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Pokemon Go rolls out to iOS App Store, available in select US locations

Nintendo and Niantic Labs on Tuesday surprised with a limited rollout of anticipated augmented reality game Pokémon Go, making the title available for download in Australia, New Zealand and certain U.S. markets.

Pokémon Go uses smartphone camera and GPS hardware to create an augmented reality world in which players can capture, collect, trade and battle Pokémon. The app launch has been confirmed in Australia and New Zealand for both iOS and Android, while some U.S. App Store customers are also reporting immediate availability.

Developed by Niantic, the app puts players in the shoes of a Pokémon trainer who, armed with an iPhone-cum-Poké Ball, roams their city in search of the elusive creatures. As a user travels around the real world their iPhone vibrates to alert them of nearby Pokémon that can viewed and captured onscreen.

Trainers can also find characters congregating at PokéStops that correlate with real life landmarks and events. The Pokémon Company says these hotspots range from art installations to historical markers and monuments.

Location aware technology is central to the game's mechanics. For example, certain Pokémon, like water-type characters, can only be captured near bodies of water, meaning players have to travel outside to find new species. In fact, the entire app incentivizes motion. Pokémon Eggs, discoverable at PokéStops, only hatch after players walk a preset distance.

Like other games in the series, Pokémon Go features a multiplayer element that pits teams of characters against each other in virtual battle. The goal is to take control of "gyms" scattered throughout the world. Players can assign Pokémon to hold and defend an empty gym, or elect to attack an occupied gym using their cadre of collected characters.

Nintendo is also marketing an optional wearable device that keeps users in the game without requiring constant access to their phone. Called Go Plus, the add-on connects to a smartphone via Bluetooth and uses vibration and LED alerts to notify players of in game events, such as nearby Pokémon sightings.

Depending on local availability, Pokémon Go can be downloaded for free from the iOS App Store. The $35 Pokémon Go Plus device is expected for release later this month.



13 Comments

silveryogurt 9 Years · 1 comment

Your link at the end attached to "downloaded for free" is not working!

lolliver 11 Years · 498 comments

Your link at the end attached to "downloaded for free" is not working!

That links looks like it's for the NZ app store. Might not work if your in a different country.

ericthehalfbee 14 Years · 4489 comments

This will be the best game ever. 

1 Like · 0 Dislikes
tokyojimu 18 Years · 531 comments

I wasn't aware that apps can be rolled out to a limited subset of US markets.

3 Likes · 0 Dislikes
tallest skil 15 Years · 43086 comments

tokyojimu said:
I wasn't aware that apps can be rolled out to a limited subset of US markets.

Instead of limiting content to specific areas, just have an algorithm to spread it evenly across the nation. It shouldn’t matter where you are, for heaven’s sake.

Seems like the act itself would be an interesting application of state sovereignty, though, but that’s irrelevant until the traitors are hung and the Constitution is restored.