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Pokemon Go for Apple Watch -- it's here

But you'll still need your phone.

Sean Hollister Senior Editor / Reviews
When his parents denied him a Super NES, he got mad. When they traded a prize Sega Genesis for a 2400 baud modem, he got even. Years of Internet shareware, eBay'd possessions and video game testing jobs after that, he joined Engadget. He helped found The Verge, and later served as Gizmodo's reviews editor. When he's not madly testing laptops, apps, virtual reality experiences, and whatever new gadget will supposedly change the world, he likes to kick back with some games, a good Nerf blaster, and a bottle of Tejava.
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Sean Hollister

After three long months, you can now download the monster-stalking smash hit game Pokemon Go for your Apple Watch -- and stop staring at your phone like a hawk whenever you're out walking the road.

Mind you, it's not a full version of the Pokemon Go game. To actually catch Pokemon, you'll still need your phone. The Apple Watch version is more of a companion app that tracks your steps (they'll even count towards your Apple Watch fitness goals), helps you stock up on Pokemon-catching items, and sends notifications to your wrist when there's a Pokemon nearby.

It's a shame the game still makes you pull out the phone -- to avoid that, you may still need to find the (somewhat buggy) $35 Pokemon Go Plus wearable.

Here's the full list of features, according to an official blog post from the game's creators:

  • Log each play session as a workout, with gameplay counting toward personal Activity rings
  • Receive notifications about nearby Pokémon
  • Count distance toward hatching Pokémon Eggs and receiving Candy with your Buddy Pokémon
  • Receive notifications about PokéStops nearby and collect items from them
  • Receive notifications when Eggs hatch and medals are awarded

We'll need to spend some, ahem, quality time testing out the new Apple Watch app for ourselves...but in the meantime, here's what it looked like in September.

Watch this: Pokemon Go coming to the Apple Watch

Happy hunting, folks!