My experience with Pokemon GO and Augmented Reality

1. What could be improved?

1.1. Keep in mind while you're reading this, i don't know anything about coding or optimization so all of this is easier done than said.

1.2. As the years go on, people will find ways to make AR less battery consuming and less resource hungry, which could both greatly be improved from where we are right now. I have also read that current cameras can limit the usefulness of AR, as they don't seem to like detecting more complex objects like chairs. As we speak, Apple is trying to improve this by adding 3D sensors to cameras which should greatly help with this problem.

1.3. This is speculation, but if augmented reality gets developed enough, we could probably create holograms like the one above! I'd say that's a pretty nice improvement.

1.4. If we're talking about improvements with the game, maybe the Pokemon could move around as you're trying to catch them. I'm not sure if that's a thing AR can do yet, but if not I'm sure we'll get there someday.

2. Do I see a future for this technology/app?

2.1. Yes! I definitely see a future for AR in general as well as Pokemon GO. As I stated earlier, AR could evolve into holograms although we're probably a few years off of that. We could also see more companies making furniture apps or car repair guides as seen in the course content. As for the app, they still have tonnes of Pokemon to add. Although the fan base died down quickly from launch, the company still pushes out updates and have no sign of slowing down.

2.2. This video gave some interesting points for present and future AR:

3. Do I recommend Pokemon GO?

3.1. If you like Pokemon and want a reason to get out of the house and have a half decent smartphone, then I would strongly recommend giving Pokemon GO a try. If you're using a flip phone on the other hand, it would be hard for me to recommend it. The link to the App Store download will be in the comment.

4. Bibliography

4.1. Virtual Reality definition:

4.2. Augmented Reality definition:

4.3. Pokemon GO App Store:

4.4. Future iPhones could have improved AR thanks to rear-facing 3D sensors (2017) Leif Johnson:

4.5. Why Augmented Reality is the Future (June 10, 2017) ThioJoe:

4.6. Place IKEA furniture in your home with augmented reality (July 26, 2013) IKEA:

4.7. Anyone Can Be a Mechanic With This Brilliant Augmented Reality App (May 27, 2013) Andrew Liszewski:

5. Creative aspect

5.1. I gave Mindmeister another shot since it was very easy to use the last time I tried it, and I enjoy making mind maps more than anything else I've tried so far. I learned GIF's actually work on here and also how to leave comments.

6. What is VR and AR?

6.1. Virtual Reality (VR) is a computer software that uses VR Headsets to create realistic images and sounds that simulate the users presence in a digitized world.

6.2. Augmented Reality (AR) is an enhanced view with computer generated graphics, sounds, or other data added into the physical world viewed on a screen or other device.

6.3. To personally test what exactly augmented reality is capable of, I downloaded Pokemon GO and tested it out for a few weeks. You can find the download link in the comment,

7. Is this app AR or VR?

7.1. Pokemon GO is an augmented reality app because it uses your phone camera to capture the real world while it places digitized Pokemon wherever you look!

8. What I liked?

8.1. I found the technology to be very responsive without lag or many glitches. It was impressive to me as I have never used any AR technology before this, and I found myself using it quite a bit. Also I was impressed that the app made me get off my ass and walk around for once, because you cant progress if you just sit at home all the time.

9. What I disliked?

9.1. When I was using the app, my phone became very hot and used much more battery than it usually does. On top of that, there was some jittering with some of the AR Pokemon at times.