The PSS stands for Player Search System and it’s your gate to connecting to other Pokémon Omega Ruby or Alpha Sapphire (or even X or Y) players, whether they’re in the same room or all the way across the globe.

You can access the PSS from the PokéNav Plus on the bottom (touch) screen. If the screen currently displays a different app, use the arrows (left/right or back) to switch to the PlayNav or the PSS.

The PSS in Detail¶

The initial PSS screen isn’t too complex to begin with. Along the top, you can touch the blue circular button to connect to the Internet or disconnect if already connected.

To the left of the Internet button - slap bang in the middle - is another touchable button, which opens up an absolute plethora of options (split amongst two pages to boot!). We’ll discuss these options very soon.

Passersby are OR, AS, X or Y players detected via Local Wireless and/or Internet. When connected to the Internet, you’ll likely be flooded by random Passersby from every region under the sun (where Pokémon games were released, at least).

If playing offline, all your Passersby will be players close to you; if nobody is playing nearby, no Passersby will appear in your list.

After battling or trading with a Passerby, they will become upgraded to an Acquaintance . All this really means is that you can track down that Pokémon player more easily; unlike Passersby who are very quickly removed from your list.

Finally, Friends are simple enough to explain - these are OR, AS, X or Y players who you’ve shared 3DS/2DS friend codes with (the 12 digit numbers). Friends are automatically added to the list when both you and them play Pokémon OR, AS, X or Y online at the same time.

After selecting a player, you can do the following with them, provided they’re active and not in the middle of something:

• Check Profile (touch their profile icon/name)
• Battle
• Trade
• Send O-Power
• Game Chat (only for Friends)

Additional Options - Page 1¶

Battle and Trade should be self-explanatory; when selected, you can battle/trade with players locally (via Infrared or Local Wireless) or online. ****

Battle Spot chucks you into a battle with a random trainer - great if you like to keep things exciting. Wonder Trade works similarly, letting you trade a Pokémon for an unknown Pokémon from a random trainer.

Shout-Out displays a short text message for any players connected locally or online to see on the main PSS screen - useful if you want to attract attention (the good kind, hopefully).

Finally for the first page, the Holo Caster lets you receive Poké Miles from each OR or AS StreetPass tag, plus promotional news received online via SpotPass.

Additional Options - Page 2¶

On the second page, you have GTS (short for Global Trade Station), where you can offer or supply Pokémon trade requests and have them fulfilled at any time.

If you don’t know any other players and don’t like haggling with random Passersby, the GTS is for you! (Just ignore the ridiculous requests, such as a Rattata for an Arceus…)

Game Sync lets you synchronise your game progress with the Pokémon Global Link website (discussed in detail further ahead).

O-Powers can temporarily boost stats or provide other benefits, like slashing the prices of shops or making it easier to catch Pokémon; most typically last 3 minutes. You can use them yourself or, if you’re feeling generous, give them to other players.

The Favourites List lets you keep track of your favourite players, making it easier to locate them in a hurry.

Profile is where you go to edit your trainer profile, which other trainers can see. You can change your profile icon, add a short text message and even fill in a brief questionnaire.

Last but not least, PSS Settings allows you to change a variety of settings, like if you don’t want Passersby bothering you.