When it hit app stores on iOS and Android back in July 2016, Pokémon GO was a sensation.
It was also one of the first big augmented reality titles to achieve massive success.
Though it has fallen off of its peak somewhat, the AR app is still one of the hottest (and most lucrative) games around.
If you’ve never experienced AR before, it is like something between total virtual reality and reality itself. AR games put 3D characters into the real world and allows you to interact with them.
The main thrust of Pokémon GO is exploring the world around you and capturing Pokémon you encounter. There are arenas, player versus player events, and even story-based segments.
It basically has everything you’d want in a quick pick-up-and-play video game, but it lacks one massive feature for AR until now: A camera.
But the latest update adds an AR camera so you can place and take pictures of your Pokémon in the real world.
You just select your camera and the Pokémon you want to take pictures with and that’s all there is to it.
There’s little doubt that this is going to be a welcome feature among the dedicated fans, but it does raise the question as to why Niantic didn’t put this feature in earlier. After all, what easier way to capitalize on the craze and show off the app than by having people post pictures of their Pokémon to social media.
Nonetheless, the app’s continuing evolution is promising for both players and fans of the augmented reality segment. Often second fiddle to VR’s orchestra, augmented reality could be one of the biggest developments to come to optical technology in the coming decade.
To begin posing with Pokémon in the real world, all you need is to download the app and start playing if you haven’t already.
