Pokemon Go: To play the biggest fad of 2016, it helps to use the biggest fad of 2015

I will hoverboard across the land, searching far and wide.
I will hoverboard across the land, searching far and wide.
Image: Reuters/Chris Helgren
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All that chatter about Pokémon Go finally getting people out and about for some physical exercise is quickly going by the wayside, with players finding plenty of alternatives to walking around.

Automobiles are one option. Slow car rides are seemingly the ideal speeds for interacting with pokéstops. There are even personal Pokémon Go chauffeurs making a business of ferrying gamers around.

However, some users want more control over where they go and when. So, a fading fad is threatening to stage a return as the perfect complement for Pokémon trainers: The hoverboard is back.

It’s tempting to draw parallels between the two fads. Like Pokémon Go, hoverboards, which made their debut in mid-2015, caught on quickly. But then they caught on fire—and the fad quickly flamed out.

Will Pokémon Go prove to have greater staying power?