Microsoft adds Immersive Events to Teams: VR work meetings à la Second Life with legless avatars

Microsoft has introduced Immersive Events to Teams as a public preview, enabling virtual reality meetings with the use of 3D avatars and environments similar to Second Life, but with avatars missing their lower bodies. The immersive service is available on PCs and Macs.

Teams is a service similar to Zoom, enabling workers and scholars located worldwide to schedule meetings and meet online. The service has also replaced Skype, which has been discontinued. 

Event organizers can use no-code tools to add 3D objects to their virtual environments along with chairs, initial viewing points, text and media, and social ice-breakers. A single click can instantly transport all attendees to their seats, eliminating wasted time when ready to start meetings or classes.

The interaction of avatars in a 3D environment through Immersive Events gives attendees a greater sense of connection and shared experiences, according to Microsoft. The ability to view Immersive Events in 3D using Meta Quest headsets will be made available in the future.

Readers who don't understand why Microsoft left out the legs of 3D avatars can have them back in Second Life. Read about Second Life in this book on Amazon and the history of online metaverses in this book on Amazon.