Microsoft is adding 3D avatars to Teams starting this May, an update to its Microsoft 365 roadmap has revealed. The tech giant first announced the avatars feature back in 2021. The Verge reported that Microsoft has been testing it privately in recent times.
The 3D avatars on Teams will emote based on user’s voice cue alone. However, users need not turn on their camera.
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Back in 2021, Kathie Kelly, product manager at Microsoft Mesh, described the avatar experience in an interview with The Verge .“It is 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,” Kelly had said.
Microsoft is also planning to use avatars in its immersive 3D meetings in association with Meta’s Quest headset. Meanwhile, Meta has announced another wave of downsizing the workforce.
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