Pokemon GO to get trading, more interactive Pokestops and Gyms, possibly a HoloLens version

Pokemon GO is was released less than a week ago but has already become a smash hit on both Android and iOS. With success, naturally, come plans for the future, and developer Niantic is already mulling over how to improve and expand on the its latest AR sensation.

Fans of the classic RPG series will be glad to hear that Pokemon GO will be updated with a feature that has always been a staple of the franchise – trading. Trading has been in the Pokemon games since the very beginning, but in the early days it was handled by the IR port on your Game Boy Color or by a Link cable, which was a cumbersome system but we put up with it, because, well, 90's kids things. Trading changed for the better with the franchise's arrival on the Nintendo DS where the entire process was done over Wi-Fi, so we were surprised to find out that it would not be a part of Pokemon GO. Fortunately, Niantic CEO John Hanke says that this feature is next in the list of things to be added to the game.

“It's kind of a core element”, Hanke admits without going into detail.

We are glad to hear that Pokemon swapping will be added in the not so distant future, as it will bring a much needed layer of interaction between players.

Niantic is also apparently planing to enhance the functions of Pokestops and Gyms, which currently exist in their “very most basic versions”, says Hanke, with future updates enabling players to “customize their functions in other ways”. To enhance competitiveness, the developer is also planning a global leaderboard of some sort, which would be a welcome addition to a game otherwise surprisingly devoid of player interaction.

Hanke also hints that Pokemon GO might be coming to dedicated AR devices – such as the upcoming HoloLnes and the new version of Google Glass – but not much else is currently known about this.

via: Business Insider