Pokemon Go Adds Real-World Feature in New Update

A new Pokemon Go update has brought a new real-world feature to the popular video game, but there is a catch. Essentially, Niantic has added a mechanic to the video game that mimics the sky light in the actual location they are, based on geography data. The catch is that this is seemingly only available for a small subset of Pokemon Go players at the moment with the full rollout planned for later this summer.

“A real-time sky mechanic that mimics a player’s sky light based on their geographical location,” the official update from Niantic reads. In addition to the new real-world feature, some players will also have new Pokedex classifications. Exactly when both features will be available to all players, or whether Niantic will make changes based on what is clearly just a test at the moment, remains to be seen.

It’s worth noting that there is actually a new Pokemon Go Fest set for just a couple of weeks from now on July 17th and July 18th. If Niantic were looking to roll these changes out widely, that would likely make for a good release window. The event, which is themed after a music festival, will add the Mythical Pokmeon Meloetta in addition to several new costumed Pokemon, including Pikachu Rock Star and Pikachu Pop Star from Pokemon Omega Ruby and Alpha Sapphire. The event will also be cheaper than previous Pokemon Go Fest events, costing $5 a ticket rather than $15.

Pokemon Go itself is currently available for iOS and Android devices. You can check out all of our previous coverage of the popular Pokemon mobile video game right here.

What do you think about the new features being added to Pokemon Go? What sort of features would you like to see be added to the video game in the future? Let us know in the comments, or feel free to reach out and hit me up directly over on Twitter at @rollinbishop to talk about all things gaming!