Take a deep breath, hold it for a moment, and let go of all the impossibly high expectations you’re still holding onto from that utopian Pokemon Go reveal trailer (opens in new tab). It looks like we may finally have our first real look at the globetrotting, monster-catching Pokemon Go (opens in new tab) mobile game, and it doesn’t have transparent Pokemon swarming across Times Square to the celebration of hundreds of handsome 20-somethings. It’s still pretty cool, though.
This footage was allegedly captured off-screen from an unrecorded SXSW conference presentation with Niantic CEO John Hanke (formerly of Google Maps), so its provenance isn’t 100-percent solid. But it does look about right, especially since the game is set to enter closed beta in Japan soon.
The video’s speaker (again, allegedly Hanke) talks about how different kinds of Pokemon can be found in different habitats in the video, like water and mountains, and you’ll have to go to “a variety of places” to find them all. It also gives you a basic look at the system for finding and catching Pokemon, which seems to require picking the right ball and giving it a good throw – the ball, I mean, not your phone. Don’t throw your phone. All that seen, we still don’t know what trainer-vs-trainer battles will look like.
Stay tuned for more news on when Pokemon Go will be officially released, and when you can get one of those chic Bluetooth wristbands.
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