Pokémon Go Adding New Snapshot Feature

Pokémon Go might have declined quite a bit in popularity since the game’s 2016 release, but it’s still hugely popular. And, while you might not see legions of distracted pedestrians staring into their phones as they attempt to track down an elusive rare creature, those who’ve stuck with the game have been treated to a variety of new features and events.

Now, developer Niantic has announced that one of the most requested additions by players will become a reality: a photography mode. Taking to Twitter, they explained the following:

Attention, Trainers! A new feature called #GOsnapshot is coming to Pokémon GO! You can now take photos of ANY Pokémon in your Pokémon Storage, whenever and wherever. 📸 We can’t wait to see your amazing photos! Learn more: https://t.co/gP6po8NIhO pic.twitter.com/uwnrwkfCGO

— Pokémon GO (@PokemonGoApp) February 12, 2019

Honestly, this is such a neat idea that I can’t believe it’s taken this long to make it into the game. After all, while you can take pictures of wild Pokémon, many were craving being able to show off their prized rarities in all manner of neat surroundings.

All you’ll need to do to access it is to bring it up from the player’s item menu (or from within the individual Pokémon’s screen), throw a Pokéball where you want it to be and then move around it taking pictures as you see fit. If this feature works as well as Niantic are claiming, expect to see a lot of Pokémon photos appearing on social media, which may well spark some interest from those who played the game on launch but haven’t touched it since.

Of course, those with long memories will know that this isn’t the first time a Pokémon title has had you taking pictures of the creatures. Gamers of a certain age may recall the N64 title Pokémon Snap. Despite being essentially an on-rails shooter with a camera instead of a gun, the game was one of the first times players got to see their favorite Pokémon modeled in 3D and its simplicity meant it was easily accessible to young children as well. Pokémon Snap also briefly made the news last month when rising Democratic Party star Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez revealed her fond memories of the game in her appearance on HBomberguy’s awesome DK64 fundraising stream.

But I digress. We don’t have a specific launch date for this new Pokémon Go feature just yet, but expect it to arrive in the form of an update sometime in the next few weeks. And, if you’re craving more Pokémon, then Detective Pikachu is right around the corner now.