Niantic launched Peridot, an AI-powered pet simulation game set in the real world, using AR.
Peridots, or Dots, are whimsical, virtual creatures with unique genetic makeups and an extraordinary awareness of their surroundings and environment. The game allows users to nurture a bond with these digital pets through playing fetch, feeding, teaching them tricks, and capturing photos and videos with them, the company said in a release.
Users will have the opportunity to connect through Niantic’s social app to participate in real-life social situations and build communities.
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Players can also work together to hatch a new generation of Dots and diversify the species. The feature will make use of Niantic’s Perigenetics System allowing each Dot to be generated with 100% unique DNA, resulting in countless variations of creature looks, the company said.
Developed entirely within Niantic, Peridot is comes powered by Niantic’s Lightship AR platform and will come with augmented reality. The game will feature real-time mapping, obstacle occlusion, and semantic segmentation meaning that Peridots can interact with real-world surroundings in realistic ways and get smarter over time.
“Our goal was to create a cozy game you could take with you on the go that really pushes the boundaries of what’s possible with our AR platform and can inspire a new generation of AR experiences on mobile and future hardware”, Ziah Fogel, Director of Production for Peridot, said.
Currently available for mobile phones, the game’s long-term vision is to ultimately develop into a platform for virtual life on future AR hardware, including wearable MR or AR glasses.
Peridot is available worldwide on the App Store and Google Play.
