Niantic Spatial’s Charming Pet Simulator ‘Hello, Dot’ Exits Early Access on Quest 3

Whoa, so get this—Niantic Spatial just tossed out this wild new version of their mixed reality pet game, “Hello, Dot,” on Quest 3. It’s not in early access anymore and, let me tell you, they’ve crammed in a boatload of new stuff.

Okay, quick rewind—remember when they started with Peridot in 2023 on mobile? Yeah, this is kind of like their AR party trick, or as they put it, a “mixed reality showcase.” Whatever that really means.

But back to the juicy bits: besides “Hello, Dot” doing its thing on Quest 3, Niantic’s got a few more tricks up their sleeve. They’ve got Peridot Beyond for Snap Spectacles (those glasses that make you look like you’re from the future), Pause with Peridot, Snap-a-Dot for Web AR, and some tune thing for the Apple Vision Pro called SunnyTune. So yeah, they’re making sure you can play anywhere, basically.

Now that Hello, Dot’s officially out on Quest 3—fresh paint and all—they’ve sprinkled in some new silliness like:

– Dots with personalities that are, uh, more dotty, I guess? And they’ve got new antics that’ll probably make you go “huh?”
– An arcade machine that’s almost like a retro game party for dots. Seriously.
– Customizing your Dot’s look with Gen AI—you can just say what you want, and boom, there’s your Dot in a new outfit. Maybe not as epic as it sounds, but still.
– There’s Dotball! Imagine dodgeball but with dots, and yeah, eating contests. Because why not?
– Plus, they’re hinting at some future AI guide thing. Maybe like a dot with opinions? Who knows.

Speaking of arcade stuff, this machine lets you switch between activities, like playdates and these new mini-games. You earn some kind of in-game currency to buy outfits and silly gadgets for your Dots at the dot shop. It’s like fashion but for your virtual pet.

Asim Ahmed’s got big plans too, saying something about not just new gameplay but bringing more magic to mixed reality. Enhancing physical spaces with digital life, yada yada—all that jazz. It’s kinda like making your room feel like a video game level if you ask me.

The whole Gen AI-powered customizer thing? You get to use a virtual mic to explain the kind of vibe you’re going for with your Dot. Then you dunk them in a magical paint bucket. I wish I was making this up.

Oh! And in case you’re itching to try it out, “Hello, Dot” is sitting pretty over on the Horizon Store. It’s free, but only if you’ve got a Quest 3 or 3S—sorry other headset folks.

And there you have it, folks. It’s chaotic, it’s crazy, it’s “Hello, Dot.”