A Pokémon Fan Explains Why He Set Up 58 Consoles Searching For A One-In-Nine-Million Shiny
Kotaku · 2026-07-27
Professor Rex, a Pokémon enthusiast with a passion for statistics and rare catches, has engineered an elaborate setup of 58 GameCube and Wii consoles to undertake an unprecedented shiny hunt. Building on his previous success capturing a 1/806,000 chance shiny Chansey in *FireRed* and *LeafGreen*, Rex now targets an exceptionally rare, underleveled shiny Golduck in *Pokémon Box Ruby & Sapphire*. This specific Golduck, found at level 25 in the Safari Zone, presents a one-percent spawn rate and a one-in-16 chance of being level 25, leading to an estimated one-in-nine-million probability of encountering a pink-billed, level 25 shiny version. He achieves simultaneous gameplay across all 58 systems using original Nintendo Wavebird controllers, which communicate via radio waves, allowing a single controller to input commands to multiple consoles tuned to the same channel. Despite encountering 14 shiny Psyducks (Golduck's pre-evolution) between Safari Week 2025 and 2026, none have been his ultimate target, highlighting the non-cumulative nature of shiny hunting. Acknowledging the extreme difficulty, Rex views the quest as a long-term challenge, stating he doesn't necessarily expect to achieve his ideal level 25 shiny Golduck but would consider a shiny underleveled Golduck (levels 25-29, 1 in 1.8 million encounters) a successful outcome.
*The full article also explores Professor Rex's philosophy on the "chase" aspect of shiny hunting and his deep engagement with Pokémon game mechanics.*