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Pokémon Go Will Make You Crave Augmented Reality

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Pokémon Go Will Make You Crave Augmented Reality

The New Yorker,

5 min read
5 take-aways
Audio & text

What's inside?

Pokémon Go is a watershed for “augmented reality.”

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Editorial Rating

8

Qualities

  • Innovative
  • Eye Opening
  • Overview

Recommendation

Unless you have been hiding under a rock this last week, by now you have certainly heard about the smash-hit, online game Pokémon Go. “Augmented reality” – the mash-up of the real and digital worlds – isn’t a new idea, but past iterations never generated anything like the present mania for “catching” Pikachu and his friends. What does this switch signal for augmented reality’s future possibilities? Tech writer Om Malik reflects on his own experience with Pokémon Go, compares it with past “mixed-reality games,” and offers compelling examples of how game designers and other businesses might leverage augmented reality technology in the future, in a variety of contexts. getAbstract recommends this article to tech trend watchers and curious bystanders.

Summary

Pokémon Go’s first incarnation was as an April Fools’ joke. In 2014, Google posted a video mixing Pokémon and Google Maps, and it was an instant hit. In 2016, Pokémon Go’s creators, Niantic – a former subsidiary of Google – released the real deal: An interactive gaming experience wherein players move around in the real world “catching” virtual Pokémon characters  with their smartphones. The game became an overnight success. In its first week of online distribution, Pokémon Go was the “most downloaded app” in the Apple Store, and players were spending, on average...

About the Author

Om Malik is a technology writer, the founder of GigaOm and a partner at TrueVentures, a venture fund based in Palo Alto, California.


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