Meta Expands AI-Powered Gaming App Pocket to US Users

Meta's experimental vibe-coding gaming app, Pocket, is now rolling out to all users in the United States. The app, which quietly launched in Brazil as a test market last month, allows users to generate small, interactive games using AI prompts and publish them to a scrollable feed. Pocket is built on Meta's acquisition of the team behind Gizmo, a vibe-coded gaming platform acquired earlier this year. These games, or "gizmos" as they're called, respond to touch and device tilt, play sound effects, and can include clips of your favorite songs. They can also incorporate photos from your camera roll or access your camera. The resulting creations can be shared on your profile, where others can save, remix, or repost them. This launch represents Meta's broader push to make AI creation tools mainstream. It follows similar efforts, including AI-generated images in the Meta AI app and AI videos created through the experimental Vibes app. Pocket joins a growing portfolio of standalone mobile applications from Meta released in recent months, a trend CEO Mark Zuckerberg attributes to AI-enabled software development. "Earlier this year, we shipped Instagram Instants. We also just launched Forum, a stand-alone Groups app, and Seller, a stand-alone Marketplace app," Zuckerberg told analysts during the company's July earnings call. "I expect it to become a lot easier to ship new apps. So we are planning to build out more ideas and use our recommendation systems to scale them." With Pocket now available in the U.S., Meta continues to demonstrate its commitment to democratizing AI-powered creativity, allowing users to craft and share interactive experiences with unprecedented ease.

via TechCrunch AI