The Pokebank site has some Q and A's that I think need to be posted for others that don't visit the sites.
I don't need Pokémon Bank. Can I buy Poké Transporter separately? said:
No, that is not possible. Poké Transporter is companion software that works together with Pokémon Bank to transfer Pokémon from your copies of Pokémon Black, Pokémon White, Pokémon Black 2, and Pokémon White 2 to your own private Boxes hosted online through the Pokémon Bank service. After downloading Pokémon Bank, you can download Poké Transporter for no charge.
What are the details of the trial period for Pokémon Bank? said:
If you download and open Pokémon Bank by January 31, 2014, you will be able to obtain a pass that will allow you to use the software for no charge for 30 days.
Before February 1, 2014, you will need to:
1. Download Pokémon Bank from the Nintendo eShop.
2. Open Pokémon Bank.
3. Follow the on-screen instructions to obtain your pass.
This pass unlocks a 30-day trial period. During this time, you will be able to use all of the features in both Pokémon Bank and Poké Transporter without charge.
If you download Pokémon Bank but do not open the software and obtain your pass by the end of January 31, 2014 (Friday), you will not be able to obtain the pass. Please be sure to take advantage of this opportunity while it lasts.
Why does Pokémon Bank have a yearly fee of $4.99? said:
We have decided to implement a $4.99 annual usage fee so our many users will always be able to use Pokémon Bank with ease. We wish to offer this service over the long term, which means management and maintenance will be necessary to ensure that everyone can store their Pokémon online and that the service will be compatible with future Pokémon games. The annual fee will support this maintenance.
By the way with the last updat, the 3DS systems now also take Credit Card payments so you can pay through Credit Card or Gift Card.
What happens to my Pokémon if the no-charge trial period ends or my paid pass expires when my Pokémon are still deposited in Pokémon Bank? Will my Pokémon be lost? said:
If your trial pass or annual pass expires and you do not purchase a new pass, you can still withdraw your Pokémon from Pokémon Bank for a set period of time. However, once that set period of time ends, any Pokémon remaining in your Pokémon Bank Boxes will be lost. Be sure to withdraw your deposited Pokémon as soon as possible, or purchase a new annual pass.
I think this is an important question to highlight. IF you STOP your payments for any reason you WILL lose what ever Pokemon are on your storage. So there won't be any one time payments and hold until you decide to make another payment later on. If you stop paying for the subscription what ever was in your bank when the subscription ends is lost for good.
What happens if I deposit my Pokémon said:
If your trial pass or annual pass expires and you do not purchase a new annual pass, the Pokémon you left deposited in your Pokémon Bank Boxes will indeed disappear after a certain period of time, but the details of how long that period will last are not yet available. If you wish to continue using the service, please purchase your next pass as quickly as possible.
Goes with the above.
Can I deposit Pokémon holding Berries or other items in Pokémon Bank?[/quote said:
No, you cannot deposit Pokémon that are holding Berries or other items. Please make sure to return any held items to your Bag before depositing your Pokémon.
If you try to deposit Pokémon that are holding Berries or other items, the items will be removed and sent to your Bag. If your Bag is full, the items will disappear.
OK so Items cannot be stored in the bank at all. Transfer or through the X and Y side. So passing Items down from future generations is impossible.
Is there a limit to how many games I can use Pokémon Bank with? said:
No, there is no limit, although the software currently works only with Pokémon X and Pokémon Y. If you have Pokémon Bank downloaded to your system in the Nintendo 3DS family, you can use it with any number of Pokémon X or Pokémon Y Game Cards or downloadable versions.
Can I use Pokémon Bank as soon as it finishes downloading said:
If you download Pokémon Bank to your system in the Nintendo 3DS family, you will be able to use it at any point after obtaining your Pokédex in Pokémon X and Pokémon Y. You cannot use it if you have Pokémon X or Pokémon Y but have not begun the game.
There are some Pokémon that evolve by trading them between different games. Will those Pokémon evolve if I deposit them in Pokémon Bank using one game and then withdraw them in a different game? said:
No, depositing Pokémon in Pokémon Bank will not cause them to evolve.
If I transfer my Pokémon from Pokémon Black said:
No, that is not possible. Pokémon moved to your online Boxes using Poké Transporter cannot be returned to Pokémon Black, Pokémon White, Pokémon Black 2, or Pokémon White 2.
Can I transfer Pokémon to Pokémon X or Pokémon Y from older games in the Pokémon series by using local communications between two game systems? said:
Can I still play Pokémon X and Pokémon Y if I don't have Pokémon Bank and Poké Transporter? Will I be missing out on ways to play and things to enjoy compared to other players? said:
You can fully enjoy Pokémon X and Pokémon Y without Pokémon Bank or Poké Transporter.
Pokémon Bank and Poké Transporter enable you to store far more Pokémon online than you can in the Boxes within Pokémon X and Pokémon Y, and to bring your Pokémon from Pokémon Black, Pokémon White, Pokémon Black 2, and Pokémon White 2 to these games. Even without the ability to store far more Pokémon or bring Pokémon from these previous games, you can fully enjoy what Pokémon X and Pokémon Y have to offer.
Can I use Pokémon Bank and Poké Transporter to bring Pokémon from Pokémon games released prior to Pokémon Black and Pokémon White into Pokémon X and Pokémon Y? said:
You cannot use Poké Transporter to directly transfer Pokémon to your Pokémon X and Pokémon Y games from any previous titles aside from Pokémon Black, Pokémon White, Pokémon Black 2, or Pokémon White 2.
However, here are some steps you can follow to reach your goal.
Use the GBA Game Card slot on a Nintendo DS Lite or Nintendo DS to transfer Pokémon from Pokémon Ruby, Pokémon Sapphire, Pokémon Emerald, Pokémon FireRed, and Pokémon LeafGreen to an area called the Pal Park in Pokémon Diamond, Pokémon Pearl, Pokémon Platinum, Pokémon HeartGold, or Pokémon SoulSilver.
Then, using two systems from the Nintendo DS family, transfer your Pokémon from Pokémon Diamond, Pokémon Pearl, i, Pokémon HeartGold, or Pokémon SoulSilver to Pokémon Black, Pokémon White, Pokémon Black 2, or Pokémon White 2 using the Poké Transfer facility that exists within those games.
For more details on how to use these functions, please refer to the instruction manuals for the games in question or visit support.pokemon.com.
Apparently TPCi and Gamefreak still find the original DS systems relevant and still say to use the other transfer methods to bring Pokemon to Gen 5 before transferring to Gen 6. *hinthintnudgenudge*
I'm worried that if I deposit my Pokémon on the Internet said:
In order to prevent our players from losing their Pokémon, we will have security measures in place and will be providing regular maintenance to manage this system securely. Regarding the potential of losing your Pokémon due to natural disaster, unexpected incidents, cyber attacks, or other circumstances, however, we ask that you please read the warnings and stipulations for using Pokémon Bank that we will announce in mid-December, and decide for yourself whether you wish to use the service.
Biggest negative I've seen. If for any unforeseeable reason, should the servers crash...No they are not compensating loss of merchandise (Pokemon).
Does Pokémon Bank include a legitimacy checker that will prevent people from depositing "hacked" Pokémon or Pokémon that have been created using unauthorized methods? said:
We cannot go into details of the checks we intend to put in place, as such information could be used in an effort to circumvent such checks in the future. In order to protect the Pokémon that you worked so hard to raise and to preserve your save data, we ask that you please enjoy playing Pokémon in the correct way, as described in the game manual.
A little clarification for everyone, this means that there are currently security checks either in the works or already made and ready, but kept hush hush so no one can hack their way past them. The question is brought up based on AR alterations and external creation devices which both GameFreak and TPC have addressed back in Gen 5 as major issues that they are trying to prevent. With them blocking Instacheck, sites that generate pokemon such as Pokecheck and others like it may also not be able to work.
Will I have to transfer my Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection ID when I want to transfer Pokémon from these older titles to Pokémon Bank? said:
If you want to continue playing Pokémon Black, Pokémon White, Pokémon Black 2, or Pokémon White 2 on a system from the Nintendo DS family (and not on your Nintendo 3DS XL/3DS), you need not worry—there is no need to transfer your connection ID.
On the other hand, if you expect that you will continue playing Pokémon Black, Pokémon White, Pokémon Black 2, or Pokémon White 2 on your Nintendo 3DS XL/3DS, then you will need to transfer your Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection ID.
Please note, however, that once you transfer your Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection ID from a system in the Nintendo DS family to a Nintendo 3DS XL/3DS, you will be unable to transfer your Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection ID to any other system from the Nintendo DS family, including other Nintendo 3DS XL/3DS systems.
FYI: Warnings when changing Nintendo DS systems
https://www.nintendo.com/consumer/wfc/en_na/ds/faqFriends.jsp#transfer_connection_id
Please also note that Poké Transporter is an application that you can download only onto a Nintendo 3DS XL/3DS that has also downloaded Pokémon Bank, and it cannot be downloaded to any other system in the Nintendo DS family.
You can use Pokémon Bank with a Nintendo 3DS XL/3DS system that has Pokémon X or Pokémon Y inserted into it or downloaded onto it, and Poké Transporter can be used on the same Nintendo 3DS XL/3DS system with Pokémon Black, Pokémon White, Pokémon Black 2, or Pokémon White 2 inserted into it.
Can I use Pokémon Bank without connecting to the Internet? said:
Pokémon Bank provides you with your own Boxes on the Internet, and allows you to deposit and withdraw your Pokémon from these Boxes, so you will need to have an Internet-ready environment not only to download the application but also to use it.
Can I use Pokémon Bank and Poké Transporter if I do not have Internet at my home? Are there other places where I will be able to use it? said:
You can connect to Pokémon Bank anywhere where you can connect your system in the Nintendo 3DS family to the Internet.
Why can't I Link Trade Pokémon between Pokémon X or Pokémon Y and past Pokémon titles?[/quote said:
Pokémon Black, Pokémon White, Pokémon Black 2, and Pokémon White 2 were developed to be compatible with the Nintendo DSi system, while Pokémon X and Pokémon Y were developed exclusively for the Nintendo 3DS family of systems. Due to differences in the functionality and specifications of the two families, including their communications systems, it is not possible to carry out communications directly between software designed for the two different families.
Until Pokémon X and Pokémon Y said:
There are a number of differences between the functions and specifications of the Nintendo 3DS family of systems compared to other systems in the Nintendo DS family (DSi XL/DSi/DS Lite/DS), meaning that it is unfortunately not possible to communicate directly between software made for the two different systems (models).
Meanwhile, we have had requests from many players in the past for a Box program that would go beyond the limitations of the Box functions in the games, so we decided to release Pokémon Bank and Poké Transporter both to resolve these technological limitations and to fulfill the needs of our players.
We have made Pokémon Bank a paid application so that our many players will always be able to use it with ease. We plan to offer long-term services of management and maintenance that will allow players to deposit their Pokémon online and ensure that future Pokémon games are compatible, and so we have decided to ask for an annual usage fee ($4.99). We will be providing a 30-day trial that will allow players to use the application at no charge if they download and open the software by January 31, 2014. We hope that our players will understand our reasons for this decision.
I have set Parental Controls on my child's Nintendo 3DS or 3DS XL system. Will these need to be removed in order to download Pokémon Bank or Poké Transporter said:
Yes. When you download Pokémon Bank and Poké Transporter, you will need to remove the restrictions on system in the Nintendo 3DS family for Shopping Services within the Parental Controls.
After you complete the download, you will also need to remove the restrictions on using the Internet browser each time the software will be used.
For a more detailed guide to System Settings, please refer to any of the following sources.
Nintendo home page
From the Nintendo website, under the Support menu, select Parents, then FAQ for Parents and Safety
Nintendo Online Customer Support
Nintendo Customer Service
1-800-255-3700
Information in this FAQ is subject to change.
Are there Pokémon that I cannot deposit in Pokémon Bank or Pokémon that I cannot transfer with Poké Transporter from Pokémon Black said:
All the Pokémon that appear in Pokémon X or Pokémon Y that can be deposited in Pokémon Bank. However, there are some Pokémon that you will find yourself unable to bring into Pokémon X and Pokémon Y using Pokémon Bank and Poké Transporter.
• Some Pokémon cannot be transferred from the GBA games Pokémon Ruby, Pokémon Sapphire, Pokémon Emerald, Pokémon FireRed, and Pokémon LeafGreen to the DS games Pokémon Diamond, Pokémon Pearl, Pokémon Platinum, Pokémon HeartGold, and Pokémon SoulSilver using the Pal Park feature.
• Some Pokémon cannot be transferred from Pokémon Diamond, Pokémon Pearl, Pokémon Platinum, Pokémon HeartGold, and Pokémon SoulSilver to Pokémon Black, Pokémon White, Pokémon Black 2, or Pokémon White 2 using the Poké Transfer feature.
• Some Pokémon from Pokémon Black, Pokémon White, Pokémon Black 2, and Pokémon White 2 cannot be transferred to Pokémon X or Pokémon Y.
Which Pokémon can or cannot be transferred depends on the settings of each game, so this information cannot be provided here. Please try transferring your Pokémon to confirm their eligibility for yourself.
Only Pokemon I know off the top of my head was Spike Ear'd Pichu.
On December 10 of this year it became possible to use Nintendo Network IDs in the Nintendo eShop. If I have several systems from the Nintendo 3DS family said:
No, you cannot. It is true that you can use your Nintendo Network ID in the Nintendo eShop with your system from the Nintendo 3DS family, but while this Nintendo Network ID can be shared with your Wii U system, it cannot be shared among multiple systems within the Nintendo 3DS family. For more details on how the Nintendo Network ID works, please visit the following site:
Nintendo Homepage
Nintendo 3DS top page> Using your Network ID to do more with your Nintendo 3DS
If I have several systems in the Nintendo 3DS family and I download and purchase Pokémon Bank for each of them said:
I am playing a US version of Pokémon X or Pokémon Y on a US-version Nintendo 3DS and a Japanese version of Pokémon X or Pokémon Y on a Japanese Nintendo 3DS. If I want to put all of the Pokémon I've collected in these games in one Pokémon Bank said:
Pokémon X and Pokémon Y have regional restrictions and cannot be played on a system from the Nintendo 3DS family that is not from the same region as the Game Card. However, Pokémon Bank and Poké Transporter are made to work with all regional versions of Pokémon X and Pokémon Y, so you can insert Pokémon X or Pokémon Y games from any region into the Nintendo 3DS system that you have downloaded Pokémon Bank into, and deposit and withdraw your Pokémon as you like.
However, please note that Nintendo makes no guarantee for the performance of software or systems in the Nintendo 3DS family when used outside their intended regions. If any trouble should occur when using software or systems outside their intended regions, you will not be able to receive any support beyond the country where the software or systems were made to be sold.
If the Nintendo 3DS system that I downloaded and purchased Pokémon Bank for is broken or damaged said:
Any issues with your system in the Nintendo 3DS family are handled by the Nintendo service center. Please reach out to them using the following contact information:
Nintendo Service Center
If the Nintendo 3DS system that I downloaded and purchased Pokémon Bank for is lost said:
Any inquiries regarding your system in the Nintendo 3DS family are handled by Nintendo. We cannot say how Nintendo will respond to these situations, but please reach out to them using the following contact information:
Nintendo Customer Inquiries
This should answer most questions we have about the PokeBank and PokeTransporter.