Why Pokémon Go signals the era of augmented reality gaming

For years, Nintendo ignored the world of smartphones.

For this Japanese company the iPhone didn't exist, the Android wave never happened, and in its make-believe world, it continued to imagine that games like the Angry Birds were just fad. Even though it had some great titles and a rich heritage of making games that shaped the culture, it continued to restrict all of that content to its handheld consoles.

That is until the Pokémon Go happened last week. And then all hell broke loose. In a good way!

But the success of the game has little to do with Pikachu - although who doesn't find this little fury beast cute? - or the rich legacy of Nintendo.

Instead, the Pokeman Go is a big hit because it is something new, for both the old hardcore gamers as well as the mainstream junta that so, so loves the Candy Crush and the Angry Birds.

It is a game that mixes the real world with the virtual, in a way that is easy to comprehend and yet fun enough to draw gamers out of their drawing rooms.

The Pokémon Go may not be the finest example of augmented reality - also called mixed reality - but it is one of the most accessible examples so far.

Whereas other mobile games ask players to hurl birds on the screen and or match candies, the Pokémon Go wants them to go out in the nearby park and catch the little cute beasts that will appear superimposed on the real world.

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This is simple and ingenious, especially in a world where we walk with our phones in hands.

Augmented reality has been done earlier.

The Google Glass was a tool that hoped to "augment" the real world with information pulled in from the virtual world, like the directions served through the Google Maps.

Ninatic - a firm which is actually behind the Pokémon Go - has this game called Ingress available on Android phones for over two years now. This is a game that wants players to go out and solve the virtual problems in the real world.

But all of this augmented reality stuff was too geeky and complex. It only made sense to the nerdy engineers of Silicon Valley. And probably to Robert Scoble, although after using Google Glass thoroughly - he apparently also wore it while taking showers - he too realised that it was not a product ready for the mass market.

But the Pokémon Go is different.

It is a game made for the masses. The gameplay is so simple - go out, spot a Pokémon, throw virtual balls to catch it - that it is suitable to all, from teenagers to the middle-aged CEOs.

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It's also a glimpse of the future. At a time so many of us carry smartphones full of sensors and cameras in our pockets, the Pokémon Go shows how and why the augmented reality is here to stay.

Until now it was missing that one killer application that could make the masses aware of what their phones are capable of when the virtually elements are superimposed on the real world.

But now that it is here, expect many more games like Pokémon Go and augmented reality apps to hit your phone in near future.