Meta announced plans to accelerate its metaverse strategy and introduced new products at the Meta Connect 2022 developer conference.
The ninth annual conference saw developers, creators and technology enthusiasts come together yesterday to explore the latest advancements and innovations made by the multinational technology conglomerate, across augmented reality (AR) and virtual reality (VR). Meta also provided an update on developments towards realising its metaverse strategy.
Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg made several announcements, including the company’s latest vision for Meta Avatars.
Last year, Zuckerberg shared Meta’s vision for the metaverse: the “next frontier of the social media platform, which seeks to create an embodied internet” where users interact and live in an immersive experience and are not just viewers.
During yesterday’s event he unveiled Meta Quest Pro, the first in a new line of advanced headsets built for collaboration and creativity.
Other announcements included:
- Updates to Meta Avatars, including that they will now have legs.
- Launch of the Meta Avatars Store, which sells digital outfits to purchase from Balenciaga, Prada and Thom Browne.
- Updates to Meta Horizon Worlds, a free app for Meta Quest headsets.
- Partnership with Microsoft to bring Mesh for Microsoft Teams to Meta Quest devices.
“We believe the metaverse will bridge VR headsets, phones, laptops and desktops, and even devices that don’t exist yet,” commented Zuckerberg.
“We’re working on Meta Horizon Worlds to ensure users can eventually pick up their phone or laptop and visit friends who are hanging out in VR and vice versa. Making avatars more life-like by having user-facing sensors in the Quest Pro is an important step. Providing more realistic non-verbal communication, such as blinking and eyebrow movement, will definitely deliver a more engaging experience.”
In terms of Meta’s partnership with Microsoft, the companies have integrated Mesh for Teams with Meta Quest Pro and Meta Quest 2 devices. This will enable users to connect and collaborate as though they are together in person.
“Microsoft and Meta are also exploring ways to bring Xbox Cloud Gaming to Meta Quest Store, allowing gamers to stream hundreds of high-quality Xbox games to phones, tablets, PCs, select smart TVs, and the Meta Quest platform.
“In addition, Microsoft 365 apps will be available on Meta Quest devices, enabling people to interact with content from their favourite productivity apps, including Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook and SharePoint within VR,” said Jeff Teper, president of Microsoft Collaborative Apps and Platforms.
Meta is also working with YouTube to make the VR experience more flexible for users in the future. Users of Meta Quest Pro will soon be able to take their YouTube videos into other VR apps (via a 2D panel), explained Zuckerberg.
Share