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

Hey, so, guess what? Niantic Spatial’s gone all in with their mixed reality pet game, “Hello, Dot.” Yep, it just popped out of early access and landed on the Quest 3. New features? Oh, there’s a bunch — and trust me, it’s a wild ride.

First off, this “mixed reality showcase” thing? Kinda cool, right? It’s like Niantic started with the whole AR vibe with Peridot on mobile back in 2023, and now they’re jazzing it up. No idea why they waited, but here we are.

For all you XR fans with fancy gadgets, there’s more up their sleeve. They’ve done stuff like Peridot Beyond for Snap Spectacles. And for the Apple Vision Pro crowd, they’ve got SunnyTune happening. Honestly, they’re throwing tech spaghetti at the wall to see what sticks.

But back to Hello, Dot — fresh features on Quest 3 include… well, let’s just say the Dots have really upped their game. They have personalities now, supposedly more fun than your typical Monday morning. They’re packing in mini-games like Dotball (dodgeball, basically) and, wait for it, Eating Contests. Yes, you heard right.

And there’s this arcade machine, like straight out of some whimsical fever dream. You get to cycle through different activities, earn in-game currency, and bling out your Dot with new outfits. Fashion-forward Dots, because why not?

Oh, and they’re touting some Gen AI customization — grab a mic, describe your dream Dot, and poof, magical paint bucket does the work. Seriously, technology has gone mad. Asim Ahmed, big wig at Niantic, says they’re merging digital life with physical spaces. Maybe it’s just me, but it sounds like sci-fi, but it’s here, in the now.

Anyway — wait, where was I? Right, you can grab this delightful oddity for free on the Horizon Store. Exclusively for Quest 3 and 3S. So, if you’ve got one of those, dive in and say hi to Dot for me.