Do you inwardly (or outwardly) groan at the thought of another video call? They are a normal part of life now, but it doesn’t make them any more exciting or bearable. There might be some good news though.

Microsoft will be introducing Metaverse-style avatars. These will be called Mesh avatars and you will be able to design your own, personalising it to your appearance with accessories. You will even be able to choose its reaction gestures.

Microsoft has stated that it is common for us to feel stressed and exhausted after spending a long time on camera. Using this new virtual representation of ourselves will help to reduce stress. This is just one application of these new avatars.

Better still, you will not need an expensive virtual reality headset. It will all be done using the Avatars app that is available in the Microsoft Teams app store.

Big tech is investing billions on developing the Metaverse – a 3D virtual world that mimics the real world. Within it you will find many of the things you are already familiar with such as shops, workplaces and even social spaces. Some are predicting that the Metaverse will become ‘the new internet’ in the coming years.

It might seem wild to imagine a virtual world like this, however, 20 years ago it was hard to imagine routinely having mobile video calls with someone who is on the other side of the world. Times change and we are super excited about where this new tech is going.

Right now, the new avatar feature is only available in the Teams preview build, but we will be getting a general release date soon.

Do you think you will be using the avatar feature? Let us know!

 

Published with permission from Your Tech Updates.