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Web site shows exact locations of Pokémon

Michelle Avenant
By Michelle Avenant, portals journalist.
Johannesburg, 26 Jul 2016

A Web site helping users find the exact location of Pokémon near them has seen millions of visitors since it launched one week ago, on 19 July.

Pok'eVision.com uses Pokémon Go developer Niantic's application programming interface (API) to determine the exact geographical locations of Pokémon and the amount of time each one will remain there.

Visitors to the Web site can enter their address and be shown a real-time map of all the Pokémon "spawning," or appearing, near them, complete with countdown timers displaying how long each Pokémon will continue to spawn.

The Web site's accuracy and functionality in SA has been tested and confirmed by ITWeb staff.

Pokémon Go itself gives users only vague information about the locations of Pokémon near them, showing users up to nine Pokémon in the surrounding area and giving no precise data about how far away or in which direction they are.

This vagueness has recently been intensified by a bug showing all "nearby" Pokémon as being three footsteps away, which in the game's terms means they are far from the player - two footsteps meaning medium distance, one meaning close, and none meaning the Pokémon is within catching range.

The jury is out on whether Pok'eVision's precision adds or subtracts from the fun of the game.

Some users may enjoy spending less time fruitlessly wondering around and more time frantically running to a nearby Pokémon that is about to stop spawning, while others might find the game less fulfilling when it is less mysterious.

Regardless, Pok'eVision's instant popularity means the site is frequently down - although perhaps not as frequently as Pokémon Go itself.

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