Pokemon Go has taken smartphones by storm over the past week, but could it ever have a future with mixed reality (MR) headsets like HoloLens?
One of the premiere developers behind that platform thinks so. That developer is David Dedeine of Asobo Studios, creator of Young Conker and Fragments. He was asked about the future of Microsoft’s device in an on-stage interview today at the Develop: Brighton conference. Speaking with Force Field VR’s Martin de Ronde, Dedeine talked about the future of HoloLens, and what the next iterations of the development kit might improve upon.
Dedeine was quick to point to the ability to use the HoloLens outside, reassuring that the device could be used outdoors right now, but “it’s not perfect yet.” He then provided a little context for what you might do with HoloLens outside, saying: “I think typically the Pokemon Go thing could be a huge thing on HoloLens.”
Pokemon Go is currently only on phones, but it’s not hard to imagine it taking the extra steps to fit Microsoft’s device. In fact, the CEO of the company agrees too; Satya Nadella recently told CNBC that he thinks Pokemon Go could be great for the device.
We don’t disagree; right now Pokemon Go lets you venture out into the wild to find virtual monsters sitting in real world locations. When they appear on your phone, the Pokemon are unaffected by any passersby or changes in geometry. With HoloLens, we could have a full 3D pocket monster in environments that it actually responds to, and we could use the HoloLens gesture controls to capture it.
Could we see this support in the near future? Dedeine doesn’t think so. The developer suggested that features such as this will be implemented “step-by-step”, and the next version of the device would likely aim to miniaturize it somewhat and improve on other aspects such as the quality of the display.
That said, the developer also noted HoloLens is “closer to market than people believe, except for the price point.”
The development edition of the kit, which is available now, does carry a rather staggering $3,000 price. How far with Microsoft be able to bring that down in time for a consumer release?
