Pokemon Go Apple ARKit Update Might Be Out Soon

According to a new report, Niantic might release an update for Pokemon Go later today which will bring support for Apple’s ARKit feature. ARKit was introduced with iOS 11 earlier this year. It’s a new framework which enables developers to create powerful augmented reality experiences for iOS devices. The report suggests that this Pokemon Go update might be out as soon as later today.

The update will bring gameplay enhancements to Pokemon Go. Users won’t just see Pokemon floating vaguely above the ground. They will seem to be actually standing on real-world surfaces with natural lighting.

Niantic will offer an incentive for players to use the ARKit mode. They will get experience and Stardust points if they are able to sneak up close to the Pokemon slowly before capturing them. The capture circles will grow as they get closer to the Pokemon.

Niantic has previously claimed that the ARKit mode will be more power efficient compared to Pokemon Go’s original AR mode. This means that players should be able to get more out of their handset’s battery when playing Pokemon Go.

It won’t be a drastic improvement, though, given that the game relies on power-hungry components like the display, camera, GPS, cellular, and processor at the same time.

Pokemon Go players on iOS will need to have an iPhone 6s at the very least to take advantage of the ARKit functionality.

Adnan Farooqui
Categories: Gaming
Tags: ARKit, Augmented Reality (AR), ios 11, niantic, Pokémon GO