Pokemon GO API's Latest Update Victim: A "Real" Pokeball

This week it's become clear that Niantic has gotten serious about stopping hackers and cheaters from ruining the vision they had for Pokemon GO. They've gone ahead and modified their game's API – and will continue to do so – to stay one step ahead of 3rd-party interlopers. One of the most awesome – and simple – projects we've come across that's been making use of this API is this Pokemon detecting Pokeball. This device is effectively a smartphone inside a sphere.

For those of you looking for the spherical smartphone – you've also just found that here, too. This Pokeball was created by TJ Hunter, published at Hackster.io (if you want to make one yourself), and offered up to the public without cost. Without cost to Miller, that is – users may have to pick up a few items if they want to make one of these devices.

Included in this project are three hardware components outside of the foam ball and the paint required for the exterior. One Particle Electron, one servo (a generic servo will do fine), and a Particle Asset Tracker Shield.

Particle is a group that makes devices like the Electron – able to connect to the web via a SIM card. An Electron 3G Kit can be purchased for $69 USD.

With the setup Miller has created, this Pokeball will sit at rest until the user walks near a Pokemon (whichever Pokemon they've included in the software), at which point the Pokeball will shake.

It's pretty simple, once you have it all in one place.

This is all very radical – but at the moment any new user will need to do some real jury-rigging to make this device work. That is, they will until the Pokemon GO Plus is released in September.

Then all heck may very well be breaking loose. Accessories of all sorts, from all directions! Software doing everything it shouldn't!

See more oddities like this, tips, secret bits and pieces, and news updates about Pokemon GO in our very own @TeamPokemonGO Twitter portal. Have at it!