Developed in partnership with Niantic INC, formerly part of Google Labs and Nintendo, The Pokemon Company is finally bringing your childhood’s dream to battle the likes of Charizard against Pikachu with your friends a reality thanks to a new app for iPhone and Android.
The new augmented reality app will allow users to collect, trade and do battle with virtual Pokemon creatures in real world environments.
John Hanke, CEO of Niantic said at a press event in Japan:
“Imagine discovering a Squirtle hiding along a waterfront in San Francisco, a Bulbasaur at Shinjuku Station or a Pikachu beneath the Eiffel Tower”
The company revealed a wearable device, called Pokemon Go Plus, which will connect the app via Bluetooth and alerts its users (Trainer) when the creatures are nearby.
It’s expected that Pokemon Go will be available in 2016.
Whats the future of augmented realty?
Augmented reality is when digital rendered images are superimposed onto real world objects and surroundings, giving the sense of an illusions …or virtual reality.
What is augmented reality?
The future of AR (augmented reality) is enormous, but the technology is largely in its infancy. Thanks to smartphones like the iPhone the initial technology for AR apps is there, but it’s still waiting for that all important game changer of an app.
AR is all about showing you information that’s relevant to objects around you.
Imagine that your car breaks down on the way to work. With AR you could have an app on your smartphone that could diagnose the problem and help to guide you on how to fix the issue. If AR could help you diagnose problems with mechanical objects, then the possibilities of its uses for biological issues are immense.
Companies like Volkswagen are already making use of the AR technology available. The Volkswagen MARTA app is designed to display superimposed information on vehicles and enables technicians to complete a repair whilst carrying out car services.