How to Cheat Your Pokéwalker

UPDATE: We've chronicled even more ways to cheat your Pokewalker. Click Here.

The Pokéwalker is Pokemon Soul Silver and Heart Gold's gimmick; a pedometer that records your steps and allows you to build up your pokémon, capture additional pokémon and find items.

Over at Bulbapedia they've determined that to unlock everything the Pokéwalker has to offer, it's going to take 1,000 miles of walking. Who needs to do that, when you can flat out cheat instead?

After some closed-laboratory experiments in my apartment and some field tests, we've determined some effective ways to trick the Pokéwalker into thinking you've been walking:

Test #1: The Washer/Dryer Double Team

I put the Pokéwalker on top of the washer and dryer for a full cycle. In 53 minutes on the washer, the Pokéwalker recorded a paltry 25 steps. Unless you have one leg, the 0.47 steps per minute are just too low to be valuable.

During the dryer portion of the test, in 73 minutes the Pokéwalker recorded 353 steps. That's like a good jaunt around the block and an average of 4.84 steps per minute.


Test #2: The Box Fan Affair

I'm glad I didn't put my box fan into storage, because it came to good use last night. Setting the Pokéwalker on the top and turning to the highest setting, the Pokéwalker recorded an impressive 352 steps in just 10 minutes. That's 35.2 steps per minute


Test #3: The Hand Job

Rolling the Pokéwalker around in your hand for a minute caused it to record zero steps. A second test with light shaking for a minute produced similar results.


Test #4: The Ol' Subway Scam

On my commute to work, I decided to see if the rocking and bouncing of the subway would fool the Pokéwalker. Good news, it does. In a 20-minute trip, the Pokéwalker recorded 1,575 steps. That's 78.75 steps per minute


Test #5: Keeping it Real

On my 10-minute walk from the subway station to the office, the Pokéwalker chalked up 875 steps. That's 87.5 steps per minute, which makes me sad because it's the most effective way to get steps. Real walking, who would have thought?


The winner: The Box Fan Affair

While its steps-per-minute might not beat the rest of the tests, the fan's ability to stay constant and on for long periods of time make it ideal for racking up steps on your Pokéwalker. That is unless you're a hobo and will be riding the subway all night.