Do you need HGSS to use a Pokewalker?

Question

What if you, theoretically, wanted to use a Pokewalker as a regular pedometer? Would it work, at all, without having HeartGold/SoulSilver?

I'm just curious if you COULD

Comments

You don't need the games, but you'll lose some functionality.

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I could be wrong but I think you need a Pokémon in it for it to work. I have two pokewalkers but they’re both dead. I might test in a month or two if it’s not answered by then.

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I'm pretty sure it just functions as a pedometer without connection with HGSS

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you need hgss to catch the Pokemon, otherwise it's just a pedometer that's suprisingly accurate

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Source?

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@Stephwheel Do you want this question back on the unanswered list?

Answer 1

A brand-new or factory reset Pokewalker will need to be synced with a HGSS save file before it allows any functionality, including the step counter. Once it has connected to the game once, the step counter will always be available as long as it has power. The dowsing minigame will also be accessible, even without a Pokémon in the Pokewalker. Since Pokewalkers at this point are all pre-owned, there's a chance it might still be paired with the previous owner's save file, in which case you could use the step counter without owning HGSS.

So basically yes, unless the previous owner activated it.

Source: experience