'Pokemon GO' Expands 'Nearby' Rollout

After months of beta testing with their active gaming community, Niantic Labs has officially rolled out and approved the 'Nearby' feature of "Pokemon GO." This means that those who were previously able to make use of this only in San Francisco, California, now can share the enhanced experience with all users around the world.

After their robust testing phase, Niantic has pulled data from its active user database and confirmed that the feature did help early adopters to up their game. This might open a future imbalance if the feature doesn't get rolled out on updates around the world simultaneously, giving a slight advantage to the beta testers present in the Bay Area, Seattle, and some parts of Arizona.

As the same company responsible for such augmented reality games as Ingress, Niantic Labs has learned a lot by giving closer attention to its Pokemon GO community. The game development company makes use of its community boards and forums as well as engaged user feedback to actively monitor their in-game statistics and be open to suggestions from its fan base.

According to a report by Polygon, the newly updated feature of "Pokemon GO" allows users to view a screen wherein Pokemon within a certain vicinity or specific spot are displayed, along with information about whether or not there is a Pokestop nearby. If a player selects the Pokestop, a map will appear and point the user to the right direction. This helps track elusive Pokemon and create a more intuitive approach to the game's augmented reality basis.

Since the game "Pokemon GO" was unveiled and eventually became a worldwide phenomenon, the ways in which users play to track Pokemon has changed. It's not just about a certain player's style though, because Niantic Labs employs deep learning techniques that randomize user's encounter with Pokemon based on their location. Though there are many cheaters out there who exploit the game through location-spoofing techniques, the "Pokemon GO" remains one of the most successful campaigns for a game based on augmented reality.