Is anyone in the US playing Pokemon Go?

[Data]

One week ago on July 6 2016, Pokemon Go was released in the US. In the 5 days since it's release the game has boosted Nintendo's market value by $9,000,000,000 (Billion)

Demand has been so high for this game partly because it works on a handset and it's free but mostly because you can walk around with it and use the built in GPS to find different Pokemon by literally walking the earth.

There seems to be a speed limit built in so you either need to pedal a bike slow or just go for a walk. It's cool how I can walk a mile down the train tracks and cross over a pond by walking over fallen tree and then I find a Growlithe hiding in the grass.

This game has made a great case for augmented reality and inspire many into innovating.

Pokemon go explained in less than 400 words.

http://www.vox.com/2016/7/12/12159304/pokemon-go-game-ios-android

Simpsons Bill Cosby Pokemon Rap Mashup (just kinda cool)

[Phillyman]

Yup, been playing since the 7th!

[Data]

That's awesome. My location is outside of the US so the only way I can get it on my device is through apk mirror dot com and I have been waiting 2 days to sign up with Pokemon Trainer Club as I will not log in with my google credentials.

I've been watching others play and look forward to getting mine working.

Did you choose Pikachu?

[Phillyman]

That's awesome. My location is outside of the US so the only way I can get it on my device is through apk mirror dot com and I have been waiting 2 days to sign up with Pokemon Trainer Club as I will not log in with my google credentials.

I've been watching others play and look forward to getting mine working.

Did you choose Pikachu?

Nope, I didnt hear about the trick to get Pikachu until after I had already picked Bulbasaur.

[kitsunebi]

I see this as the beginning of the end of the home console being anything but a niche product for the hardcore gamer. Once this thing finally gets released in Japan, there are going to be big changes in the way games are handled here. Whether the rest of the world follows suit or not, I can't say, but Japan and consoles will soon be a thing of the past, I think. What will be interesting to see is how it affects the handheld market, which so far has been the only thing keeping the gaming industry afloat here. Will handhelds give way to mobile gaming as well?

[Data]

I remember in early 2011when Playstation Portable 2 came out and I was looking to buy a smartphone. The PSP2 had it all, High Res Oled touchscreen, Two Sixaxis Joysticks, pressure sensitive buttons, it is as powerful as the Playstation 3. The problem for me wasn't the price. I would "invest" $500 for a product that does it all. This could have done it all. It had WiFI and 3G antennae so it was able to be used as a communication device. Sony simply would have needed to upgrade the software and the PSP2 could have been a cell phone. Because of this I didn't buy it and it became an expensive luxury.

As for Nintendo, they may have to follow the same path Sega did 15 years ago and just concentrate on games. Nintendo is still in a very good position to negotiate terms unlike Sega where the talent left long ago with the project funds.

If Nintendo created their own Pokemon game that was superior to Pokemon Go and charged an annual fee, they would be nailing the coffin of the 3DS.

[RetroDefense]

It'd print money.

http://thenextweb.com/shareables/2016/07/15/someone-built-a-pokedex-battery-case-for-pokemon-go-and-nintendo-should-too/

[Data]

Nice.  A real Pokedex is a novel idea if it had GPS but it needs to have access to the world wide web and we are at the mercy of our carriers.  If the pokedex was real I would buy a new cap.

 

and have respect for Gary Oak the way he respects his Poke'mon.

[te72]

One week ago on July 6 2016, Pokemon Go was released in the US.  In the 5 days since it's release the game has boosted Nintendo's market value by $9,000,000,000 (Billion)

 

That is an awful lot of stock value. I can't say I quite understand how the market works, and while I do understand that good innovation usually drives a company's stock up, how are they suddenly worth $9B more? Just an arbitrary valuation?

 

That's awesome.  My location is outside of the US so the only way I can get it on my device is through apk mirror dot com and I have been waiting 2 days to sign up with Pokemon Trainer Club as I will not log in with my google credentials.

If you don't mind my asking Jake, are you up in the great white north somewhere? You have Montana or Wyoming listed, and while both those states are rather remote, we are technically still in the US haha.

 

I see this as the beginning of the end of the home console being anything but a niche product for the hardcore gamer.  Once this thing finally gets released in Japan, there are going to be big changes in the way games are handled here.  Whether the rest of the world follows suit or not, I can't say, but Japan and consoles will soon be a thing of the past, I think.  What will be interesting to see is how it affects the handheld market, which so far has been the only thing keeping the gaming industry afloat here.  Will handhelds give way to mobile gaming as well?

You know something though? From what I've seen of a couple friends playing it (there apparently was a Squirtle in my garage), I don't really see it as a game. I think this has far more in common with geocache hunting than gaming... As a game, the regular Pokemon games are far better.

 

However, the games don't require you to get outside, exercise, and explore. That... is what I find absolutely brilliant here. Just wish folks would pay more attention to where they're at though... it almost seems to me that GO is gonna weed out a lot of folks through natural selection.

[Data]

That is an awful lot of stock value. I can't say I quite understand how the market works, and while I do understand that good innovation usually drives a company's stock up, how are they suddenly worth $9B more? Just an arbitrary valuation?

 

If you don't mind my asking Jake, are you up in the great white north somewhere? You have Montana or Wyoming listed, and while both those states are rather remote, we are technically still in the US haha.

 

You know something though? From what I've seen of a couple friends playing it (there apparently was a Squirtle in my garage), I don't really see it as a game. I think this has far more in common with geocache hunting than gaming... As a game, the regular Pokemon games are far better.

 

However, the games don't require you to get outside, exercise, and explore. That... is what I find absolutely brilliant here. Just wish folks would pay more attention to where they're at though... it almost seems to me that GO is gonna weed out a lot of folks through natural selection.

 

1  It's an evaluation of a company's future value prospect basically.  Investors hope shares will go up but sometimes wealthy investors need a place to hold the value of extra cash.  Even if it comes down a little which I guess it likely will, it is still a good indication of the future.  Signed the Investors.

 

I am unsure about the future of Nintendo, their stock, who copies the success  and how with technology.  This is innovation.

 

2 My 5 year plan is to find a nice place to stay for a portion of my annual life year.  Wyoming is quiet with rolling hills and stories to tell.  I would rather build a cottage there than be a typical snowbird clogging up the Interstate in Arizona.

 

3 I remember in 1999 when GPS was new and even more new for land surveying.  My crew chief and I had some GPS gear but the coolest piece of gear was the handheld device which showed us exactly where in the world we were.

 

Latitude and Longitude.  When I retired from this on the road job I looked into buying a device but instead used the money for Sega Dreamcast. 

 

At the time there where Outdoor Scavenger hunts where you needed a GPS to find these articles.  It was a riot.  People where driving around US to various locations to find actual hidden treasures and the winners would receive a grand prize.  As much fun as it was when it was new, the fun eventually faded from the main stream much like Pokemon Go.

 

But this is innovation and it is a small step to something better in the future.

 

4 Well parents need to monitor their children.  Mid teens to 40 year olds who also take part in Pokemon, there is bound to be some collateral damage.  One guy is gonna climb a tower to catch a rare Pidgeot or something and end up getting Pika-Chuuuued!

 

 

[twiztor]

my phone won't support the app (i use a cheap tracfone) but all of my friends are talking about it. i'm so happy that Nintendo is innovating their way into the public conscience again.

[kitsunebi]

i'm so happy that Nintendo is innovating their way into the public conscience again.

 

...And especially interesting that the product was developed by an American software company.  The game still hasn't launched yet in Japan, but it should be out any day now.  Summer vacation just started though (today was literally the last day of class), so I probably won't be able to see first-hand how it's received here until the kids come back in September.

[Data]

...And especially interesting that the product was developed by an American software company.  The game still hasn't launched yet in Japan, but it should be out any day now.  Summer vacation just started though (today was literally the last day of class), so I probably won't be able to see first-hand how it's received here until the kids come back in September.

5 weeks of summer break?

[kitsunebi]

For me, yeah. The regular Japanese teachers pretty much never stop working. And the kids keep coming to school for sports clubs and other activities - just no classes.

[Data]

I'm under the impression you are a teacher.

[kitsunebi]

You are correct.  I've never tried to be coy about it. 

And you, sir, live in Montana or Wyoming and suffer from a rare disease that causes your skin and bones to be transparent, am I correct?  That's the impression I get, anyway.

[te72]

Jake, I'm getting the idea that you and I probably have more than a few things in common. I've lived in Wyoming for a little over 20 years, and in Arizona for 11 or so, and if it isn't obvious, I'm very much a car guy. Just an observation though, I might be off.

 

You are correct about Wyoming being quiet. If you can afford land that meets your needs, it's a great place to live. Unfortunately, it isn't much for a growing season, the weather is pretty awful for ~8 months a year, and the job market has been spiraling downward for some time now. That said, if you don't need a job, I'd recommend it if you appreciate open spaces.

[Sean697]

I e been playing Pokemon Go a bit. Pretty addicting.

[Hotspot]

I used to be into Pokemon when I was younger, but I'm not really into it anymore. So I didn't really care about the app, but then I downloaded it anyways. I found out that my phone "Iphone 4s" does not really work with the app, so it crashes any time I get a pokemon XD. So I have it, but I never use it for that reason. I wouldn't actually mind playing it every now and again though. What I would love to see, is a Suikoden version of Pokemon Go! That would be amazing, each game has around 108 characters to recruit and there are 5 games, plus a couple of spin off games! Some fans have already made fan art of a Suikoden Go, or SuiGOden. lol

 

Some of my friends who actively play it, have said that they're grateful for it because it's making them become active. One of my friends has been wanting to lose weight, and she's really glad they made the app. 

[Data]

You are correct.  I've never tried to be coy about it. 

And you, sir, live in Montana or Wyoming and suffer from a rare disease that causes your skin and bones to be transparent, am I correct?  That's the impression I get, anyway.

 

Jake, I'm getting the idea that you and I probably have more than a few things in common. I've lived in Wyoming for a little over 20 years, and in Arizona for 11 or so, and if it isn't obvious, I'm very much a car guy. Just an observation though, I might be off.

 

You are correct about Wyoming being quiet. If you can afford land that meets your needs, it's a great place to live. Unfortunately, it isn't much for a growing season, the weather is pretty awful for ~8 months a year, and the job market has been spiraling downward for some time now. That said, if you don't need a job, I'd recommend it if you appreciate open spaces.

I am conducting an experiment where I can store my entire brain in the form of pure data.  In which time I will no longer have the need for a body.  My data will be stored for what I estimate as the length of the universe.  Hopefully by then I can discover new life and find out the secrets of the Cosmos.

 

As for Wyoming, I like to have a cabin in the middle of nowhere while not being far away from the ski slopes in Montana and also be able to run alcohol, tobacco and automotive parts back to Saskatchewan.

[te72]

Hotspot, I'm trying to envision how your idea of a mobile Suikoden game would work, and I'm coming up blank here. Either way, it doesn't seem Konami is terribly interested in making games in general anymore, much less another Suikoden game, unfortunately.