“Pokemon” fan or not, it’s hard for anyone to deny the success of the recently released “Pokemon GO”, as the game took the world by storm and is still going strong. Many saw its popularity as unexpected, comparing it to the previous game of its developer Niantic, “Ingress”.
It looks like the game can survive for quite a long time with just some small updates every now and then, and according to recent news, its gameplay is going to get even better for those who want to fully immerse themselves in the experience.
The long-awaited Pokemon GO Plus device is right around the corner, and it will allow players to be even more flexible in the way they collect their Pokemon. The device is similar to a smartwatch, but it’s designed specifically for use with the game, allowing players to catch creatures even without having to use their smartphones.
There will be no screen on the watch, rather it will indicate the presence of Pokemon with blinking LEDs, and the player will have to press a button on the device to capture the creature. Some have criticized the developers for apparently putting too little effort in the watch, as they claim it could have been a lot more useful with at least a small built-in screen.
However, the lack of a display is probably one of the reasons the device is going to be so cheap, with initial reports by Nintendo putting a $35 price tag on it. That’s not much at all for a wearable accessory of this type, although on the other hand some players have been critical towards this move, claiming that the company is overcharging for an otherwise simple device, exploiting the popularity of the “Pokemon” brand.
Whether that’s true or not, we don’t doubt for a second that the device will be hugely popular among the more dedicated fans of the game, and it will probably see good sales as soon as it launches.
Meanwhile, those who want their experience with wearable devices in the game to be a bit more interactive will probably be happy to learn that the game is apparently coming to the Apple Watch as well.
The app will function in a similar way to the Pokemon GO Plus watch, notifying players when a creature is in their vicinity, plus giving them access to various other bits of information about their profile. Oddly enough, however, there are indications that the Apple Watch version will not allow players to actually catch creatures but will rather only give notifications when they are present.
If that’s true, then players would still need to pull out an iPhone and use the official app to actually capture the creatures they come across, which would somewhat negate the whole point of the experience, according to some. It will be interesting to see if the Apple Watch app has any special features to compensate for that if it’s true.
It’s good to see that these additions to the game are coming out right now, as the popularity of “Pokemon GO” has been in jeopardy lately, according to some. The game is still going very strong and it’s enjoying an active following of many players, but at the same time, some are apparently getting annoyed with the slow pace of its development, and have been quitting in masses.