I’ve got a Pokemon Go problem. It’s called ‘sunk cost fallacy’, wherein I can’t quit the game because of the money and time I’ve already invested. I’m fully committed to being a casual player at this point, but even then I find a lot of Niantic’s decisions grating. Players have long grown used to the fact that raid and egg events are essentially pay-to-play, but too many events are completely paywalled these days.
However, I’ve got so many Pokemon on this account. My multiple shiny Rayquaza, my PvP team, my shundo Kyogre. Every one of these monsters has a host of memories attached to it. I remember traipsing through Brighton city centre with a hundred likeminded trainers and catching four shiny Rays in a single day. I remember the battle I won to reach Legend rank for the first time. I remember braving the rain for Kyogre, my first shundo, which arrived 30 seconds after I told a fellow raider, “At least you have a shundo,” because the rare monsters had thus proved elusive for me.
I’ve poured over 2,000 hours into Pokemon Go, and my monetary contribution to Niantic’s billions is probably around the £250 mark over the years. I’m Level 44, which isn’t anywhere near the max of 50, but represents a considerable portion of my gaming life. I don’t want to let go, no matter what decisions Niantic makes with the game.
After reading my colleague Eric Switzer’s adventures with Monster Hunter Now, I grew envious. Envious of his experiences, envious of a gameplay loop that looked fresh and inviting, rather than another shallow reskin of Niantic’s big hit. But how could I abandon my Pokemon Go account after all this time?
The Solution
Turns out the solution to my problem had been in my hands the whole time. For the past three months, I’ve been playing Pokemon Go (and, sporadically, Monster Hunter Now) on my Honor Magic V3. It’s a vast improvement over the previous iteration, but I don’t leverage its gimmick as a foldable phone anywhere near enough.
I unfold my phone for shopping lists, where I can look up a recipe on the left-hand side and write down the ingredients in my notes app on the right-hand side. Sometimes I unfold for a particularly serious Balatro run. Other than that, the phone stays folded.
I’ve always thought folding phones are a bit of a gimmick and, despite being a great all-rounder and competent smartphone, the Magic V3 hasn’t changed my mind on that. As a gaming machine it’s capable of running impressive titles, but I’ve only ever tried playing one at a time before.
You can probably tell where this is going, but I saw someone online playing Pokemon Go and Monster Hunter Now at the same time on their foldable, and I decided to try the same.
Does It Actually Work?
Pokemon Go is situated on the right side of my screen, due to the fact that I’m right-handed. Throwing a perfect curveball throw is doable with my left, but much more consistent with my right.
Monster Hunter Now goes on the left. Battles against low-level monsters are just a case of tapping the screen, which is fine. However, the bigger battles are more involved, which presents a conundrum.
Now don’t get me wrong, I like the fact that there’s more to these encounters than those in Pokemon Go. Fighting a big monster is more than just tapping on the screen like a Pokemon Go raid or throwing ball after ball like when you encounter a high CP Charizard. You have to swipe to dodge in a way that actually matters, you have to time your attacks between the monster’s flailing limbs, you have to work for your reward.
This is tricky to do with one hand, especially when trying to multitask with the other. However, there’s just enough downtime in each game to focus on one then another. I can tackle a bigger monster in Monster Hunter Now while I wait for a raid timer to trickle down, or even in the time it takes to register a catch.
This is a lot, I’m not going to lie to you. I’m not sure it’s something I can continue forever, but when I’ve got a chance to go on a post-work walk on my own, it might be a technique that I employ. Pokemon Go is almost an idle game now, my hands reverting to autopilot when I pull up the app, but I have to fully concentrate when playing it alongside Monster Hunter Now.
Is playing two AR games at once a bit much? Yes. Is it something I’m enjoying for the short term? Yes. Is it sustainable? No. Does it put a massive dent in the Magic V3’s battery? Not to the extent you’d imagine, but I doubt it would last a whole Community Day. For the time being, though, I’m a two-timing gamer and I can’t get enough.
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