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

Sure, here goes:

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So, here’s the thing. Niantic Spatial finally gave us a peek behind the curtain with their mixed reality pet game — Hello, Dot. It’s like they just pulled this arcane creature out of a hat, and now it’s no longer hiding in early access. Boom, it’s on Quest 3 with a whole slew of gizmos and gadgets. Or, well, features.

You’ve maybe heard of Niantic’s other AR escapades? Yeah, they’ve got things like Peridot, that kicked off the whole AR charade in 2023. Feels like just yesterday. Anyway — Snap Spectacles, Apple Vision Pro, they aren’t shy about spreading their wings.

Now, they toss in this magical mutant mix of game candy with Hello, Dot. Stuff like:

– Dots growing a personality that might even rival your unruly pet cat
– An arcade machine that’s borderline whimsical
– AI stuff — think customization straight out of a sci-fi voice command fantasy
– And games… Dotball (not quite what it sounds like but go with it), Eating Contests, the works

Oh, and some nods to future tech or something — because, why not?

Now picture this: an arcade thing where you can mess around with a bunch of activities. Maybe you decide: “Hey, let’s play some Dotball or hold a Dot food fight.” (Does Dot even eat?) You’re basically drowning in in-game currency, and what do you do? Buy outfits for Dot, obviously. Fashion matters, even for digital pets.

According to Asim Ahmed — the big cheese of Global Product Marketing — this isn’t just about extra gameplay. Nah, it’s deeper, entwining VR magic with everyday life. Makes you wonder if your toaster should start telling jokes, right?

Oh, and want to go full Picasso? Grab a virtual mic, tell your Dot to dress up, and dunk it into a paint bucket. At least that’s what they say you can do. Just don’t ask me how, I’m still getting over the fact I’m interacting with a virtual pet.

And if you’re curious, pop over to the Horizon Store. It’s free, but only if you’re on Quest 3 or 3S. Guess they want you to grab the latest tech before you can bring Dot to life.

There we go. Is it chaos? Maybe. But that’s Hello, Dot in its bizarre, wonderful form.