Polaroid Pokemon Cameras Split by Film Size

Polaroid is treating October 5, 2026 as retail day for a Pokemon camera set, and the split that matters is film size. The Now Generation 3 Pokemon Edition is a full-size instant camera. The Go Generation 3 comes as Pikachu and as Sylveon, and those two cannot take the Now’s film. Preorders opened on August 25, with shipping set for September 29. A Pokemon US post puts wider retail, including Pokemon Center in the United States, on October 5. Polaroid calls the drop its largest collaboration, tied to 30 years of Pokemon, and says quantities are limited.

Checked on retail day, the Now page on polaroid.com said out of stock. B&H still listed all three as coming soon, with an estimated ship date of October 5 and a notify button instead of an in-stock control. That is a long way from the disposable Polaroid FunShooter the site covered years ago.

Two film formats, not three matching cameras

The i-Type and 600 prints from the Now are the standard Polaroid frame. Both Go models take Polaroid Go film only, sold separately. A pack for one format does not fit the other. Themed packs add borders and a silhouette darkslide: Now frames include Bulbasaur, Charmander, Squirtle, Gengar, Umbreon, and Mimikyu, among others. Pikachu frames show the character in several poses. Sylveon frames use silhouettes, bows, and Poke Balls. Plain film in the matching format still works.

That lock is the buying decision. A Now plus a later Go means two film stashes. The August 18 newsroom note priced Color i-Type Film, Pokemon Edition, at $22.99. A current US price for Go film was not stated.

What the Now actually adds

The Now is the Poke Ball body: red, white, and black, with a matching shutter button and wrist strap. The US page lists two-zone autofocus, 0.40 to 1.3 m and 1.0 m to infinity, and an aperture range of f/64 to f/11. Field of view is 40 degrees horizontal and 41 degrees vertical. The body is 150.2 x 112.2 x 94 mm and 448 g, in ABS and PC with 40 percent recycled plastic.

It also has a viewfinder, flash, tripod mount, self-timer, and double exposure. B&H says it charges by USB-C and does not work with a mobile app. Output is a paper print, not a file. The built-in battery is rated for up to 15 film packs, and the page caps buyers at three. Autofocus is the useful part: a close subject and a room shot do not share a focus zone, and a fixed pocket camera cannot switch.

Where the Go models give ground

Pikachu is the yellow pocket body, with a tail-shaped charm and a lightning-bolt lanyard. Sylveon is pink and white, with a pink, white, and blue strap. Both use fixed focus. The Generation 3 Go manual, which is not labeled as the Pokemon edition, lists a 63.75 mm lens, apertures of f/14.4 and f/32, a flash that reaches about 2 m, and a minimum distance of 45 cm. The counter runs to eight.

That manual lists 106.5 x 83.8 x 64.6 mm and 251.9 g without film. B&H’s Pikachu page instead lists 15.7 oz (445 g) and a height of 88 mm, so the Pokemon shell’s weight is not settled. The charm and the strap are the only Pikachu-versus-Sylveon differences the sources actually describe. Fixed focus is fine at arm’s length and weak for a near subject.

Who each one is for

Take the Now if you want the larger print and the two focus zones, and you can wait on stock. Take either Go if the pocket body is the point and you can buy Go film. Skip both if you need a photo file, or a camera in hand today. Pikachu versus Sylveon is a color and strap choice, not a spec choice.

On October 5 the Now page was out of stock, while Polaroid listed the Now Pokemon Edition at $139.99 and each Go edition at $99.99, the same prices B&H shows. B&H was still on notify-when-available, with October 5 as an estimated ship date. Amazon, Best Buy, and Walmart were not confirmed. Free standard US shipping applies on Polaroid orders over $75.