Microsoft will add 3D avatars to Teams in May after all

Microsoft will still be adding 3D avatars to Teams for all Microsoft 365 subscribers, according to the update map. The feature was originally announced in 2021 and has been tested with a very limited number of users.

Here's What We Know

The idea behind 3D avatars is to allow people who don't like to appear in front of the camera or need a break from constant video calls to have an avatar that animates based on your voice.

“It’s not binary, so I can choose how I want to show up, whether it’s video or an avatar, and there’s a variety of customized options to choose how you want to be present in a meeting,” said Katie Kelly, principal product manager for Microsoft Mesh, in an interview with The Verge in 2021. “We are able to interpret your vocal cues to animate that avatar, so it does feel present and it does feel like it’s there with you.”

In the future, the company also plans to use these avatars for virtual meetings and has already started working with Meta to develop the Teams client on Meta Quest.

Source: The Verge