Facebook began the development of his own Metaverso, as CEO Mark Zuckerberg explained during a very recent press conference. The company of the social network, however, is not the only one to have started its race towards this alternative reality, given that Microsoft has just declared that he wants to create his own three-dimensional virtual environment by merging Mesh into the much better known Teams. Let’s take a look at how Microsoft plans to create its own version of the Metaverse.
Microsoft is aiming for its Metaverse
Microsoft unveiled Mesh earlier this year, as a platform specifically designed to allow easier remote collaboration at work. In short, a project born from the experience of the pandemic, and which should make it possible to create 3D representations of people, projected in a virtual environment where they can meet the avatars of other users.
However, it seems that this project will merge into the much better known Teams, which is already being used by a huge number of people to keep in touch while working remotely. But how exactly does it work? In practice, those who already use Teams can now choose to participate in a business or leisure call through a virtual avatar, built with their own likeness in both two and three dimensions.
This alter ego will be able to replicate some movements such as the raising of the hand to ask to speak and to adapt some animations to the voice of the user who is speaking. This will be possible through the use of a smartphone or a PC, without the need to necessarily wear a 3D viewer, even if the latter instance is strongly recommended by the company.
Microsoft has openly stated that the ultimate goal is to create a Metarverse, where it will be possible to collaborate both on a corporate and private level. From this point of view, meetings are only a starting point, given that the company seems to aim for something much more immersive and in virtual reality, perhaps also taking advantage of dedicated viewers.
Does the race to the Metaverse start?
Microsoft therefore seems to be running in a very specific direction, and which places it in direct competition with other giants in the sector, such as Facebook, which announced its desire to create a similar experience just a few days ago. It is no coincidence that the company of Mark Zuckerberg recently launched Horizon WorkRooms, a platform very similar to Microsoft’s Mesh.
The Facebook developers for now seem to be a step ahead of Microsoft, however, with regard to this Metaverse, as they demonstrated on the occasion of the Facebook Connect 2021. On this occasion, Home Horizon was presented, a virtual space accessible through Oculus viewers where you can invite the avatars of your friends. A sort of virtual party therefore, worthy of the best dystopias of the 90s.
It must also be said that, now that two giants in the sector have moved in this direction, it is very likely that even smaller companies will begin to look with interest towards this new aspect of digital life. In any case, even among the giants there is already a fair amount of competition: just think of Epic Games e Roblox, both proponents of their own personal version of Metaverse, albeit with fluctuating results.
It can be said that the race towards this new way of understanding the connection between people has just come to life.