Pokemon Scarlet & Violet fan points out glaring issue with the game’s Rotom Phone
The Pokemon CompanyA Pokemon Scarlet & Violet trainer baffled fans after pointing at a glaring flaw in a new accessory added to the Rotom Phone in the Teal Mask DLC.
Pokemon Scarlet & Violet’s Teal Mask DLC added plenty of new content to the game, including new Pokemon, a new storyline, and a whole new area to explore.
One of the new elements added through the DLC was the inclusion of a selfie stick accessory called the Roto Stick for the Rotom Phone, which would allow trainers to pose for pictures from farther away.
However, a trainer on the Pokemon Scarlet & Violet subreddit pointed out a strange in-universe oversight that has left many confused as to why it was even included.
Pokemon Scarlet & Violet trainer points out Rotom Phone flaw
A trainer by the username Kumorrii sparked a discussion that gained a lot of traction among the community after they asked a simple question: “Why do we need a selfie stick if Rotom can float?”
For those who may not know, the Rotom Phone — first introduced to the series with the Gen 8 games, with Gen 7 introducing the Rotom Dex — is canonically inhabited by the Pokemon Rotom and has been shown to have the capability to autonomously float on its own.
This begs the question: why would trainers need to use a device to place the Rotom Phone further away when it can just float further of its own will?
Plenty of other trainers likely didn’t stop to think about the necessity of this accessory either, with many making jokes about the Roto Stick’s usefulness.
“Stop being logical,” argued one fan, while another said, “Because you put more thought into the concept of a Pokemon possessing your smartphone than Gamefreak did.”
Others tried to argue the Roto Stick does serve an actual purpose. “Because the whole point of a selfie stick is to take photos from farther away than normal, you couldn’t take a photo with a Rotom Phone from farther away if it was just floating because you couldn’t hit the button.”
While this argument seems sound at first, some players quickly poked holes in the logic. “The thing is I don’t think Raihan hits any buttons in Sword and Shield and he is always taking selfies from range, especially when he Dynamaxes. The Rotom is smart enough to do what he wants.”
This is true, as many of Raihan’s animations from Gen 8 show him taking plenty of selfies without the need for any physical contact from Rotom.
At the end of the day, it’s likely GameFreak simply wanted to add an in-universe nod to the selfie stick craze which began in 2014. Still, it’s funny to note how this canonical oversight slipped by.