Niantic Spatial’s Charming Pet Sim ‘Hello, Dot’ Launches Fully on Quest 3

Niantic Spatial just dropped this new mixed reality thing called Hello, Dot on the Quest 3. It’s kinda like they hit the fast-forward button on what’s cool in augmented reality.

Okay, so picture this: Hello, Dot isn’t just another AR gig. It’s what Niantic is calling a “mixed reality showcase.” (Fancy, huh?) They have a bunch of AR tricks up their sleeve, starting with Peridot on mobile back in 2023.

Now, besides Hello, Dot for Quest 3, they’re tossing other XR gadgets into the ring, like something quirky for Snap Spectacles called Peridot Beyond, and a few more with quirky names like Pause with Peridot and Snap-a-Dot for Web AR. Oh, and there’s SunnyTune for Apple Vision Pro. I wonder if these names come from random word generators.

But yeah, Hello, Dot just graduated from early access on Quest 3, celebrating with some snazzy new features like:

– Dots that now have super chatty, flirty personalities (gotta love AI, right?)
– An arcade machine that’s like a carnival for dots—complete with play dates
– Voice-driven AI customization – talk to your AI dot, and it listens. Kinda eerie, but in a fun way
– Minigames like Dotball (which sounds dangerously like dodgeball) and epic Eating Contests

Here’s where I got distracted for a second—there was a picture of this lively virtual store. Maybe it was the colors or the sheer idea of a digital marketplace swarming with virtual pets. Anyway, moving on!

The arcade contraption is like this treasure trove of games. Imagine running through an Eating Contest or rifling through a Play Date or Dotball. Winners get in-game gold (or whatever), and you can trade that for cute little outfits or accessories for your dot. It’s like dressing up your childhood pet rock, but way more techy.

“Asim Ahmed,” the dude who’s got some fancy title like Global Product Marketing Lead, was all ecstatic. He’s talking about this being a “major evolution.” Big words, right? Said something about how they’re tapping into true mixed reality and using tech to sprinkle magic onto our mundane lives.

Also, there’s this wild new feature – a Gen AI thingamajig that lets you, like, talk to a microphone, blab out how you want your Dot to look, and it magically happens. Yeah, sounds straight from a sci-fi flick.

Catch Hello, Dot on the Horizon Store. It’s a freebie, but exclusively for Quest 3 and 3S users. (Ah, the perks of having the latest tech!)

Alright, that’s a wrap. Happy dotting or whatever!