It’s not a secret that many people would love a large pool table in their home. Most people don’t really have enough floorspace or money to do it. This is where mixed-reality fills the gap. Headsets such as the Meta Quest 3 or Apple Vision Pro can teleport digital objects into physical space. MiRacle Pool makes it easy to get together with family and friends from around the globe for movie night or a game night. The game is called MiRacle pool and it’s a mix reality pool simulator from Pixel Works. It was first released on Meta App Lab and has now been moved to Quest. The game doesn’t consist of a pool table that you can set up in your living room. The game offers a variety of modes including 8-ball classic, Snooker, and 9-ball. It also has some innovative variations to add new twists. MiRacle Pool is also a winner in terms of its social and multiplayer features. The game allows players to invite their friends into their virtual hall, compete with other players from all over the world or simply chat and hangout. You can earn extra XP by participating in leaderboards, tournaments, mini-games, and daily challenges. These will unlock in-game objects such as new pool cues, different felt colors for your table and new tables. The ability to change the size of your table from regular to smaller is another nice feature that’s not available on a pool table in the real world. This table can also be moved by simply grabbing and moving it. This is especially helpful for players with limited space or mobility, or for times when you might want to play seated.
Visual Style
MiRacle Pool has a clean and polished look that strikes a nice balance between realism and accessibility. Pool table and ball textures are of high quality with reflections and lighting that make them appear almost real. It is clear that the developers optimized the game for smooth play without losing any visual quality. The frame rate remained stable throughout my whole Quest 3 session. The table was so real that I tried leaning against it to set up my shot. The audio design is very minimal in MiRacle Pool. It’s mostly just the sound of the balls clinking and one repeating track of music. This game’s audio was crisp, realistic and enhanced the illusion of playing pool at home. The minimalistic design of the audio is a good one, as it blends in with the environment, rather than overpowering it. Handling the Stick
Until now, everything in this game was great. But what about the way you control the stick itself? This is the part of the game where it falls flat. The feeling of controllers tends to ruin the illusion, as it does with many games that try to replicate their real-world counterparts. It can sometimes be difficult to line up the perfect shot because there’s no table for you to lean your hand on. MiRacle Pool has two levels of difficulty, Arcade and Simulation. The first gives players a guideline on the table that shows where their cue ball will strike as well as the direction the ball they are aiming for will travel. There are two levels of difficulty in the game, Arcade and Simulation. The Arcade mode shows players on the table where the cueball will hit, as well as the direction that the ball is traveling. Imagine the thrill of holding a real pool cue, which is tracked to perfection. This would add an extra level of immersion to gameplay. Now that the
is a reality as the first tracked accessory for Quest, hopefully we will start to see other tracked objects available in the future on Meta’s headsets.
Other Virtual & Mixed Reality Billiards Games
Shooting a game of pool has been something players have been able to do in virtual reality for a while now through games like Sportsbar VR or ForeVRPool, which also recently got the mixed reality treatment. MiRacle Pool is different from other VR pool games because it uses a mixed reality experience. Sportsbar VR, ForeVRPool and other VR billiards games offer solid experiences but were designed for VR. MiRacle Pool goes a step beyond by combining the classic game of pool with mixed reality. ForeVRPool does include Mixed Reality support through an update to the game and, while it is also nicely done, the gameplay in MiRacle Pool does feel better.
Conclusion
MiRacle Pool is a game that successfully bridges the gap between physical and virtual worlds while providing a truly unique and enjoyable way to have an augmented Pool table right in your living room. If you want to see how you do in the virtual world, then put your money down and try to become the best. Be prepared to lose all track of time while you sink virtual balls into the pockets.