Reviver Dia Plus by Brook: Pokémon GO Auto-Catcher Review
Release Date: September 15, 2021
Manufacturer: Brook
Price: $59.99 (Dia+ Model, Reviewed)
There's no denying the impact Pokémon has had on pop culture since its debut in the 90s that has become a mainstay in the day to day lives of kids and adults alike across the globe. Pokémon has brought with it a tremendous amount of memories that have allowed us to connect in ways few other properties have ever achieved, and it's because of this day-to-day infusion into our cultures and hobbies that it was no surprise that Pokémon GO took the world by storm when it came out, as it allowed people from across the world to experience these pocket monsters like never before for the first time on their mobile devices. While it was a fairly hollow game at launch, it has seen nothing but growth and turned into a juggernaut in the mobile space, bringing in revenue and players with numbers that were previously seen as unprecedented and typically in records held by the likes of Candy Crush and Clash of Clans.
Pokémon GO implemented a way to have healthier lifestyles alongside fun while going about our daily routines, taking the time to hop on for a moment to see any Pokémon from its long-spanning generations roaming around that are available to be caught in your area. It brought people together and introduced new ways of socialization that just hadn't been done in this way before, and it was made pretty clear that Pokémon GO - even with tons of players getting involved simply because it was the new *it* thing - was here to stay. Pokémon GO has always had an interesting way of working, however, and instead of focusing on a more adventuring RPG of you and a team by your side, its main draw was the collecting aspect that saw players swiping their fingers vertically across their screen as they aim in a small circle for whichever Pokémon they've been confronted with. It's a method that was simple enough that just about anyone could play, but if you lived in more rural locations it became increasingly difficult and frustrating to come into contact with any sort of Pokémon at all. This was made even more problematic with the fact that whenever you threw a pokeball, you would have one less in your inventory even if it didn't even come into contact with the Pokémon. With little to no Pokéstops in these areas - these Pokéstops supplying a random gift of assortments of pokeballs, potions, and more - it made Pokémon GO feel like it was trying to nickel and dime you more than anything else. Fortunately, as time went on peripherals became popularized as it helped with making Pokémon GO more palatable to an even greater number of lifestyles and players that may not have the chance to open up the app even during their down time. Most of these peripherals made it so with a simple tap of the button you could sync, catch, and acquire items all without having to bother much with looking at your phone. As these peripherals became more sophisticated, it became easier to clip them on not only with higher quality wristbands, but to a vareity of pieces of clothing and accessories, as well as being able to have more visual cues as to what exactly was happening without the need to look at your phone.
The Dia+ Auto Catcher by Brook is arguably one of the best peripherals to date, and though they have had peripherals in the past that, as most third-party manufacturers do, just didn't seem to meet those same quality standards as first-party devices, they've taken a lot of their fan feedback to heart and produced new models of complementary Pokémon GO devices that are not only well-made, but now have become a core part of the Pokémon GO experience that I can't imagine being without. The Dia+ Auto Catcher comes in a sleek design with a small display that keeps dialogue to a minimum outside of its company's logo and instead gives information in the form of images conveying certain actions that occur, with the one you'll likely see the most being an open pokeball with a sequence of lines going in a circular fashion to indicate that a Pokémon is in the process of being caught. A follow-up or a checkmark or X indicates success or failure respectively, and this alongside other easy to read combinations of icons tell the user what's happening at any given moment. You can keep the fun going for quite some time as well with the Dia+ Auto Catcher lasting upwards of 18+ hours of consecutive use, but as someone who uses it for about an hour a day walking during a daily commute, I'm a week and a half into usage and I'm still using the battery that came pre-charged out of the box. The Dia+ causes very little inconveniences and is ready to use as soon as you're able to play. Pokémon GO registers it as a normal GO Plus device, so syncing is rather easy to set up as you'd go through the normal process as you would any first party devices.
Personally, what I feel sets the Dia+ Auto Catcher apart and above the myriad other devices that have come out by this point for Pokémon GO, is that its quality and build is one that feels premium right out of the gate, with a touch, texture, and durability of both the hardware itself and the accompanying wristband right out of the box that can really be suited for just about any lifestyle. Whether you find your lifestyle consists of more athletic routines, in areas of business, hobbies, or delving into recreational activities, the Dia+ Auto Catcher can handle just about any strain, force, or bump and still work completely fine. Being dustproof, waterproof, and sporting a crystal white shard as its button and touch interface, the Dia+ Auto Catcher and its accompanying wristband certainly feels like it's been put through enough works for it to be accommodating to any situation within reason. Obviously it's not something I'd recommend wearing as head into your UFC debut, but if you're crafting, building, moving furniture, going for a run, doing dishes, or clumsy like I am and fall down a lot, the device and wristband stand firmly around your wrist with little to no visible wear and tear like other peripherals do. Even the original first-party Pokémon GO Plus device wasn't built the best and had a flimsy, although pretty wristband that would easily loosen up and dissolve over time thanks to its fabric material and fibers. The Dia+ Auto Catcher, however, sports a strong and flexible leather with clasps that are thick and admittedly a little hard to push into their hole placements, however this resistance also makes it so there's very little chance of it coming undone as well. My cats have pushed off of my wrist while wearing it, and I've gotten caught on a few things on account of my clumsiness and the wristband hasn't budged once. It makes it nice to add to the overall experience of having it as a Pokémon GO companion that as you forget about the game and go about your day, you also won't be worrying about potentially losing it as you focus on your work, errands, or anything else while it does its thing in the background.
Speaking of companions, the Dia+ Auto Catcher also has a companion app that helps tweak the device slightly, though this tweaking feels like a bit of an afterthought and isn't entirely necessary to fulfilling the most of your enjoyment with Pokémon GO passively. The app itself in how it's designed is extremely minimal, and while it seems like the website and product pages have a certain way of displaying the app's functions and user interface, from my experience the Pocket Center Plus app that pairs up with the Dia+ Auto Catcher doesn't do much more than ask how you want your location to be interpreted: Either as an approximate location or precise. Leaving the device on for a potential firmware update also caused it to have issues when the update was interrupted due to the app crashing, which it does fairly frequently on Android devices. I can't speak for iOS devices, but the Android app is immensely unstable, and even long before I was finally able to start a firmware update, it seems like nothing more than bloatware. Even for those that can successfully apply the firmware update, however, there seems to be no alternative to do so from what I've been able to gather on their website. A lot of the time devices will have clients on PC that can give users a chance to update via their computer rather than their mobile device if any wireless connections are proving to be cumbersome, but this does not seem to be the case for the Dia+ Auto Catcher Plus. In no way shape or form is this good for the device as any chance of potentially breaking or damaging the device at a software level can render the device unusable. From my experience, though, it's best to cause the battery to die off first and then restart it by holding down the crystal button for three seconds in order to boot it back up. The thing is, with a fairly large battery life compared to most other peripherals, this could take a while depending on where in the update process your battery is sitting at when you've decided to do so.
For those that have been with Pokémon GO since the beginning, starting new adventures, or returning like I am, the Dia+ Auto Catcher is useful device to get you jumpstarted and to make the game more tuned for your lifestyle so it's not always in the palm of your hand as a distraction, even during moments where time and activities are more flexible. There are a few different devices Brook has offered to consumers, and even with these new lines of models there remains a few different options that vary in price from $44.99 to $59.99 with varying perks and features, but ultimately at the end of the day regardless of which one you use you're looking at a device that has increased the overall quality of life of Pokémon GO, and especially with the Dia+ Auto Catcher, it can also be used as a device that is complementary to your iOS and Android devices as well by offering notifications and alerts that come through your mobile device in general. It's a multi-use, multi-purpose peripheral that makes Pokémon GO a lot more palatable in general, and a device I feel just makes the experience that much better.
Brook has had a history with these Pokémon GO devices that had a rocky start, but from those humble beginnings rocketed the devices to being almost like must-haves for players of the popular mobile game. With a 18+ hour battery life, and 48 hours in standby (much longer in my experience), it's a device that helps keep the fun of Pokémon GO continuing without having to look at the app and going about your day. With a solid, premium feel and build to it, the Dia+ Auto Catcher is a device that's suitable to just about any lifestyle and tasks with no risk of visible wear and tear that can ruin or alter the experience. Regardless of the model being chosen, Brook has built a multi-use, multi-purpose peripheral that, to me, exceeds even first-party devices and helps streamline the quality of life and comfort of Pokémon GO as a whole, and has become a device I can't see myself without whenever I go on my daily commutes.
PROS:
Long battery life
Durable
Sleek, premium look and feel
CONS:
Pocket Center Plus companion app is unnecessary
A quick idle time (3-5 minutes) may allow for frequent disconnects in less populated areas
A big thank you to Brook for providing us a review unit of the Dia+ Auto Catcher.
The device can be found for $59.99 on Amazon here.