Pokémon Go gets a special New Pokémon Snap event featuring a shiny Smeargle
Pokémon Go is getting an event to celebrate the launch of New Pokémon Snap, which adds a shiny Smeargle to the game.
Pokemon GO Studio Niantic Labs Teases AR Glasses
Augmented Reality (AR) specialist Niantic Labs has created some of the most popular titles to use the technology, including Pokemon GO, Ingress Prime and Harry Potter: Wizards Unite. But it seems the company isn’t purely interested in software with a recent Tweet from CEO John Hanke teasing a pair of glasses.
With just a singular image to go on Niantic Labs is either in the process of making its own AR glasses or a more basic pair of smart glasses. The former would be along the lines of Nreal Light with spatial and hand-tracking capabilities, whilst the latter would provide a simpler heads-up display providing digital information in a users vision. From Hanke’s comment regarding “devices that leverage our platform”, meaning the Niantic Real World Platform which all of its videogames are built on, this device could well be a fully-fledged pair of AR glasses.
This would be a very big step for the company considering the AR hardware market is very much in its infancy. That’s set to change this year with glasses coming to market which attaches to 5G capable smartphones to run apps and view entertainment content. Recently, Qualcomm unveiled its XR1 AR Smart Viewer Reference Design helping OEMs reduce the time it takes to bring AR glasses to market.
Niantic Labs device could very well use this reference design or be leveraging a completely unique design. The lens looks very thin and compact, there are holes underneath which could indicate a speaker and then there’s the snazzy fabric logo running down the arm. It looks quite stylish at any rate, a factor the industry has been trying to tackle to push the technology mainstream.
This isn’t the first time Niantic Labs has publically showcased a desire to expand beyond smartphone AR gaming. During Microsoft Ignite at the beginning of March, the two companies showcased Pokemon GO working on HoloLens 2. Only a proof-of-concept, the demo saw Hanke wander around a garden, interacting with Pokemon like Pikachu by giving them some fruit.
Hopefully, this initial tease turns out to be Niantic Labs stepping into AR hardware and the possibility of playing Pokemon GO without having to constantly stare at your phone screen. For further updates, keep reading VRFocus.
Pokémon GO Studio Niantic deutet eigene AR-Brille an
Niantic zeigt auf Twitter einen Ausschnitt einer vermeintlichen AR-Brille, welche eventuell die neue Zielplattform für AR-Spiele des Studios werden könnte.
Pokémon GO Studio Niantic deutet eigene AR-Brille an
Erst kürzlich zeigte Niantic eine Version von Pokémon GO für die HoloLens 2. Microsoft betonte bei der Präsentation jedoch, dass es sich nur um einen Prototypen handelte und nicht um eine Version die für Konsumenten.
Nun schreibt John Hanke, CEO von Niantic, dass er gespannt sei auf die neuen Geräte, die sich beim eigenen Studio in Entwicklung befänden:
Das aktuelle Bild verrät leider nicht, auf welches neue Produkt wir uns konkret freuen dürfen. Es könnte sich um eine AR-Brille handeln die schlicht Informationen einblendet, eine AR-Brille (oder MR-Brille) die ihren Raum erkennt und Objekte somit im Raum platzieren kann oder es könnte auch eine Audio-Brille sein, wie wir sie bereits von Bose kennen.
Wir werden uns wohl bis zur finalen Vorstellung der Brille gedulden müssen, um mehr über das Produkt zu erfahren. Sofern es neue Informationen zur Brille von Niantic gibt, findet ihr diese natürlich bei uns.
(Quellen: Twitter, Upload VR, Road to VR)
Der Beitrag Pokémon GO Studio Niantic deutet eigene AR-Brille an zuerst gesehen auf VR∙Nerds. VR·Nerds am Werk!
‘Pokémon GO’ Developer Niantic Teases a See-through Headset
Niantic, the studio behind the popular Pokémon GO, today teased some kind of see-through headset.
Following a prototype demonstration of Pokémon GO running on HoloLens 2 earlier this month, Niantic CEO John Hanke today showed a teasing glimpse of a see-through headset the company is apparently working on.
Exciting to see the progress we’re making to enable new kinds of devices that leverage our platform… pic.twitter.com/yYglk4q89G
— John Hanke (@johnhanke) March 29, 2021
From the single photo alone, it’s hard to say exactly what we’re looking at. While many will assume an outright AR headset, the device could merely be smartglasses as well.
If this is a proper AR headset (with head-tracking and a reasonably wide field of view) we’re almost certainly looking at some sort of waveguide display, as the kind of bird-bath optics we see in devices like Nreal’s headset would be much bulkier.
However, these could also be simple smartglasses focused on HUD-like functions, with a very small field of view used for basic data display, and without head-tracking.
Further still, it’s entirely possible this device doesn’t have a display at all, and is instead focused on video capture, like Snapchat’s Spectacles.
Only time will tell what Niantic has up their sleeve, but given the detailed rendering and the blatant tease, it seems it won’t be long before we get a full reveal.
The post ‘Pokémon GO’ Developer Niantic Teases a See-through Headset appeared first on Road to VR.
Did Pokemon Go Maker Niantic Just Tease AR Glasses?
Are you ready for true Pokemon Go AR? Niantic’s CEO John Hanke teased an image of what might be AR glasses with the company’s name on the side.
You can see the image in the tweet below with what looks like a speaker, strap and the edges of what might be an AR glasses display. The image appeared on Hanke’s Twitter account with the tease “Exciting to see the progress we’re making to enable new kinds of devices that leverage our platform.”
Exciting to see the progress we’re making to enable new kinds of devices that leverage our platform… pic.twitter.com/yYglk4q89G
— John Hanke (@johnhanke) March 29, 2021
That’s of course not much to go on but it would be a natural evolution for the company which announced a collaboration with Qualcomm in 2019. Qualcomm develops core chip technology used by other manufacturers, including inside the Oculus Quest 2, with the company also making available to partners reference designs that make it easier to develop VR and AR hardware.
Here’s Qualcomm’s latest reference design for tethered AR the company showed off in February of this year:
AR glasses face difficult challenges with power consumption and bright outdoor lighting that will make compelling all-in-one glasses a very difficult prospect. That’s why current approaches offload certain processing tasks to a nearby device, like a phone. The unsolved problems of offering slim glasses that scan your environment and show fully solid objects no matter your lighting conditions means the technology is still years away for tech giants like Apple and Facebook.
Still, games like Pokemon Go are important enough to many people that if a Pikachu could believably pop out from behind a bush in your yard some folks would connect a pair of glasses to their phone just to have that experience.
Pokémon GO Demo Shown on HoloLens 2 at Microsoft Ignite
During today’s Microsoft Ignite event, in collaboration with Niantic Labs, the companies showcased what the possible future of Pokémon GO could be. They demoed a prototype of the augmented reality (AR) videogame on HoloLens 2 for the first time.
Currently just a proof-of-concept, the demo was part of Microsoft’s Mesh announcement to build shared experiences in mixed reality (MR). In the video which firmly pointed out that what was being shown wasn’t for consumer use, Niantic CEO and Founder John Hanke strolled through a park with various Pokémon running around his feet.
Using HoloLens 2’s hand tracking he then brings up his left hand which activates a menu UI, giving three options; a Poké Ball, Fruit and Pokémon, the latter offering a list of his available creatures. Selecting Pikachu, Hanke goes onto feed the famous yellow character some fruit before continuing with the presentation which doesn’t involve a battle, unfortunately.
It’s a tantalising look at the future of arguably the most popular AR title, where players no longer have to look at their phone screen because it’ll all appear in a set of AR glasses. That’s going to be some way off as devices like HoloLens 2 aren’t for consumer use, yet the next generation of smart glasses could well achieve that.
“We’re committed to leveraging and expanding our platform to build real-world AR experiences for as many devices as possible and reaching a diverse set of players no matter their physical location,” says Hanke in a blog post. “We’ve only scratched the surface. We know the years ahead to be filled with important achievements which will serve as waypoints in AR’s journey to become a life-changing computing platform.”
AR is viewed by many companies as the future of mobile computing, offering hands-free access to a digital world that interacts with the real one, whether that’s for gaming, work or any other use case. And it’s these kinds of partnerships that help to build that groundwork. As Niantic and Microsoft continue to announce more from their collaboration, VRFocus will keep you update.
Watch: Pokemon Go HoloLens Demo Uses Microsoft Mesh For Multiplayer Battles
Microsoft and Niantic demonstrated a Pokemon Go HoloLens demo at Microsoft Ignite today.
Alex Kipman, Technical Fellow for HoloLens, was joined virtually on-stage by Niantic CEO John Hanke who hinted at a multiplayer battle alongside product marketing manager Veronica Saron. The video featured a number of different Pokemon hanging out in the real world in a way that went far beyond what’s currently possible with the smartphone-based game. This demo was purely proof of concept; Microsoft made it clear this doesn’t represent a consumer product at this stage. Check out the video below.
The demo was designed to showcase Microsoft Mesh, the company’s new platform for building multi-user online experiences that work across HoloLens and a variety of other devices. We got to try out the platform last week and came away impressed with the possibilities. In the case of Pokemon Go — which doesn’t yet have a native app on HoloLens — it allows players to battle online across the world as if they’re in the same space.
It’s an exciting development, though AR headsets like HoloLens are still too expensive and too limited for full consumer adoption. A Mesh-powered Pokemon Go on a future consumer-oriented version of HoloLens would be an incredible draw and it is hard not to see the demos as a hint that Microsoft knows that’s the direction it should be headed.
Hanke also appeared alongside James Cameron to talk about a new collaboration with OceanX to produce a ‘holographic laboratory’ for the OceanXplorer research and exploration vessel that users from around the world could visit remotely.
Mesh will be rolling out in a preview phase first as Microsoft continues to add more features to the platform.
Microsoft & Niantic Show Off Multiplayer ‘Pokémon Go’ Prototype on HoloLens 2
If you’ve been dreaming of a proper immersive AR experience from Pokémon GO, you’ll be happy to know that Microsoft and Pokémon Go developer Niantic are experimenting with the idea. Today during Microsoft Ignite, the companies showed off a proof-of-concept for a multiplayer version of Pokémon Go running on HoloLens 2.
Update (February 4th, 2021): We’ve added a video of the demo below.
To demonstrate the capabilities of the newly announced Microsoft Mesh, Niantic CEO John Hanke took to the Microsoft Ignite keynote stage to show off a proof-of-concept version of Pokémon Go running on HoloLens 2. In the demo, Hanke was at a park with a handful of Pokémon while another player met up with him to battle.
The companies were careful to say that the demo “does not represent a consumer product,” but said it highlights “a new collaboration that will build on Microsoft’s and Niantic’s mixed and augmented reality capabilities.”
The demo was also designed to highlight the capabilities of Microsoft Mesh, a new service from the company which aims to accelerate the development of multi-user XR applications.
“Niantic’s mission is to create technologies that allow people to socialize and explore the world together, whether that’s kids using Pokémon Go to explore their neighborhoods with parents or friends, or thousands of people gathering at parks for festivals,” Hanke said. “Microsoft Mesh offers a whole new way of doing that. This notion of bringing my virtual friends along with me as I go out and walk and explore the world—I just love that concept and I’m really interested to see what we can do with that.”
The post Microsoft & Niantic Show Off Multiplayer ‘Pokémon Go’ Prototype on HoloLens 2 appeared first on Road to VR.
Ticketed Virtual Event, Pokémon Go Tour: Kanto, Coming February 2021
Pokémon Go Tour: Kanto is a new ticketed virtual event is coming to Pokémon Go to celebrate the game’s fifth anniversary. It will take place over 12 hours in February 2021.
In true Pokémon fashion, there will be two versions of the event — Red or Green — each featuring Pokémon that are exclusive to one or the other. During and after the event, players will also be able to encounter shiny versions of the first 150 Pokémon discovered in Kanto region.
Players will also be able to complete two event-specific Special Research stories, the second of which is designed to take much longer and will see you work toward discovering Shiny Mew.
Even players who don’t purchase an event ticket will have something to do — Pokémon that were originally discovered in the Kanto region will appear in the wild and in raids for all players. Likewise, Articuno, Zapdos, Moltres and Mewtwo will return in Legendary raids.
You can read more about the event features for ticketed and non-ticketed players, along with the difference between the Red and Green versions, over on the Pokémon Go blog. Be sure to check which version you want to purchase, as certain Pokémon are exclusive to Red or Green and some have an increased chance of being encountered depending on which version you pick.
The event will run from 9am to 9pm local time on February 20 and tickets are available now in the in-app shop for $11.99.
Pokémon Go Tour: Kanto follows on from the massive Pokémon Go Beyond update, which added seasons, raised the level cap and released in November.
Massive Pokemon Go Update Adds Seasons, Raises Level Cap, And More
Today Niantic announced the GO Beyond update for Pokemon Go, the largest update yet for the mobile AR pocket monster-catching game. Check out the trailer below:
GO Beyond: The Biggest Pokemon Go Update Yet
In this update the level cap is getting raised from Level 40 to Level 50 and impressively seasons are getting introduced. The Season of Celebration event begins on December 1st at 8AM your local time and includes new weather dynamics, differing Pokemon per season, varying global hemispheres, more regional in-game events, and more.
And on December 2nd all-new Pokemon from the Kalos region will be added, such as Froakie, Chespin, Pyroar, and others. They’ll appear more often than usual for the first week as well.
In order to help accommodate the new level cap increase, starting on November 30th you’ll earn up to double XP from catching Pokemon, evolving Pokemon, hatching eggs, registering Pokedex entries, and other activities than before to accelerate the journey. They’re also debuting a “double catch XP bonus” period from November 18th until the end of the year. Finally, there’s the ’12 Days of Friendship’ event from November 18th, today, until November 30th, in which leveling is much faster with a friend, alongside other boosts and rewards.
If you manage to reach Level 40 or above before the end of 2020 you’ll earn a Legacy 40 Trainer title exclusive rewards. One of the more interesting additions with this update also is that leveling up is no longer just about accruing enough XP — you need to complete “Level-Up Research” between levels as well.
For example, in order to get from Level 40 to 41, you need to catch a high-number (TBD) of Pokemon in a single day very quickly Level 42 requires multiple Eevee evolutions, Level 43 requires a certain number of Platinum medals from Gym and Raid battles, and so on. It’s a good concept for end-game leveling that incentivizes mastering all aspects of the game.
What do you think of all these changes and updates? Let us know down in the comments below!