Normally, I let Birch handle all things Nintendo related. But this was simultaneously too ingenious and too bizarre not to share: A microcontrolled solution to collecting Shiny Pokemon.
Here’s how it works: Due to their shiny nature, these Pokemon take a little longer to load than other, matte Pokemon. So, this device is hooked up to a light sensor; if the bottom screen is dark long enough, an alarm goes off and you can go try to get the shiny. If it isn’t, the game is automatically backed out of and the process of fishing for animals to abuse begins again. Let’s watch, shall we?
It’s pretty brilliant, and it’ll even track how long it takes to hunt down a shiny. You’re free to do other things, like grind in World Of Warcraft or maybe continue building an elaborate home in Minecraft.
There is, however, one important piece of data I should note: Shiny Pokemon don’t have any value other than their coloration. That’s it. They don’t have better stats, they don’t come with any bonuses, they just look pretty. Still, the catchphrase isn’t “Gotta catch most of them depending on the degree of effort it actually takes”, one supposes.