Pokémon GO is tested on the Microsoft HoloLens 2 mixed reality headset

It seems that soon the interaction with the little monsters in Pokémon GO will be even more realistic, that's because Niantic announced the tests of the game on HoloLens 2, Microsoft's headset for mixed reality — a combination of the real and virtual world. Will we feel like real Pokémon trainers this time?

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Pokémon GO concept in HoloLens 2 (Image: Handout/Niantic)

The proposal is to use Microsoft Mesh technology, which transports players from the real world to the virtual, like a hologram, allowing people to "meet" to play, but each in their own space (or home).

While it is encouraging, it is a projection for the future. As John Hanke, CEO of Niantic, pointed out in a Zoom conversation, “The experiences we've created anticipate a world where there are multiple headsets on the market. There will be multiple platforms (…) it's a great opportunity for us to get our hands on this kind of thing early on [in technology].”

This partnership was revealed during the Microsoft Ignite conference, which takes place between March 2nd and 4th, when Hanke gave a recorded demonstration of what could be done when using HoloLens 2 with Pokémon GO.

In the video, Hank took a walk in a park and pulled a Pikachu out of the Poké Ball. He then met up with another person from the Pokémon GO team to battle it out in a mixed reality shared section (but the battle didn't take place). Niantic's CEO has made it clear that the display is not about the final consumer product.

Pokémon GO concept in HoloLens 2 (Image: Handout/Niantic)

Pokémon GO concept in HoloLens 2 (Image: Handout/Niantic)

“Our focus was point-to-point with HoloLens (…) it's easier from a conceptual point of view, because everyone already has the same assumptions and interactions. But theoretically, you can imagine a world where that [the concept] encompasses phones and augmented reality and even virtual reality,” said Hanke.

When technology becomes more accessible, the world of Pokémon GO will be ready, as Niantic has been recruiting players to map Pokéstops in augmented reality. HoloLens 2 was announced in 2019 and is still a developer product.