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Microsoft has announced that animated avatars are now available in preview for its teams collaboration platform.
The Avatars app in the Microsoft Teams App Store now allows Technical Access Program members to design up to three avatars for use in meetings and choose from a range of response gestures.
So-called Mesh avatars were first announced for Microsoft Teams in a blog post (opens in new tab) by John Roach, the company’s CTO of digital advisory services, in November 2021.
Mesh avatars in the workplace
Mesh avatars allow for greater freedom of expression in a hybrid work environment, allowing users to customize physical attributes, accessories, and other aspects of themselves.
Microsoft’s release of the feature at the Ignite event reaffirms its commitment to break the line between video conferencing software and metaverseswhich some business leaders believe is the next big development in Collaborative Tools after the shift to hybrid work.
These spaces are designed around mesh avatars that work together in a virtual space equipped with the tools teams need to collaborate, such as: whiteboards, document storageand video conferencing software.
If Microsoft continues to develop metaverse-adjacent features for the Teams platform, it could succeed in thwarting Meta’s plans for the industry with its own Horizon Workrooms metaverse.
Horizon Workrooms could be seen as a less convenient offering compared to Teams, a video conferencing app already used by many organizations and benefiting from Microsoft 365 integration.
Until then, organizations that want to try out the new mesh avatars but don’t have access to the private preview build can sign up for updates on the Teams website (opens in new tab).