Pokemon GO Begins Worldwide Launch, Starting With Australia

[Steven Bogos]

Pokemon GO Begins Worldwide Launch, Starting With Australia

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For once, Australians get something first.

Pokemon GO [http://www.escapistmagazine.com/tag/view/pokemon%20go?os=pokemon+go] has ended its "field test" period and has now begun its worldwide launch, starting with, of all places, Australia and New Zealand. The AR game is free-to-play with microtransactions, thought you can shell out an extra $35 for Pokemon Go Plus - a clip-on attachment that allows you to play without looking at your phone by pressing a button on it to capture a nearby Pokemon when it vibrates.

You can pre-order the wristband on Amazon [https://www.amazon.com/Nintendo-Pokemon-Plus-Not-Machine-Specific/dp/B01H482N6E].

Australians and New Zealanders should navigate to either the Google Play store [https://itunes.apple.com/au/app/pokemon-go/id1094591345?mt=8] to download the game.

Publisher Nintendo and developer Niantic have not offered a timeline on when the game will launch in the rest of the world, including the United States, but we would expect it to happen over the next week.

Permalink

 

[Infernai]

*checks date* No, it's not April 1st.

Australia is, actually, getting something released there first from somewhere not from Australia. This is a new one. Am I in some kind of bizzaro universe, or is this a sign of a trend that's going to start? I can honestly say I would be fine letting Australia get more releases before America and other countries...

 

[SirDeadly]

Just downloaded it then. Looks like I have Onix, Ekans and Aerodactyl near me.

 

[Mr.Mattress]

Australians must be getting it first because of all the crazy wildlife they have. Thus, they get all the craziest Pokemon. The only problem is Australia isn't the safest place to just go to random Forests to find your random Pokemon...

Still, I'm a little jealous that Australia gets this first. Hope the US gets it soon.

 

[Imperioratorex Caprae]

I'm just waiting til its worldwide released because I'm curious what they decided to put as "native" to Florida.

 

[EbonBehelit]

*checks date* No, it's not April 1st.

Australia is, actually, getting something released there first from somewhere not from Australia. This is a new one. Am I in some kind of bizzaro universe, or is this a sign of a trend that's going to start? I can honestly say I would be fine letting Australia get more releases before America and other countries...

The New 3DS launched here in Aus almost 3 months before the US. A lot of games seem to come out here first, actually. It's kinda nice, and almost offsets the "Best beaches in the world" tax.

 

[ron1n]

Australians must be getting it first because of all the crazy wildlife they have. Thus, they get all the craziest Pokemon. The only problem is Australia isn't the safest place to just go to random Forests to find your random Pokemon...

Still, I'm a little jealous that Australia gets this first. Hope the US gets it soon.

It's actually gotten to the point where the joke about our dangerous wildlife isn't even a joke anymore. So many Americans actually seem to believe it :/

Australia is, actually, getting something released there first from somewhere not from Australia. This is a new one. Am I in some kind of bizzaro universe

We also get the marvel movies first or at least before USA. Also a lot of game releases are here first due to the time/date difference, lots of people using AU proxies to unlock...Fallout 4 I think it was recently?

We were also the first country outside of the USA to get our own PAX con. So not really that weird.

I actually wonder if pokemon go is getting released here first because of the size of our country relative to our population? *shrug* Might give it a go, depends how horrendous the micro transactions are.

 

[Auron225]

I'm just waiting til its worldwide released because I'm curious what they decided to put as "native" to Florida.

Well it's Florida... so Jinx, Mr Mime, Probopass, Swalot, and everything else WTF

 

[ron1n]

I'm just waiting til its worldwide released because I'm curious what they decided to put as "native" to Florida.

Florida? That's easy: Feraligatr

 

[Imperioratorex Caprae]

I'm just waiting til its worldwide released because I'm curious what they decided to put as "native" to Florida.

Well it's Florida... so Jinx, Mr Mime, Probopass, Swalot, and everything else WTF

Being a FL native, it really isn't so crazy here. I'd expect things like Mr. Mime to be native to NYC, for example. But I'm sure we'd have a lot of Magikarp splashing around the coasts and waterways... maybe some Ekans here and there, and gator/crocodile analogs (my pokedex knowledge is dusty). Despite news stories, the craziness portrayed is highly isolated and rare incidents. There is a fair bit of ghost lore so I'd imagine we've got some ghost types around.

 

[Kaimax]

You can actually play this anywhere, if you can get the apk files for the game.

I live in South East Asia, got the game on my Smartphone. And already got a Charmander (starter) Pidgeotto, Rattata, Paras and Oddish.

I've read that pokemon appearances are dependent on your character level. So low level trainers get the basic of the basic, rattata and Pidgey,
Currently only Gen 1 Kanto Pokemons are available.

 

[Kingjackl]

Tried it out, got a couple of basic mons; a Bulbasaur, Koffing, Pidgey, Rattata, Horsea and Slowpoke. I took it out for a walk and the thing kept saying there were Voltorb, Spearow, Venonat and Eevee near me, but I couldn't get them to trigger.

Clearly a work in progress, the performance is a bit rocky on an iPhone 5 and the battery was almost drained in about half an hour. I'll be more excited after a few patches have come out, hopefully.

 

[EHKOS]

Oh, let's see what kind of Pokemon I find in Detroit. *Opens app* OH NO THERE ARE DARKRAIS AND GIRATINAS EVERYWHERE

 

[Redryhno]

Oh, let's see what kind of Pokemon I find in Detroit. *Opens app* OH NO THERE ARE DARKRAIS AND GIRATINAS EVERYWHERE

Really? Would've assumed it was just nothing but Absol and Jinx.

 

[EHKOS]

Oh, let's see what kind of Pokemon I find in Detroit. *Opens app* OH NO THERE ARE DARKRAIS AND GIRATINAS EVERYWHERE

Really? Would've assumed it was just nothing but Absol and Jinx.

Close, those are in Flint. I live ten minutes out from there and all I get are Mr. Mimes and Kakuna.

 

[Mike Fang]

Well it only makes sense they'd first release the game in the continent/nation where one of the national passtimes is "go walkabout".

 

[TheMysteriousGX]

On the one hand, I found out I can get halfway down the block before losing my wifi signal, on the other hand, that still isn't far enough to connect to anything useful.

Someday I'll get a smartphone instead of this tablet.

 

[Gorrath]

I wanna be the very best,
Like no one ever was.
To catch them is my real test,
To train them is my cause.

When I first saw Pokemon being sucked up into a cartoon vacuum cleaner, I had no idea what the heck I was looking at but also knew I had to have it. To catch them all was not a suggestion to me, but a biological imperative.

These server issues are interfering with my life's greatest work.

 

[bjj hero]

Ive downloaded it in the uk. I thought it was meant to be vr using the camera but the pokemon look like theyre standing in a cheap google maps.

Not battled yet. Just caught stuff near my house.

 

[Denamic]

Ive downloaded it in the uk. I thought it was meant to be vr using the camera but the pokemon look like theyre standing in a cheap google maps.

Not battled yet. Just caught stuff near my house.

That's AR, not VR, and you need to encounter the pokemon to enter AR mode with your camera. Going AR all the time would drain your battery even faster than it already does, on top of being a pain to play. You can even turn AR mode off, which is actually the better way to play, if not as fun.