Do you sometimes dread the thought of another video call?

They’re part of our daily lives now, but that doesn’t mean they’re any less exciting.

Fortunately, Microsoft is introducing a new kind of avatar to Teams called Mesh avatars! They are based on the Metaverse concept popularized by the Ready Player One novel and film.

With this, you’ll be able to design your own avatar, personalizing its appearance, accessories, and even choosing its reaction gestures.

Microsoft says that it’s common for us to feel exhausted and stressed after spending a long time on camera. That makes it a great idea to try virtual avatars as a way to reduce those negative feelings.

Even better, you won’t need an expensive virtual reality headset to take advantage of this feature. It’s all done using the Avatars app that’s available in the Microsoft Teams app store.

Big tech is investing billions of dollars in developing the metaverse, a virtual reality that mimics the real world. Within it, you’ll find many familiar spaces and objects – stores, offices, and even social settings. Some think this new world will soon become ‘the new internet.’

It might seem wild to think of a virtual world like this – but 20 years ago, who would have thought we'd be able to talk on mobile video calls with people on the other side of the world?

Times change and it's exciting to see what will happen next.

Right now the new avatar feature is only available in Teams preview builds. We’ll let you know when it's coming to everyone.

Would you like to encourage your team to use customized avatars in Teams or make your work more fun? We can help. Contact us for more information.