Niantic's Visual Positioning System (VPS) significantly enhances the gaming experience in Pokémon GO by providing precise location tracking and orientation of players in the real world. This technology allows for the creation of immersive augmented reality (AR) experiences where virtual content can be accurately placed and persisted across different gameplay sessions.
Key Enhancements
1. Precise Placement of AR Content: VPS enables developers to position digital objects, such as Pokémon, with centimeter-level accuracy in the real world. This means that Pokémon can be placed in specific locations, making the game feel more integrated with the physical environment. For example, a Pokémon can be anchored to a specific landmark, allowing players to interact with it in a more realistic way[7][10].
2. Persistent AR Experiences: Unlike traditional AR experiences that lack persistence, VPS allows digital content to remain in place even when the app is closed or the player moves away. This feature is crucial for shared AR experiences, where multiple players can interact with the same virtual objects in the same real-world location[7][10].
3. Enhanced Gameplay with Pokémon Playgrounds: Pokémon Playgrounds, an experimental feature in Pokémon GO, utilizes VPS to turn thousands of PokéStops and Gyms into persistent shared AR experiences. Players can place Pokémon in real-world scenes and share these experiences with others, creating a more dynamic and interactive environment[7].
4. Contextual Understanding: VPS provides contextual insights about real-world locations, allowing game developers to tailor gameplay experiences based on environmental characteristics. For instance, the system can identify whether a location is suitable for gameplay or not, enhancing the overall gaming experience by ensuring that AR interactions are appropriate and engaging[7].
5. Crowdsourced Mapping: The data collected from Pokémon GO players contributes to Niantic's Large Geospatial Model (LGM), which is built from over 10 million scanned locations worldwide. This crowdsourced approach captures a pedestrian perspective, including areas inaccessible to vehicles, and enhances the accuracy and depth of the mapping technology[3][4][6].
Technical Aspects
- Computer Vision and AI: VPS uses computer vision algorithms and machine learning to compare camera views with pre-mapped locations stored in Niantic's cloud. This comparison allows devices to determine their precise position and orientation in the real world[8][10].
- Neural Networks: Niantic has trained over 50 million neural networks, each representing specific locations or viewpoints. These networks analyze vast amounts of visual data to create detailed digital representations of physical spaces, enabling precise localization and orientation[3][4].
Overall, Niantic's VPS revolutionizes the Pokémon GO experience by integrating the digital and physical worlds more seamlessly, offering a more immersive and interactive gaming environment.
Citations:
[1] https://www.vrowl.io/niantic-to-launch-a-world-scale-solution-lightship-visual-positioning-system/
[2] https://www.reply.com/en/3d-and-mixed-reality/visual-positioning-systems
[3] https://www.yahoo.com/news/niantic-turns-pok-mon-data-213232333.html
[4] https://digitalcxo.com/article/pokemon-go-data-is-mapping-out-this-geospatial-system/
[5] https://geospatialworld.net/prime/business-and-industry-trends/what-is-visual-positioning-system-vps/
[6] https://www.zmescience.com/science/news-science/pokemon-go-ai-mapping-22/
[7] https://nianticlabs.com/news/pokemon-playgrounds/?hl=en
[8] https://www.gkmit.co/blog/what-is-visual-positioning-system-vps-a-complete-technical-guide/
[9] https://topnotchcomputers.com/the-hidden-depths-of-pokemon-go-how-niantic-is-revolutionizing-mapping-technology/
[10] https://www.nianticspatial.com/locate