Global Terminal

The Global Trade Station, GTS for short, is the worldwide network over which players of Pokémon Diamond and Pearl can trade Pokémon via the Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection. It is located in Jubilife City.

Inside, there is a large globe, called Geonet, on which players can indicate their location, and on which small dots representing players they have traded with will appear.

If the player talks with the woman at the counter, she will direct him or her into a room in which they can either put up a Pokémon to be traded or trade a Pokémon they own for one that has been put up for trade.

Pokémon searches, after being confined to one species that has been seen by the player, can be further narrowed down to level and gender of the Pokémon available. By level, players can search for and request Pokémon level 9 and under, level 10 and up, level 20 and up, and so on to level 100, or they can search for Pokémon of any level. Gender is similar, with the player being able to search for male, female, or either gender of the selected Pokémon.

Pokémon offerings are similarly governed, as the requested Pokémon in return cannot be any Pokémon that the player has not seen. Unfortunately, Pokémon that are offered cannot be bargained, as the player has to choose one Pokémon he or she wants for it, instead of having a more flexible list.

Like normal, inter-game trades have been since Generation II, a Pokémon can also hold an item when being offered or traded. This may add incentive for a player to trade his or her Pokémon for a Pokémon that they already own, instead of just trading to complete the Pokédex, in order to get the item attached. Just the same, Pokémon that evolve after a trade will do so.

Controversy and criticism

Although being a well-meaning trade function, the GTS has come under much criticism from many players. Many traders ask for a version-exclusive legendary in exchange for a ridiculous offer, and many Pokémon asked for are at levels that are impossible for that Pokémon to be at, such as a level 9 and under Dialga. Other trades are dominated by demands of Pokémon currently being featured in Pokémon marketing, such as Munchlax or Lucario. Finally, the inability to ask for a Pokémon the player has not seen makes it impossible to trade for event Pokémon such as Manaphy over the GTS without having seen the Pokémon through a cheating device. Nintendo has not commented on these pitfalls.

There is also a risk of getting hacked Pokémon when trading for legendary Pokémon and rare Pokémon since the GTS does not include the OT or the ID No. when seeking Pokémon.

Legendary Pokémon ban

On July 3, 2007, legendary Pokémon became banned from being traded on the GTS. A similar incident occured in Pokémon Battle Revolution on the same date. The banning has received a large amount of controversy.

External links

• Bulbanews: GTS sabotaged by greed
• Bulbanews: New GTS restrictions fall short of ideal