The Pokémon Go craze has not only taken the world by storm recently, it could also help push augmented reality technology into the mainstream, according to some experts.

Nintendo’s mobile game – which marries a classic 20-year-old franchise with augmented reality – uses smartphones’ GPS systems for players to walk around, find and collect digital creatures in the real world. The game has only launched in five countries so far, and already has more than 65 million users in the United States just seven days after its launch.

Augmented reality refers to technology in which a user can see the real world, but it’s enhanced with a digital dimension on top. In the case of Pokémon Go, the game’s animated characters are “superimposed on the real world” when a user looks through their smartphone lens, said technology expert Marc Saltzman in an interview.

“It’s as if those animated characters are right there beside you, so it’s really magical for the player,” he said.

Michelle Liem, analyst at NPD Group, said the technology behind Pokémon Go is already accessible with smartphone devices – and the toy and gaming industry is taking notice.

“If you have a smartphone, you can already utilize augmented reality, just like we’ve seen with the Pokémon Go app,” Liem told BNN.

“I think the opportunity here for manufacturers who are in toys or video games is to really see those trends, leverage the technology that is available, and take advantage of that.”

Saltzman points to a number of other examples of how augmented reality is being brought into the mainstream.

Toy company Magic Leap, for instance, is developing an augmented reality headset for educational experiences to learn and interact with robots and the solar system, he said. 

Brainspace magazine is also taking advantage of the technology, Saltzman said, by allowing readers to view articles with a tablet or smartphone’s camera, which then brings images to life on the screen. 

The future release of Microsoft’s HoloLens system may also bring big changes to the way we communicate. In a demo, the tech giant has shown the HoloLens headset’s ability to bring a hologram of a loved one into the same room as a user during a video chat. 

“Imagine Facebook, circa 2020 – and you’re going to be able to interact with your loved ones as if they are right there with you,” Saltzman said.

With files from Reuters