Pokemon Let's Go is a new Nintendo Switch game that connects to Pokemon Go

Surprise! Nintendo revealed Tuesday major new Pokemon games on Nintendo Switch.

They're called Pokemon Let's Go, Pikachu! and Pokemon Let's Go, Eevee! They connect to Pokemon Go. There's also a brand new device called the PokeBallPlus.

Pokemon Let's Go, Pikachu! and Pokemon Let's Go, Eevee! are based on Pokemon Yellow: Special Pikachu Edition, which first launched in Japan in 1998. Pokemon you collected in Pokemon Go on mobile can be brought into and used in the Nintendo Switch version.

The games allow players to use the Joy-Con controller to physically throw Pokeballs in much the same way as you do in the original Pokemon Go. You can also use the PokeballPlus to do this. 

Pokemon Let's Go isn't the core RPG Nintendo has been promising for the Nintendo Switch. That's now due for release in 2019, but this is an interesting concept. It simultaneously revives the flagging Pokemon Go mobile game, while taking advantage of its name value for a brand new console title.

"With the launch of Pokémon GO in 2016 and the global sensation that ensued, millions of new players were introduced to the world of Pokémon," said Junichi Masuda, director at GAME FREAK inc. "For many people, Pokémon GO was their first experience with the Pokémon brand, so we have crafted these two new titles to be an accessible entry point to our core RPG series while giving our longtime fans a new way to play Pokémon."  

Pokemon Let's Go, Pikachu! and Pokemon Let's Go, Eevee! have a worldwide release date of Nov. 16, 2018.