Taiwan man rigs bicycle with 11 phones to play Pokemon Go, becomes Internet sensation

While the Pokemon Go craze of 2016 may already be a distant memory for some, one 70-year-old has taken his passion for Pokemon-hunting to hardcore levels.

Taiwanese fengshui master Chen San-yuan gained online fame after a photograph of him riding a bicycle with six mobile phones attached to it - all displaying Pokemon Go on their screens - was uploaded to online forum Reddit in May.

The post, titled "Hardcore Pokemon hunter grandpa" garnered around 75,000 upvotes.

In an interview with Taiwanese gaming news channel EXP.GG, Mr Chen revealed that he spends around NT$10,000 (S$446) a month on the game.

At the time of the interview in June, he had nine phones attached to his bicycle. A report by the BBC on Thursday (Aug 9) put the total at 11.

Known affectionately as "Uncle Pokemon", Mr Chen carries multiple powerbanks with him which can keep his devices charged for up to 20 hours straight.

Though practically a celebrity within the online Pokemon Go community, Mr Chen was unaware of his fame until his interview.

[embed]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BuBckAfJsKk[/embed]

According to the BBC, he was introduced to the game by his grandson and has been hooked ever since.

Mr Chen said: "There's a lot of fun (in this game)... I can connect with people (and) prevent Alzheimer's disease."

The Straits Times reported last month that the game is still pulling in the crowds in Singapore, two years after its release here in August 2016.

Since its launch, the game has raked in US$1.8 billion (S$2.5 billion) globally in player spending, with Singaporean players spending more than US$10 million.

Players in Taiwan - the game's fifth biggest spender - have reportedly spent US$48 million.

This article was first published in The Straits Times. Permission required for reproduction.