One of the most played games on the mobile device, both collectively as a collaborating group of players and on our own personal adventures, is getting one of the coolest updates I have seen in a long time. Niantic has announced that the latest Pokemon GO update will include AR+!
What is AR+ though? If you have ever used to the AR part of your phone during your Pokemon Hunting days you would know that you have to not only find where they are on the map, but also where they are located around you once you initiate the battle. This was a pretty basic use of Augmented Reality that gave a touch of realism while you were out in the real world. Now with AR+ being enabled, players can now approach Pokemon and see them grow to be the size that they would actually be if found in the real world! Check out the IGN News breakdown:
With the latest addition of the third generation Pokemon from the Hoenn region, this update came rather unexpectedly. I think it is amazing that you can now actually get closer to the wild Pokemon and that they have even added awareness! That's right, if you get too close to the wild Pokemon they will notice and run! Plus, the closer you are and the better your Pokeball throw is, the better the rewards are going to be for it.
The only downside to this update is that it is currently going to be iOS only. They use the ARKit from the Apple devices iOS 11, iPhone 6s, and newer. Hopefully it doesn't take too long for them to make it to Android devices, but at least it exists and that is always step one.
So, for everybody that is still out there hunting, how excited are you? For those that gave up, ready to return to your childhood dream game?