PokéWalker is a new bit of hardware which is said to be bundled in with Pokémon Heart Gold & Soul Silver. This bit of hardware is special in that it will allow you to transfer one Pokémon from your HeartGold & Soul Silver games onto Pokéwalker. As PokéWalker is a pedometre, when you walk about, your Pokémon will slowly raise level and happiness. This will allow you to raise your Pokémon as you go about your daily lives.

However, that is not all. As you play on your PokéWalker, you will occassionally come across mini-games of sorts. These mini-games will also have an effect on your Heart Gold & Soul Silver games. One includes finding of items while you're walking. These include items such as Potions. You will also sometimes come across wild Pokémon while you play.

Pokéwalker

Accessing the Pokéwalker Connection Screen: When you turn on your game (after you have played it long enough to have a save file) you will be brought to the start-up screen which has a lot of options. The option for the Pokéwalker Connection Screen is among these. Here is a list of the options:
  • つづきから はじめる - Continue
  • さいしょから はじめる - Start new game
  • ポケウォーカーと せつぞく - Connect with Pokéwalker
  • ふすぎな おくりもの - Mystery Gift
  • _______から つれてくる - Bring Pokemon from _______ (Once you've reached Pal-Park)
  • Wi-Fiせってい - Wi-Fi Settings
  • eメールせってい - eMail Settings

There is no way to lose your Pokemon while it is in the Pokéwalker. Running out of batteries will simply make you lose steps and Watts. Your Pokemon will be safe. If you are to lose your Pokéwalker, then you can restore your Pokemon back into your games. As a note, if you happen to find your Pokéwalker after you have restored your Pokemon, you can not send the other one inside of the Pokéwalker back to the game (essentially cloning). To get your Pokemon back if ever your Pokéwalker breaks/gets lost, go the Pokéwalker Connection Screen and press & hold:
  • Up + Select + R

Once you do this, your Pokéwalker will be reset and your Pokemon will go back into your box. Your Pokemon will be restored to as it originally was when you put it in the Pokéwalker. If you do find your Pokéwalker after you have restored your Pokemon, you need to reset the Pokéwalker.

To set a Pokéwalker back to it's original settings, go to the Pokéwalker Connection Screen and press & hold:
  • Down + X + L

Once you have done this, either a new Pokéwalker, or an old one that you reset will be able to be synced with the game as you did when you first set it up.

Once a Pokemon is in the Pokéwalker, you will have two important choices that you can choose from on the Pokéwalker Connection Screen (on the DS). These are:
  • Return from walk (おでかけから かえす) - This is the top (default) choice. It will take the Pokemon from the Pokéwalker and return it to the game along with all other Items, caught Pokemon and Watts.
  • Receive Present (プレゼントを うけとる) - This will not return your Pokemon to the game from the Pokéwalker, rather, it will return your Watts, caught Pokemon and items to the game and leave your Pokemon in the Pokéwalker.

Sometimes when on a Route with no Pokemon in the Pokéwalker, a wild Pokemon will automatically take the role as your lead Pokemon. When this happens, you will not be able to put a Pokemon from your box into the Pokéwalker until you take out the wild one that joined you. The way to do this is as follows:
  • Go on a walk (おでかけに いく) - This option is for putting a Pokemon from your box into the Pokéwalker. If a wild Pokemon takes over, you will not be able to use this option until you have returned it.
  • Return from walk (おでかけから かえす) - This option will take the Pokemon in the Pokéwalker out of it. If a wild Pokemon joins you when you have no lead Pokemon, you must use this button first and then use the 'go for a walk' button as listed above.
  • Receive Present (プレゼントを うけとる) - This will not return your Pokemon to the game from the Pokéwalker, rather, it will return your Watts, caught Pokemon and items to the game and leave your Pokemon in the Pokéwalker.

Other important information:
  • 20 steps = 1w
  • Each Route has three pre-set advantaged Pokemon types. Click here for a list of all Routes
  • Walking with a Pokemon that has an advantaged-type will bring the required steps to find a certain Pokemon down by 25%. It also appears to make rarer Pokemon easier to find.
  • Each Pokéwalker Route consists of three groups. Each of these groups have two Pokemon in them. When a Pokemon is sent to the Pokéwalker, the Pokéwalker will randomly pick one Pokemon from each group. The Pokemon that did not get randomly selected within a group will not ever appear during that walk.
  • Pokemon can only gain 1 level per walk
  • 1 exp for every step (A Pokemon will not gain any more experience once it has enough for one level, but it will continue to gain happiness)
  • Random Pokemon will fill in for the lead Pokemon sometimes if no lead Pokemon is in the Pokéwalker. You will know when this happens because this speech balloon will pop-up:
  • The greater a Pokemon's happiness, the better chances are it will find a higher number of Watts for you periodically. Aside from finding Watts, a Pokemon can also find items. In order to take these found Watts/item from your Pokemon just press the center button when one of the below icons appear:
    • = 10w
    • = 20w
    • = 50w
    • = Item

Note: Keep in mind that sometimes even though one of the speech balloons show up doesn't always mean that they will be holding Watts or an item.


PokéRadar
ポケトレ
The PokéRadar is one of the features available inside of the Pokéwalker. Once used, you get the chance of searching for a Pokemon inside of one of four patches of grass. When you find a Pokémon, you will get an Exclamation Mark which will help determine the Pokémon that you are getting. The amount of Exclamation Marks shown can be used for one or two groups so it's not always a clear indicator.
  • !!! - Group A Pokémon
  • !! - Group A Pokémon or Group B Pokémon
  • ! - Group B Pokémon or Group C Pokémon
  • ! - Group C Pokémon
Once a Pokemon is found using the PokéRadar, you get into a small battle with it. Rules are very similar to that of the normal Pokemon games, you have to knock the wild Pokemon's health down to low, and then throw a Poke Ball to catch it. There are three options that you are given to battle, which are:
  • Attack (こうげき) - [Left Button] Hits the opponent to lower HP.
  • Catch (つかまえる) - [Center Button] Throw a Poke Ball in order to catch the wild Pokemon.
  • Evade (かわす) - [Right Button] When the opponent Pokemon goes to attack, you can dodge it and do damage with a counter attack.

There is a limit of up to three Pokemon that you can catch at a time on the Pokéwalker. For any wild Pokemon that you catch after your box maxes-out at three, you will have the option of switching-out with one of your previous catches. If your Pokemon is knocked out during battle on the Pokéwalker, you will lose up to 10W. Opposing Pokemon are not knocked out, if they run out of life then they run away. Here are some of the situations that might happen for each option:
  • Attack (こうげき):
    • Normal Hit (-1 Life Bar)
    • Critical Hit (-2 Life Bars)
    • Opponent Evades
  • Evade (かわす):
    • Counter Attack (-1 Life bar)
    • Stare-off (Neither Pokemon takes damage)
    • Opponent runs away
  • Catch (つかまえる):
    • Succeed
    • Fail (Wild Pokemon will run away if the Poke Ball fails to catch it)
  • Cost: 10W
  • Limit: 3 Pokemon
  • Click here for a list of all Routes and Pokémon in the Routes

    Dowsing
    ダウジング

    The Dowsing MCHN is another one of the many features that the Pokéwalker holds. When used, you get a total of two chances to search out an item among six patches of grass. Similar to the PokéRadar, the Dowsing MCHN also holds a limit of three. You can only bring back three items at a time to the games, so once you pass the limit of three items, you have to start switching out old items for new ones if you see fit. There are one of two messages that will appear if you do not find your item the first time. They are:
    • ちかくに はんのう - Response from close (In a patch on either the direct left or right hand side)
    • とおくに はんのう - Response from far (In a patch two or more away from where you searched)
    • Cost: 3W
    • Limit: 3 items


    Connect
    つうしん
    If you connect to a friend's Pokéwalker, you can both receive items. You are only allowed to communicate with the same friend once per day. There is a limit of ten items that you can hold when receiving items via this method. This is also the option that you use to send your Pokemon from and to the game.
    In addition to this, when you connect to the friend's Pokéwalker, it sends the team you had when you last connected across to your friend and you receive their team. When you next connect with the main games, that trainer and their team will be included in the Viridian City Trainer House and you'll be able to battle them daily, earning 1 B.P. for each win.
    • Error Messages:
      • あいてがいません - There is nothing to communicate with (make sure you are close enough)
      • つうしんしっぱい - Failed while communicating (just retry)
    • Cost: --
    • Limit: Same friend only once per day; up to 10 items (Communication with the game is unlimited)


    Trainer Card
    じょうほう

    This is the option to find out information about the Pokéwalker's current status/owner/walking information. When you Select this option, you will be brought to a screen that will have 3 lines:
    1. Trainer Name
    2. Current Route Name
    3. Current Time

    Press right up to seven times from there and you will be brought to a screen with four lines:
    1. Day (-1 ~ -7)
    2. Steps
    3. Total number of days
    4. Total steps over the number of days in line 3


    Pokémon & Items
    てもち

    This is where to check what items you have and what Pokemon you have caught. Simply go through your list using left and right to see what you have.
    Settings
    せってい

    This is the place to change either sound (left) or shade (right) settings. Sound has 3 different settings; Mute, Medium, Loud. To change the contrast just scroll through the contrast bar until you get the contrast you like.
    • Sound
    • Shade
    Captured Pokémon

    As the Pokéwalker has a monochrome screen and very little resolution, you don't have the ability to check the details of the Pokémon that you capture in the Pokéwalker. When you transfer them to the main games, you will then be able to check the statistics of the Pokémon. All Pokémon captured on the Pokéwalker have "Pokéwalker" as their place of capture

    PokéWalker Diary

    To top that off, when you return your Pokémon to Heart Gold or Soul Silver, the goings on of your Pokémon will be added to your PokéWalker Diary in the game. This will tell you if you captured any Pokémon, meet any other trainers or found items while out in your walk.

    Special thanks to yaminokame for the Pokéwalker write-up