'Pokémon Go' Adds AR Plus Mode in New Update

By Edward Leano, Christian Post Contributor Friday, December 22, 2017

"Pokémon Go" now looks closer than ever to what its creative trailers show, with Augmented Reality now available for the game. Niantic has rolled out the new AR+ mode for the mobile game starting Wednesday, Dec. 20.

The new AR+ mode is built on Apple's ARKit framework, so the new feature is exclusive to the iOS 11 running on the iPhone 6s or newer, at least for now. The feature is currently being rolled out for iPhone users, as Niantic shared in their blog update.

With the new Augmented Reality feature, players can now compare a Pokémon's relative size compared to the trainer's current surroundings. Pokémon now have a definite position and orientation when in this mode, meaning players can walk around or up to them to size them up.

"Pokémon are now fixed to a point in space, meaning you can walk up close to a Pokémon to see to how they'll look in the real world. Imagine looking up at a massive Onix or walking around a gigantic Snorlax blocking your path!" Niantic explained.

It's a lot better than the rough estimates the game uses to place Pokémon based on visual cues alone, as The Verge notes.

With Pokémon now standing or hovering over a fixed point, players also have the option to sneak up on them to get a better chance at capturing them. Depending on the situation, Pokémon will now also run away if a trainer gets too close to them, but the new AR+ mode has an Awareness meter that lets players know if they're getting too close for comfort.

Catching Pokémon up close, before they can run away, also awards players with an extra Expert Handler bonus that gives them extra experience points for the capture. It's not the end, though, since, if a Pokémon runs away, a player can just tap on a nearby tall grass to entice Pokémon to come out again.