The world has gone utterly bananas for Pokémon GO.
Millions of fans are scurrying around the streets like excitable zombies glued to their phones hunting for Pokémon.
But if you think this augmented reality is the best thing since sliced bread, then you might want to sit down for this.
The makers of the game Niantic Labs have their sights set on going one better than augmented reality – which involves overlaying digital images on the real world camera view as the game is now.
The CEO of the firm John Hanke is a real sci-fi lover and if he gets his way the company will be forging ahead with complete virtual reality gaming for Pokemon using contact lens technology.
That’s right, Hanke wants to see the game made completely immersive and realistic by projecting those augmented reality images through contact lenses. For gamers it would be like seeing the Pokémon, Poké Stops and Gyms in the real world rather than having to walk around holding up their phones to see it on screen.
Hanke revealed his grand plans for the evolution of the hugely popular game at a gaming conference in Rancho Palos Verdes, Los Angeles, explaining that he believes smart glass and then contact lenses could be how the game is played in the future:
“I’m a science-fiction fan so I want the contact lenses that transform everything into whatever kind of themed world I want it to be.
“I think a lot of people see that archetype as something that we’d like to have and it’s probably going to get created within our lifetime and I’m very much looking forward to it.”
If you’re mad on the Pokémon game now, imagine playing it immersed in virtual reality, seeing the characters in real time. It’s a far cry from the crappy GameBoy graphics we grew up with.
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