For fans, Pokemon GO has brought them grow closer to becoming a Pokemon Master than ever before. The popular app has taken over the world, making the mobile game the most downloaded app of all time. With million of players, trainers everywhere are looking for new ways to play Pokemon GO – and a group of developers have done just that. The team has created a Pokemon GO-compatible controller that’s shaped like a PokeBall, and now, they’re asking fans to help them roll out the product for real.
Called the Trainer Ball, GamerReality created the kinetic controller after they realized how popular Pokemon GO had become. The company promises fans they’ll be able to “throw the ball, and catch like a real trainer,” and Pokemon lovers are already rallying behind the product. Its Kickstarter campaign already has 609 supporters who’ve pledged more $32,000 – a total that’s way more than the $25k needed to meet GamerReality’s goal. The project still has 36 days left, and it looks like fans just keep on donating in the efforts to ensure the Trainer Ball moves past its prototype stage.
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Introducing their product, GamerReality writes, “We set in motion a plan to design a connected device that actually works as a controller with the #1 app in the world.” The site then goes on to explain the controller’s main function:
“The ball is durable enough for impact with the ground and made out of a soft safe rubberized foam material. So you can throw it! It actually pairs with the App and you can throw just as a real trainer would. We use a complex list of technologies to do this. But it boils down to using the same technology that powers SnapChat’s face detection. If you add that with the data we get from accelerometer, plus a two way detection from Bluetooth, we can create actions in the game based on it’s pinpoint location from the camera.”
The Trainer Ball will also feature handheld gesture recognition that’ll allow gamers to simply flick the controller to capture pocket monsters. And, what’s more, the product functions as a portable phone charger too. “We built in a USB backup power bank to charge virtually any phone battery,” the company said.
Right now, GamerReality says their Kickstarter donations will go towards funding the Trainer Ball’s pre-orders and help them secure a licensing agreement. Various news sites like MTV and CNet have already covered the product, boosting its Kickstarter’s publicity up a notch or twelve. Once the campaign ends in September, GamerReality hopes to roll out the Trainer Ball by November 30th. The final design will feature a smoother, texturized coating. A light will also be included in the design to ensure Pokemon GO will recognize the controller and an upgraded USB port will be inserted as well.
If you’d like a Trainer Ball, then you can still donate money GamerReality’s Kickstarter and get one or two as a perk. Or, if you’re short on cash, you can simply use the hashtag #WheresTheBall on social media to boost the Trainer Ball’s online visibility.
