Pokémon GO
 

In a move that shocked everyone, The Pokemon Company held it's first press conference of it's own to announce a new mobile augmented reality game called Pokemon GO. With full support from Nintendo, and being developed by Niantic (of Ingress fame), the whole idea of this game is to be able to go outside and explore your surroundings for wild Pokemon that you can catch. You can then trade and battle these Pokemon with other players. There have been talks of some way to connect this game with the main series. There will also be a special wearable Bluetooth device, called the Pokemon GO Plus, that can alert you to nearby wild Pokemon, so you don't have to be glued to your phone the whole time. It is scheduled for release sometime in 2016.

It almost seems like a new Pokewalker. My friends and I are pretty excited to try it out. Not too fond of the idea of having in app purchases however- it's as if Pokemon is trying to find its way into the DLC realm. I'm supportive of it as long as they don't go overboard with the idea of spending money.

Like...I don't want to pay something around 25 cents just to get one Poke Ball, or any kind of ball to catch something. :P

Seems really cool, but I also dont want it to drfit into "Your Pokemon fainted! Wait 1 hour OR pay $2.99 to revive now!"

I, myself, am excited for this game. Granted, I don't want to see micro-transactions done wrong here, but that Bluetooth device is something I will try to get if the game holds my interest.

If you spell out the title (G-O, "geo"), it's obvious it's just geocaching with Pokémon and effectively a reimagining of last year's Google Maps April Fools' Day joke. The in-app purchases and it being a smartphone app are the main reasons I'm not going to bother.

Plus, with the two clips seen at the end, it doesn't look awesome like the video makes it out to be, especially with the lack of augmented reality. If it turns out to be better than I'm expecting (disappointment), and you don't have to pay a penny to actually enjoy it, I'll try it out, but frankly, I'm expecting a lackluster experience that the video definitely over-hyped.

Back to following Pokkén Tournament and Super Mystery Dungeon news instead. Those games at least will be relatively good. :)

Tbh I'd rather see DLC Pokémon than skinner box microtransactions. Shuffle did it, now Go, and I'm actually starting to get a little nervous about what Gen 7 is going to bring us in a few years.

Indeed so.

Actually, forget the app. I have a better idea. Microsoft HoloLens is a thing. They could very easily (subjectively) make the other 98% of that video by utilizing one rather than mobile gimmicks. C'mon, Nintendo and Microsoft, partner up and let us have awesome Pokémon battles in our homes without being tied to microtransaction filth.

I'll probably use it for a few hours and get bored of it quite easily as I'm not really into playing games on my phone.... Would also help if I went outside more. Plus I don't like the sound of micro-transactions, hopefully they're done right like Fallout Shelter.

For those who want to watch the press conference, it has been uploaded to The Pokemon Company International's YouTube channel.

I would use it if i had a phone or tablet that actully had a camera on the back. (My tablet only has a camera in the front facing me)

I can't wait for someone to fall off a ledge trying to chase a Mareep