Pokemon Go HoloLens Unofficial Demo Shows the AR-Way of Throwing PokeBalls and Catching Pokemon

What makes Pokemon Go an appealing and addictive game is the fact that it closely mimics the franchise’ mechanics to “Catch ‘em all.” You go out to places, use your smartphone as a makeshift PokeBall, and catch Pokemon in the real world.

But if a new project from a startup AR game developer bears concrete fruit, it may not be the only way to enjoy a Pokemon game.

This time, instead of going out, you can experience an augmented reality experience, where you can capture Pokemon using Microsoft HoloLens, Upload VR reported. The video, seen below from YouTube user David Robustelli, features an unofficial demo footage of how the game will look like.

A Charmander can be seen loitering in what appears to be an office. And with a flick of wrist, you get to throw a PokeBall at it to catch it. Yes, for me that bonus action of actually seeing myself throw a PokeBall is what makes it especially interesting.

Pikachu and Squirtle both have cameo appearances in the demo. Though you have to wonder how many times you have to catch them. Do they keep on escaping their PokeBalls? After you catch them, the PokeBalls even fly at you.

The idea is inviting in itself: an AR world where Pokemon will be in your office or home and you can catch them by actually throwing—snapping your fingers, as seen in the video—PokeBalls. This is a nice idea, especially if the concept of having a difficulty level in catching Pokemon can be incorporated. The Pokemon are already moving around in the video, which is a start.

From the looks of the video, it’s only in its exploratory stage, so don’t expect a Pokemon Go AR version anytime soon. Still, not bad for a new attempt, and a good way to showcase just how far AR tech has advanced.