By Jacob Miller | Jul 28, 2026
Chasing a Shiny Golduck Across Dozens of Screens
The hunter behind this project, who goes by Professor Rex, has built an elaborate rig using 25 Wii consoles and 33 GameCubes, all running Pokemon Ruby and Sapphire at once, in search of a shiny Golduck. The target isn't just any Golduck, either. He's after one at level 25 specifically, the lowest level at which the Pokemon can appear in the game's Safari Zone.
The math behind this hunt makes it clear why it's such a long shot. Simply encountering a Golduck in the Safari Zone already carries just a 5 percent chance. Narrowing that down to one appearing at exactly level 25 drops the odds further, to roughly 1 in 16. Once you factor in the shiny chance on top of that, the combined probability of finding this specific level 25 shiny Golduck comes out to about one in nine million.
To boost his chances even slightly, Professor Rex controls every single one of his 58 consoles simultaneously using just one Wavebird controller, with all the game screens lined up side by side so he can monitor them together. Remarkably, he didn't need 58 individual copies of Pokemon Ruby and Sapphire to pull this off. Instead, he relied on a utility disc called Pokemon Box: Ruby and Sapphire, which allows the game to load on a GameCube and then lets players remove the disc and pop it into another system entirely, essentially multiplying his search power without needing dozens of separate game copies.
A Hunt Built to Last, With No Guarantee of Success
Even with dozens of machines working in his favor, Professor Rex isn't holding his breath. Speaking about the project, he admitted that part of the appeal was picking a goal so difficult he could realistically chase it "forever." He did mention he'd happily settle for a shiny Golduck at any level within the Safari Zone rather than insisting on level 25 specifically, but even that more relaxed target still carries odds of roughly 1 in 1.8 million. At that rate, this hunt could easily stretch on for years without any payoff.
Massive multi-console setups like this one are rare, but hardcore shiny hunters pushing their limits certainly aren't. One player reportedly reset their game 207 times chasing a shiny Rayquaza in Pokemon Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl. Newer titles like Pokemon Scarlet and Violet have made things comparatively easier, offering a base shiny rate of about 1 in 4,096 encounters. Still, even good odds don't guarantee success, as shown by one unlucky trainer who was closing in on a shiny Flamingo only to have an in-game phone call interrupt the moment, letting the bird vanish before it could be caught. Here's hoping that if Professor Rex's nine-million-to-one gamble ever pays off, he manages to actually catch his prize instead of watching it slip away.
