Taiwan man rigs bike with 11 phones to play Pokemon Go

9 August 2018

Image source, EPA

Image caption, Chen San-yuan learnt about the game from his grandson

If you're going to catch them all, you need to have the right kit.

Grandfather Chen San-yuan has rigged 11 smart phones on his bicycle to play the augmented reality game, Pokemon Go. He plans to add four more.

The Taiwanese man, affectionately known as Uncle Pokemon, learnt about the game from his grandson, and can play up to 20 hours straight before he runs out of battery power for his devices.

He currently spends more than £1,000 ($1,290) a month on his habit.

Image source, EPA

Image caption, He powers his phones using battery packs kept in his basket, and can play for 20 hours straight

Image source, EPA

Image caption, The grandfather has become a local celebrity, and is known as Uncle Pokemon

Mr Chen uses portable battery packs to power his multiple devices, enabling him to stay out late at night to catch Pokemon in the capital city, Taipei.

He was unaware of his popularity until Taiwanese news channel EXP.GG found him and interviewed him, when he was only using nine phones to play.

Fans of the game first learnt of him when a photo of Mr Chen appeared on social media site Reddit.

Image source, EPA

Image caption, Mr Chen travels around Taipei to catch the virtual monsters

He says the game has helped him to make friends and to fend off Alzheimer's disease.

Launched in July 2016, Pokemon Go quickly swept the world and made shares in Nintendo soar.

Players use their smart phones to catch virtual monsters, superimposed onto the physical environment through augmented reality.

They flick Pokeballs on their phone screens at the creatures to capture them and level up.

The game has faced criticism, though, with suggestions Pokemon Go increases the risk of death or injury through distraction.