Quick take:
- Facebook parent Meta Platforms has added 3D avatars to Instagram stories.
- The social media conglomerate is also updating Facebook and Messanger avatars.
- The company said it will break down its VR and AR revenue when it reports its Q4 results on Feb. 2.
Facebook parent Meta announced on Monday it is adding 3D avatars to Instagram Stories. The announcement comes ahead of its fiscal fourth-quarter results, expected on Wednesday, Feb. 2.
The company said last October it will be breaking down its virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR) revenues in the final quarter of fiscal-year 2021 after making progress in its quest to make the metaverse a reality.
In the latest update to Facebook and Messenger, people in the US, Canada and Mexico can appear in their virtual selves.
CEO Mark Zuckerberg featured in one of the demo avatars depicting how people would appear in different background settings.
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People can appear in avatar forms in feeds, stickers and profile pictures on Meta Platforms, as well as, the Quest VR Platform.
Announcing the launch via a blog post, Aigerim Shorman, Meta’s general manager for avatars and identity said the facials will include special features like hearing aids, cochlear implants, and wheelchairs to be more inclusive of all users, including those with disabilities.
“Since revealing our long-term vision of the metaverse at Connect 2021, we’ve continued building out this next evolution of social technology, building towards a future where you can sit in the same room as loved ones who are actually thousands of miles away or work naturally with a talented team that spans the globe,” he wrote.
The avatars are seen as Meta’s first of many huge steps in its advances in the highly hyped metaverse, an immersive virtual world where people can interact in 3D avatars, play games and trade non-fungible tokens (NFTs).
Zuckerberg has previously said that the next frontier in social connections will allow people to engage as if they were in the same room despite being physically hundreds or thousands of miles apart.
When announcing Meta last year, he said that the metaverse is the company’s priority going forward. On Monday, he said that “one day [people] have multiple avatars ranging from expressive to photorealistic.”
Meta recently showcased its Supercomputer that will be the fastest in the world when completed mid this year. The company said its gigantic machine will play a crucial role in taking AI to the next level, thereby helping to power the metaverse.
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