Bag Poké Radar Sprite.png

The Poké Radar is obtained from Professor Rowan in his lab immediately after receiving the National Pokédex from Professor Oak; however, he will not explain how it works very thoroughly. In Pokémon Platinum, once the player talkes to Dawn/Lucas's sister about Pokémon outbreaks, Dawn/Lucas will give a more practical demonstration on Route 202.

In these games only, the player can encounter certain Pokémon with the Poké Radar that would not be normally found on that route; these Pokémon are often not native to the Sinnoh regional Pokédex. For example, the Poké Radar is the only way to encounter a Nidoran♀ on Route 201.

When the Poké Radar is used, the game generates four "rings" around the player, with the first ring consisting of the eight squares surrounding the player, the second ring consisting of the 16 squares surrounding the first ring, and so on for the third and fourth rings. One random square in each ring will be selected, and if that square is a patch of grass, that patch will shake. Therefore, the maximum number of patches that can shake with each use of the Poké Radar is four; if fewer than four patches shake, then one or more of the randomly selected squares were not patches of grass. If all four squares did not contain grass, then the game will display the message "The grassy patch remained silent..." and the chain will automatically break.

The patch in the farthest "ring" is the most likely to continue a chain. Different formations of grass patches indicate different likelihoods of continuing a chain.

If a swarm ends while a chain is in progress, or a Pokémon otherwise ceases to become available, then that Pokémon will continue to be available until the chain is broken.

The probability of encountering a Shiny Pokémon becomes maximized at a chain length of 40, at approximately 1/200. This is a substantial increase from the usual probability of 1/8192. Since up to four patches of grass appear each time the Poké Radar is used, and each has an independent 1/200 chance, the overall probability of finding at least one Shiny patch for each reset of the Poké Radar is about 1/50. It is possible, although very unlikely, for multiple Shiny patches to appear on one reset. Entering a Shiny patch will never break a chain.

One of the many functions of the Pokétch is to display the current chain and the three best chains made so far.

Shiny probability

File:PokéRadarShinyProbability IV.png
The formula for the probability of patch being Shiny. nc is the number of Pokémon in the chain, up to 40.

Based on the formula depicted at right, the probability of a patch being Shiny can be approximated as 1/8000 for a chain of 1, 1/7800 for a chain of 2, 1/7600 for a chain of 3, and so on up to 1/200 for a chain of 40. Since up to 4 grass patches can shake at a single time, this probability can be up to 4 times as high, giving the player about a 1/50 chance of finding a shiny patch at a chain length of 40. Note that it takes a while for a chain to start paying off - the probability does not exceed that of the Masuda method until a chain length of 33. After that point, the probabilities start to increase very strongly, with a chain of 40 having double the probability (1/200) compared to a chain of 39 (1/400). While the probability of finding a Shiny patch increases as chain length increases, normal non-Shiny patches will always have the usual 1/8192 chance of containing a Shiny Pokémon.

As all Pokémon games prior to Generation V perform calculations strictly with integers, there exist some roundoff errors in the probability determination (as noted by the ceiling function in the formula). A game-accurate list of probabilities for each chain is as follows:

Chain length Shiny Probability
0* 8/65536 (1/8192)*
1 9/65536 (~1/7282)
2 9/65536 (~1/7282)
3 9/65536 (~1/7282)
4 9/65536 (~1/7282)
5 10/65536 (~1/6554)
6 10/65536 (~1/6554)
7 10/65536 (~1/6554)
8 10/65536 (~1/6554)
9 11/65536 (~1/5958)
10 11/65536 (~1/5958)
11 11/65536 (~1/5958)
12 12/65536 (~1/5461)
13 12/65536 (~1/5461)
14 13/65536 (~1/5041)
15 13/65536 (~1/5041)
16 14/65536 (~1/4681)
17 14/65536 (~1/4681)
18 15/65536 (~1/4369)
19 15/65536 (~1/4369)
20 16/65536 (1/4096)
21 17/65536 (~1/3855)
22 18/65536 (~1/3641)
23 19/65536 (~1/3449)
24 20/65536 (~1/3277)
25 21/65536 (~1/3121)
26 22/65536 (~1/2979)
27 24/65536 (~1/2731)
28 26/65536 (~1/2521)
29 28/65536 (~1/2341)
30 30/65536 (~1/2185)
31 33/65536 (~1/1986)
32 37/65536 (~1/1771)
33 41/65536 (~1/1598)
34 47/65536 (~1/1394)
35 55/65536 (~1/1192)
36 66/65536 (~1/993)
37 82/65536 (~1/799)
38 110/65536 (~1/596)
39 164/65536 (~1/400)
40+ 328/65536 (~1/200)

*A Shiny patch cannot appear on a chain length of 0, but all non-Shiny patches still have the usual 1/8192 chance of encountering a Shiny Pokémon.

List of Radar-exclusive Pokémon

# Pokémon Location Game
029 Nidoran♀ Nidoran♀ Route 201 D P Pt
030 Nidorina Nidorina Valor Lakefront, Route 221 D P Pt
032 Nidoran♂ Nidoran♂ Route 201 D P Pt
033 Nidorino Nidorino Valor Lakefront, Route 221 D P Pt
048 Venonat Venonat Route 229 D P Pt
049 Venomoth Venomoth Route 229 D P Pt
056 Mankey Mankey Routes 225 and 226 D P Pt
057 Primeape Primeape Routes 225 and 226 D P Pt
079 Slowpoke Slowpoke Route 205 (North) D P Pt
088 Grimer Grimer Route 212 (South) D P Pt
128 Tauros Tauros Routes 209 and 210 (South) D P Pt
Route 210 (South) D P Pt
132 Ditto Ditto Route 218 D P Pt*
161 Sentret Sentret Route 202 D P Pt
175 Togepi Togepi Route 230 D P Pt
179 Mareep Mareep Valley Windworks D P Pt
180 Flaaffy Flaaffy Route 222 D P Pt
187 Hoppip Hoppip Route 205 (North and South) D P Pt
Route 205 (South), Fuego Ironworks D P Pt
Route 205 (South) D P Pt
188 Skiploom Skiploom Route 205 (North) D P Pt
Fuego Ironworks D P Pt
191 Sunkern Sunkern Route 204 (North) D P Pt
202 Wobbuffet Wobbuffet Lake Verity, Lake Valor, Lake Acuity D P Pt
Lake Verity, Lake Valor D P Pt
229 Houndoom Houndoom Routes 214 and 215 D P Pt*
234 Stantler Stantler Route 207 D P Pt
235 Smeargle Smeargle Route 212 D P Pt
Routes 208 and 212 D P Pt
236 Tyrogue Tyrogue Routes 208 and 211 D P Pt
Route 211 D P Pt
241 Miltank Miltank Routes 209 and 210 (South) D P Pt
Route 210 (South) D P Pt
246 Larvitar Larvitar Route 207 D P Pt
261 Poochyena Poochyena Route 214 D P Pt
262 Mightyena Mightyena Routes 214 and 215 D P Pt
277 Swellow Swellow Route 213 D P Pt
280 Ralts Ralts Routes 203 and 204 D P Pt*
281 Kirlia Kirlia Routes 203 and 204 D P Pt
Route 209 D P Pt
290 Nincada Nincada Eterna Forest D P Pt
294 Loudred Loudred Mt. Coronet D P Pt
304 Aron Aron Fuego Ironworks D P Pt
324 Torkoal Torkoal Route 227, Stark Mountain D P Pt
328 Trapinch Trapinch Route 228 D P Pt
329 Vibrava Vibrava Route 228 D P Pt
333 Swablu Swablu Route 211 D P Pt*
343 Baltoy Baltoy Route 206 D P Pt
352 Kecleon Kecleon Route 210 (North) D P Pt
355 Duskull Duskull Route 224 D P Pt*
356 Dusclops Dusclops Route 224 D P Pt*
361 Snorunt Snorunt Routes 216 and 217, Acuity Lakefront D P Pt*
371 Bagon Bagon Route 210 (North) D P Pt

In HeartGold and SoulSilver

Main article: Pokéwalker

The Poké Radar is not normally obtainable in the main game; however, a primitive version of the Poké Radar exists on the bundled Pokéwalker.

The Pokéwalker's Poké Radar costs 10 Watts to use, and is the only way to encounter any wild Pokémon at all on the device. Similar to Pokémon Diamond, Pearl, and Platinum, these Pokémon are often difficult or impossible to otherwise find in the main game.

When used, four patches of grass will appear on-screen, one of which will randomly display a '!' symbol for a short period of time. If the player successfully selects that grass patch before the '!' disappears, then either a battle with a wild Pokémon will begin or there will be a delay and another random grass patch will display a second '!'. Again, if the player successfully selects the '!' patch before it disappears, a battle may begin or a third patch may display '!!'. Yet again, if the player successfully selects the '!!' patch, a battle may begin or a fourth patch may display '!!!'; the fourth patch will always start a battle should the player reach that point. Patches with greater numbers of exclamation points indicate rarer wild Pokémon; the mechanics and precise timing required may be considered a primitive form of chaining.

In X and Y

After being absent in Generation V, the Poké Radar returns in Pokémon X and Y. It is received by the player once he or she has defeated the Elite Four, by talking to the male scientist on the top right of the second floor of Professor Sycamore's Lab in Lumiose City.

The Poké Radar cannot be used while using the Bicycle or Roller Skates. If the player uses either while chaining (including using the circle pad instead of the D-pad), the chain is reset, and the Poké Radar must be recharged. It also cannot be used in the Friend Safari. However, it can be used in flower beds the same way as in tall grass.

Unlike in Diamond, Pearl, and Platinum, there are no Pokémon species exclusive to the Radar. All wild Pokémon encountered will be the same as those encountered normally in the area.

Once per day, the player can speak to the scientist who gave the Poké Radar, and he will assign a species of Pokémon for the player to study. If the player successfully makes a chain of that Pokémon and returns, the scientist will reward the player with an item.

In these games, when a Shiny patch appears, the game will play a unique sound effect in addition to the patch glowing.

Chains and other specific mechanics are believed to be similar to that of Diamond, Pearl, and Platinum; differences include the possibility of more than 4 patches of grass shaking at once, as well as the possibility of a grass patch failing to contain any wild Pokémon at all (thus automatically breaking the chain). It has also been verified that the Poké Radar music can change to a more upbeat tune; this is believed but not proven to increase the Shiny encounter rate. More exact details are currently unknown.

Poké Radar Researcher

The scientist at the Pokémon Lab will give items depending on the player's highest chain length of the Pokémon he requests data of that day. The player can earn more than one item at once, but each different item is only given once per day.

Item Location Games
Ultra Ball Ultra Ball For a chain length of 1-10 Pokémon  X  Y 
PP Up PP Up For a chain length of 11-20 Pokémon  X  Y 
PP Max PP Max For a chain length of 21-30 Pokémon  X  Y 
Rare Candy Rare Candy For a chain length of at least 31 Pokémon  X  Y 

Flavor text

Games Description
DPPtHGSS*
BWB2W2*
XYORAS*
A tool that can search out Pokémon that are hiding in grass. Its battery is recharged as you walk.

In the TCG

Main article: Poké Radar (Legends Awakened 133)
Poké Radar

The Poké Radar was introduced as a Trainer card in the Pokémon Trading Card Game during the English Diamond & Pearl Series (the Japanese DP Era). First released in the Cry from the Mysterious expansion, the Poké Radar later debuted in English in the Legends Awakened expansion, with both prints featuring an illustration by Kazuaki Aihara. This Trainer card allows the player to look at the top five cards of their deck and keep any Pokémon after showing them to their opponent; the remaining cards are then shuffled back into the deck.

In other languages

Language Title
France Flag.png European French Poké Radar
Germany Flag.png German Pokéradar
Italy Flag.png Italian Poké Radar
South Korea Flag.png Korean 포켓트레 Poké-Tra
Spain Flag.png European Spanish Pokéradar

See also

On Bulbagarden forums


Project ItemDex logo.png This item article is part of Project ItemDex, a Bulbapedia project that aims to write comprehensive articles on all items.