Pokemon bank launch delayed

The much-awaited application called Pokemon Bank, or Poke Bank, which hit Europe and Australia yesterday, is now available to 3DS and 2DS owners across North America and the rest of the world.

The app requires 238 blocks of space on the console's SD memory card and is free to try for a limited period. Players can sample it for free until 14 March 14, 2014, after which they will have to pay to use it.

After the trial period, the app will cost $4.99 for a full year of access.

The app was previously scheduled for a late December 2013 release, but postponed owing to several technical difficulties.

Players can also receive a free Celebi by simply depositing at least one monster in Pokemon Bank, exiting the application, and then re-entering it.

Once players have been informed that Celebi awaits them, players need to start up their copy of Pokemon X or Y, navigate over to 'Pokemon Link' on the main menu, and they'll be rewarded with the mythical Pokemon.

"Pokémon Bank is an application and service for Pokémon X and Pokémon Y that will allow you to deposit, store, and manage your Pokémon in private Boxes on the Internet, said Nintendo.

"Pokémon Bank is a paid service, with an annual charge for usage.

"Pokémon Bank will be a powerful resource for players who like to obtain many different kinds of Pokémon, or for those who like to raise many Pokémon in preparation for battles and competitions."