Our Apple overlords are set to reveal their next technological gift to us on September 12: the iPhone 8. While rumors run rampant about an OLED screen, a credit threatening price, and facial recognition features, the most important feature for gamers has already been confirmed - augmented reality. If that term sounds a bit Black Mirror, don't panic, you've probably already used it. The mix of real world and game is what drives the compulsive collecting of Pokemon Go. The creator of that game, Niantic, has already been confirmed as one of the developers using Apple's ARKit augmented reality technology. "For Pokemon GO, ARKit allows us to further enhance the feeling of interacting with Pokemon in the real world," says Phil Keslin, CTO and co-founder of Niantic. "We delivered on that initial promise last year at launch and we’re excited to expand the experience even further." And remember that The Walking Dead: Our World game that recently went viral? That's also made possible … [Read more...] about The Walking Dead, Pokemon Go and the Apple iPhone 8’s secret gaming weapon
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Modojo Rewind: Questionable Business Practices and Massive Overshare Potential
This week's Labor Day holiday meant a long weekend for most of us in the United States, to say nothing of the keen opportunity to catch up on the best work-related portable games, but despite the extra time we had for rest and relaxation, the news never stops. This week we saw big headlines coming from Nintendo, including a surprising update to their iconic mascot's résumé, as well as a number of new releases and the discovery of some rather interesting apps on the two most popular mobile app markets. The drawbridge is lowering and the horns are sounding: welcome to the Modojo Rewind. One of the biggest headline stories to come out this week was related to news of Nintendo's new business partnership with Western Digital, the company that manufactures the popular SanDisk variety of SD cards. Business collaborations like this happen all the time, but this partnership became all the more interesting after Nintendo revealed that some Nintendo Switch games will require the … [Read more...] about Modojo Rewind: Questionable Business Practices and Massive Overshare Potential
Pokemon GO: Watch The First Mewtwo Exclusive Raid And Catch Attempt
Pokemon GO players in most parts of the world are still battling Raikou and waiting for their first Exclusive Raid invitations, but in Japan some trainers have already had a chance to face off against Mewtwo. Some Japanese players captured footage of the first battle and the catch attempt for a Pokemon GO livestream and other trainers can now get their first look at Mewtwo’s attacks and behaviors. Niantic explained that Exclusive Raid invites would start going out as early as September 6, but the vast majority of Pokemon GO players are still doing the regular Battle Raids while they wait for the special events to kick off in their own region. This first look at a battle against Mewtwo should help hold everyone over. Check out the full battle and catch attempt right here… As you can see, the army of Tyranitars manages to take Mewtwo down before time expires, but the catch attempt is a little more heartbreaking. The player manages to score 13 Premier Balls, and throws … [Read more...] about Pokemon GO: Watch The First Mewtwo Exclusive Raid And Catch Attempt
Pokemon GO Safari Zone Event Sells Out Instantly
The Pokemon GO Safari Zone events in Europe are on the horizon and tickets for the events have recently become available. The tickets are free, but require trainers reserve a spot for the event. To avoid overcrowding, unfortunately, not everyone will make the cut. At least, that's currently the case for the Paris, France event, where tickets ran out in a mere two minutes. At all of the Pokemon GO Safari Zone events, fans will enjoy special in-game goodies, the opportunity to catch rare Pokemon, and a chance to socialize with other trainers. The event saw a slight delay, which pushed dates in Germany, France, and Spain to September 16. New dates were also announced for the Denmark, Czech Republic, Sweden, and The Netherlands. The dates are as follows: October 7, 2017 Fisketorvet-Copenhagen, Denmark Centrum Černý Most-Prague, The Czech Republic October 14, 2017 Mall of Scandinavia-Stockholm, Sweden Stadshart Amstelveen-Amstelveen, The Netherlands It's a bit of a surprise to see … [Read more...] about Pokemon GO Safari Zone Event Sells Out Instantly
Pokemon Go’s Europe Safari Zone Events Begin Soon, Here Are The Details
Pokemon Go's string of Safari Zone live events are scheduled to begin soon across Europe. Today, developer Niantic shared more details about the forthcoming meet-ups on its website, including what kinds of Pokemon players will have a chance to encounter. On September 16, Unibail-Rodamco Shopping Centres in Oberhausen (Germany), Paris (France), and Barcelona (Spain) will host the region's first Safari Zone events. Players who stop by the malls will receive an in-game medal and can find special Eggs from the various PokeStops located at the venues. They'll also be able to catch some of the game's rarer monsters, including Kangaskhan, Chansey, Larvitar, and even shiny Pikachu and Magikarp, among others. However, Niantic says that Gym and Raid Battles will not be available during the event "in order to optimize the experience for all Trainers attending." To participate in the Safari Zone events, players will need to reserve a free ticket and be over 13 years of age with a valid photo ID. … [Read more...] about Pokemon Go’s Europe Safari Zone Events Begin Soon, Here Are The Details
Pokemon GO: Mewtwo Capture Rate Is Higher Than Tyranitar
After over a month of hunting down the legendary birds, Pokemon GO players have moved on to new level five Battle Raids and are currently facing off against one of the legendary beasts (depending on which region they are in). While trainers in America are busying tracking down 100% IV Raikous, the community is still eagerly awaiting Exclusive Raid invites to take down and capture Mewtwo. According to some recent data, it seems like actually capturing Mewtwo may not be as difficult as players originally imagined. We’re still not sure how frequently Pokemon GO Exclusive Raid invites will go out or how rare they will be, but we do know that the base catch rate for Mewtwo is not nearly is low as expected. As a matter of fact, the super rare Pokemon actually has a higher base catch rate than the level four Battle Raid boss Tyranitar. Here’s a look at the game code that confirms Mewtwo is currently set to have about a 6% base catch rate, which is higher than Tyranitar and the … [Read more...] about Pokemon GO: Mewtwo Capture Rate Is Higher Than Tyranitar
Pokemon CEO Thought Nintendo Switch Would Fail
It’s hard to believe now, given the success of the Nintendo Switch, but prior to the console’s launch the jury was out on whether or not the new device would be a contender. Nintendo’s recent history in the console market had been less than impressive, and the Switch appeared to be yet another in a long line of innovative but ultimately unprofitable tech from a company that could do no wrong prior to the Wii. Nintendo‘s faith in the way its engineers constantly push design space in consoles finally paid off, however, and the Switch can barely stay on shelves long enough for the ever-increasing number of gamers who want one to be sated. For those who feel foolish about doubting the Switch, however, a candid and telling interview with Pokemon CEO Tsunekazu Ishihara conducted recently revealed even some of the smartest minds in the industry had their reservations. Ishihara had this to say about the Switch: “I told Nintendo that Switch wouldn’t be a … [Read more...] about Pokemon CEO Thought Nintendo Switch Would Fail
Pokemon Company CEO sees a bright, rumbly future for AR games post- Pokemon Go
"With current AR, even if you say Pikachu is there, no one really thinks that. But that reality is just one step away." - The Pokemon Company CEO Tsunekazu Ishihara, speaking to Bloomberg. It's been over a year since Niantic and The Pokemon Company released Pokemon Go, an augmented-reality catch-'em-all mobile game that became something of a global pop culture phenomenon. Since then the game has lost millions of players and gained millions more, surpassing 750 million downloads this summer. Devs following the game may be interested (if not surprised) to learn that in a recent chat Bloomberg had with Pokemon Company chief Tsunekazu Ishihara, the CEO seemed intent on building upon the game's success in some meaningful ways. "We’ve only accomplished 10 percent of what Pokémon and Niantic are trying to do, so going forward we will have to include fundamental Pokémon experiences such as Pokémon trading and peer-to-peer battles, … [Read more...] about Pokemon Company CEO sees a bright, rumbly future for AR games post- Pokemon Go
Pokemon GO Exclusive Raid Invites Going Out
Not too long ago, the developer Niantic promised that Exclusive Raid Battles would be coming to Pokemon GO soon, and it looks like the time is nigh for the feature’s arrival in the popular augmented reality mobile title. As it so happens, after updates to the Android and iOS versions of the game were recently applied, the company has now been sending out invites in advance to the events that occur at a specific time and place in order to allow fans to coordinate with other players. As seen in the image below courtesy of the Reddit user known as Carnilawl, one trainer’s journal in Pokemon GO was updated yesterday to reflect their invite to an Exclusive Raid Battle at Water, Precious Water in Bellevue, Washington. It must be noted, however, that the player who received the invitation is not actually Carnilawl, as the Redditor mentioned further down in the thread that they shared the picture after seeing it put up on a local Discord channel. At this point in time, it’s … [Read more...] about Pokemon GO Exclusive Raid Invites Going Out
Pokemon GO: Delayed Safari Zone Events Get New Dates
Not too long ago, European Pokemon GO fans were disappointed to learn that the developer Niantic decided to implement a delay for the region's Safari Zone events following the fiasco that was the game's festival in Chicago, Illinois. Now the company is ready to reveal the next set of dates for the Safari Zones that hopefully won't be postponed once again, with the studio also prepared to share even more details about the forthcoming meet-ups, including what kinds of creatures players will have a chance to encounter during the events. According to a post on Pokemon GO's official website, on September 16, 2017, Safari Zone activities for the game will be taking place at Unibail-Rodamco Shopping Centres located at CentrO in Oberhausen, Germany, Les Quatre Temps in Paris, France, and La Maquinista in Barcelona, Spain. The new dates for the events in Copenhagen, Denmark, and Prague, Czech Republic, will take place on October 7, 2017 at Fisketorvet and Centrum Černý Most, respectively, … [Read more...] about Pokemon GO: Delayed Safari Zone Events Get New Dates
