If Razer’s Pikachu Wireless earbuds placed inside a Poke Ball doesn’t make you happy, then maybe the news of Pokemon Go bringing more features to let you play from home could satisfy you. The augmented reality game is still around and is celebrating its fourth year this 2020. The game has been updated for those who are just at home because you know, we’re all being asked to stay at home. The game requires a player to go out of the house and walk but that’s something we cannot do right now. The last update may be perfect right but we’re hoping we’ll get to go out of the house very soon—without any worries about the coronavirus.
The Pokemon GO Team has added two new features but only to select phones and users. They may still be testing Reality Blending and PokeStop scanning so we don’t expect every Pokemon GO player will receive the changes. The first feature is a response to trainers’ demands to have their little monsters on their side in the real world.
Reality Blending
If you go outside, you can walk, play, and take photos with your Buddy Pokemon. This experience can still be improved by making your buddy do more. Since some of the latest premium flagship devices have upgraded AR functionality, Pokemon GO will take advantage of that with a more realistic appearance. Phones like the Google Pixel 3, Pixel 4, Galaxy S9, and the Samsung Galaxy S10 can implement the Reality Blending feature.
On your Pokémon GO app, use the snapshot feature with Reality Blending. This lets the Pokemon move behind objects—as if real. Your buddy can now hide and then peek from an object. It’s more “realistic” that way. The feature will be available to random Trainers that use the Android phones we mentioned above. More Trainers will get the same soon.
Another improvement is the dynamic 3-D map of PokéStops and Gyms . It may not be useful these days but someday, AR features will be more refined. The PokéStop Scan feature is added so Level 40 Trainers can share videos of their location and upload them for the Pokemon GO devs to see.
This feature will be ready in June to trainers and to more players eventually. All uploads by the players will help in the mapping journey of the Pokemon GO team. Every video submitted must last for up to 30 seconds only. Each one will help the developers and designers see and understand how virtual objects persist.
Every effort can help in improving the augmented reality experiences. Rest assured privacy will be considered. License plates or faces will be blurred automatically as per the developers.
Pokémon GO Fest 2020
Each year, a special event draws thousands of Pokemon GO players in one place. This year will be different. Yes, there will still be a Pokemon GO Fest but it will only be online—just like most tech events scheduled for the rest of the year. It will be a virtual event experience and it will happen on July 25 to 26.
The two-day online event will be nothing like last year’s events hosted in Chicago, Dortmund, and Yokohama. More than 600,000 Trainers participated in those separate locations. We all know such can’t happen this year due to the pandemic.
The Pokémon GO Fest 2020 will be a global event albeit virtually. Trainers will get to enjoy bonuses and new Pokémon encounters. You can probably connect more with other trainers during this online event.
More updates about the Pokemon GO Fest 2020 will be shared. Watch out for related announcements on the Pokémon GO Fest website and Niantic’s blog.
