The wait is over. Pokemon Go's Nearby function has been thoroughly tested in Niantic's home city of San Francisco and has now rolled out across the rest of the US and Europe. Instead of just showing the 'mon who are around and leaving it up to Chansey (sorry) what you might encounter in the wild, you can now see exactly where Pokemon are hiding.
While you can still catch in between Pokestops, the Nearby function shows which 'mon is lurking where. This means it's perfect if you can see one you don't have and won't need to wander around in circles hoping it will appear and simultaneously wondering what you're doing with your life. It's worth noting that the Sightings option has now disappeared entirely, still leaving it up to the Pokemon gods who you'll find in the wild. This might return though, on a recent trip to SF, I noticed that both functions were in the app.
If you want to hunt down a specific Pokemon, open the Nearby screen and touch on the Pokemon you want to ensnare. A screen will come up showing the Pokestop. Touch it again and it'll appear on your map with pawprints, showing exactly where you have to go. Handy. However, beware, you'll still have to be fast. They won't stick around for too long and you don't want the below screen when you're on your way to an Aerodactyl... Happy hunting.
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