Pokémon Bank enables players to store pocket monsters in the cloud

Nintendo is getting into cloud storage … for Pokémon.

The Japanese video game company announced Pokémon Bank today, which is a service Nintendo’s introducing alongside the Pokémon X and Y role-playing/creature collecting games that enables players to store up to 3,000 of the pocket monsters online. It is a separate app for the 3DS. It will have search and management options to help gamers keep things organizes.

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Pokémon Bank will also offer functionality for players that want to transfer their characters from Pokémon Black and White or Pokémon Black 2 and White 2 (both Nintendo DS games) using a PokéTransporter app that is also separately available for the 3DS. Gamers can put one of the Black and White games into the card slot and transfer their saved Pokémon to the cloud using that application.

The Pokémon Bank service is free for the first month. That means anyone who wants to transfer characters from the DS games can do so without charge. But after the first month, Pokémon Bank costs $5 annually.

Nintendo explains the process in detail in the following video: