Pokemon GO might soon get VR features, the ability to trade, and sponsored locations

Pokemon GO has already taken hold of the world populace in ways that not many games could, and it could be getting more features soon to make things even better. For starters, the licensing statements found within the app tell of potential VR features being implemented as the app reportedly includes code that makes use of Google’s Cardboard platform.

While licensing and actual code (discovered in the Pokemon GO beta app as early as March 2016) doesn’t necessarily mean we’ll ever get VR implemented, but it’s nice to know that the company is at least thinking about it. We imagine a VR experience wouldn’t be much different from the AR mode we currently enjoy, except perhaps with a horizontal layout whenever the phone may be inside a VR headset.

If the company is still planning to use VR, then we might see them wait for Google’s new Daydream platform to implement it (though there’s no reason it couldn’t live side-by-side with the basic Cardboard-driven elements for those who won’t be able to get Daydream-certified phones). But I digress — we have no clue if or when they’ll ever implement VR so there’s not much to say on it at this point. Other interesting tales are worthy of attention, though.

What we can talk about are features that Niantic CEO John Hanke confirmed to be coming to the game. One of the biggest is trading, a pastime of all Pokemon players. Trading Pokemon — whether it be the trading cards or the digital friends from the video games — is a huge part of the series.

The standard trading animation for most Pokemon games.

Hell, some Pokemon won’t even evolve unless you trade them. Implementing a trade function in Pokemon GO will open up an entirely new opportunity to make this the social game of the century, and we can’t wait to see it arrive.

Furthermore, the company is also looking to implement sponsored locations. This feature would allow businesses to pay to have their storefronts turned into Pokestops or Pokemon Gyms. It’s a nice monetization effort by the company, though they may not need it seeing as how Pokemon GO is already rolling in massive dough. This would be more beneficial for the businesses this is aimed at. There have been many stories of bars and restaurants using Pokemon lure modules at their locations to help draw more people in, and for those businesses unfortunate enough to be able to do this then sponsored locations will be a nice reprieve.

Unfortunately, all we have right now are “plans.” There’s no current ETA or any hard details on any of this stuff, so we’ll simply have to wait and hope it doesn’t take long to come to fruition.