Pokemon Go beta has arrived; would be trainers are being chosen to trade, battle and catch 'em all

For U.S. Pokemon fans, today is the day that they have long dreamed about (no, Mr. Mime is not marrying Ash's mom). Android and iOS beta testers for the Pokemon Go mobile game are now being selected from a list of people who signed up earlier this month. Created by Niantic and Nintendo, Pokemon Go uses Augmented Reality to allow players to catch, train, trade and battle Pokemon just as if the whole Pokemon eco-system were real.

There will be more than 100 wild Pokemon that players will have the opportunity to capture. When a player is near one, he/she will receive a notification on a smartphone, reminding the would-be Pokemon Master to throw his Poke Ball to catch the pocket monster. Supplies can be picked up at a PokeStop, which will be located at real life museums, historical locations and other places.

Pokemon Go will be true to the game in that you will be more apt to find a water Pokemon like Squirtle in areas near you that contain water. And there will be special Pokemon eggs that hatch faster depending on how far you walk. This gives the player an incentive to keep on walking and looking for more Pokemon. Just a couple of months ago, we showed you the latest images of what the game looks like.

And don't forget that there is an accessory called the Pokemon Go Plus which looks like a Poke Ball. Paired with your smartphone via Bluetooth, the device tells you when you are near a wild Pokemon by using haptic feedback and LED lights. A tap of a button will allow you to snag a Pokemon, or handle other tasks important to the game.

If your life's ambition is to be a Pokemon Master (and won't that give your parents something to brag about!), you can still sign up and hope to be picked for the beta test by clicking on the sourcelink.



source: Pokemon via Engadget