Pokemon Go Teases Plans for Exciting New Playground Feature

06/09/2017 06:57 pm EDT

Earlier this week, Apple revealed it was developing a new AR technology for its iOS system. The new ARKit will create even more realistic AR for games and apps...including Pokemon Go.

Niantic Labs posted a brief blog post about their work with Apple's ARKit today and also revealed that they were working on new AR features for Pokemon Go. In the post, Niantic released two teaser images, including one showing a "playground" feature that showed multiple Pokemon with an AR background.

From what we can tell, this Playground feature will allow players to pull their caught Pokemon back out into the wilderness so they can play with and pose with them using their camera.

When speaking about the feature Niantic noted that they were working on "new, fun and innovative ways to place Pokémon in the world around you, to view Pokémon, and to use your phone camera to capture the moment."

A second screenshot showed an enhanced "encounter screen" featuring a Charizard. While the image was meant to show off how Apple's AR improved lighting for Charizard, with the sun shining off of Charizard's skin, the image had another interesting feature. In the bottom corner was the "switch" button, teasing that perhaps players will be able to battle wild Pokemon in order to capture them.

Both images can be seen in the photo gallery above.

What's more, Niantic also teased that players will be able to "interact" with Pokemon using the new AR. "The digital world will overlay the real world in more detailed and accurate ways and you will be able to interact with Pokémon in a more immersive and life-like fashion," Niantic wrote.

Of course, interacting with Pokemon has been a dream for many Pokemon fans for years. The main series Pokemon games recently added the ability for players to pet Pokemon and feed them in a special "Pokemon-Amie" feature.

Pokemon Go didn't give a timeline for the new features, but Apple promised that the new AR would be part of iOS 11, which comes out this fall.

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