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For a broader introduction to AR concepts, see the [https://vrarwiki.com AR Wiki].
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== Historical development ==
{| class="wikitable"
! Year !! Milestone !! Key details
|-
| 2016 || Launch overlay || Basic camera passthrough; . optional toggle for battery savings.
|-
| 2017 || [[AR+]] (iOS) || Surface detection, proximity ‘‘stealth’’ meter, and ''Expert Handler'' bonus on ARKit devices.
| 2018 || AR+ on Android || Requires ARCore-compatible phones running Android 7.0+.
|-
| 2019 || [[GO Snapshot]] || Stand-alone photo mode for any stored Pokémon; . supports social sharing and Smeargle photobombs.
|-
| 2019 || [[Buddy Adventure]] || Let Trainers interact with and photograph buddies together in Shared AR.
===[[Buddy Adventure]] & Shared AR===
In '''Play Together''', Trainers feed, pet, and walk with their [[Buddy Pokémon]] rendered in real space; . Shared AR syncs up to three buddies for group photos.
===Reality Blending===
Supported devices use depth APIs to let Pokémon move *'''behind* ''' furniture or trees, improving realism through occlusion.
===AR Mapping tasks===
Field Research labelled '''AR Mapping''' asks Trainers to record short, anonymised videos of PokéStops; . these scans refine Niantic’s 3-D maps and unlock in-game bonuses such as powered-up PokéStops.
===Pokémon Playgrounds===
An experimental feature that lets Trainers anchor Pokémon persistently at real-world landmarks for others to discover and photograph, enabled by Niantic’s [[Visual Positioning System]].
== Technology stack ==
{| class="wikitable"
! Layer !! Implementation
|-
| Device frameworks || [[https://vrarwiki.com/wiki/ARKit ARKit]] plane-finding on iOS 11+ devices and [[https://vrarwiki.com/wiki/ARCore ARCore]] Plane APIs on Android 7+ phones
|-
| Niantic Lightship ARDK || Cross-platform SDK adding meshing, depth, semantic segmentation, and multiplayer.
|}
== Gameplay impact ==* **'''Immersion and creativity** ''' – AR photography (#GOsnapshot), Reality Blending, and Playgrounds deepen the illusion that Pokémon coexist with the physical world. * **'''Physical activity** ''' – AR incentives encourage exploration; . studies report increased daily step counts among active players. * **'''Social connection** ''' – Shared AR sessions and Playgrounds create collaborative in-person moments.
== Challenges and limitations ==* **'''Battery and processing load** ''' – Continuous camera, sensor fusion, and real-time rendering drain power, especially on older devices. * **'''Environmental constraints** ''' – Very dim or over-bright settings reduce surface-tracking accuracy; . textured, well-lit areas work best.<ref name="ARCoreDoc"/> * **'''Accessibility** ''' – Advanced features require ARKit-/ARCore-certified phones; . players on legacy hardware can disable AR to maintain performance.
== Influence on AR industry ==Pokémon GO’s mainstream success validated mobile AR design, inspiring titles such as *'''Harry Potter: Wizards Unite* ''' and *'''Jurassic World Alive* ''' and driving developer interest in Unity’s [[AR Foundation]]. The game has been credited with popularising [https://vrarwiki.com/wiki/Inside-out_tracking inside-out, marker-less tracking] for consumer devices.
== Future outlook ==
Niantic has signalled plans for richer occlusion, weather-aware behaviours, and eventual headset support, leveraging its Large Geospatial Model and continued Lightship ARDK updates.
== External links ==
* [https://vrarwiki.com/ VR & AR Wiki]
* [https://vrarwiki.com/wiki/Augmented_Reality_Devices Augmented Reality Devices]