Microsoft has followed in Facebook’s footsteps announcing plans for its own jump into the metaverse. However, a twist is that the company will aim to create a more business-style virtual world. Microsoft’s new projects will include landmark office products like PowerPoint and Excel.
The first key element of the Microsoft virtual world will be a revamped version of Teams, the company’s video chat, and messaging service. We can expect the new Teams to drop in early 2022. With the latest version of the program, users will be able to join meetings represented by digital avatars. At the same time, the software will also allow for sharing and presenting various documents and files.
Users can customize their 3D avatars, as the primary goal of the new Teams is to allow for more immersive meetings. In the past couple of years, the corporate world became more flexible. Now more people have the opportunity to work from home. However, Microsoft wants to bring back the feeling of an office or conference room where colleagues are all together. Their revamped Teams software is the first step in this direction.
Shaping the corporate metaverse
For the moment, the majority of talk and hype regarding the metaverse comes from entertainment sources. Be it music festivals, concerts, games, or art shows, the main purpose of virtual worlds is to serve as a form of entertainment. However, Microsoft has perceived the need for immersive environments in the corporate world as well.
Aside from a much more dynamic and immersive version of Teams, Microsoft also announced plans to launch Dynamics 365 Connected Spaces. The purpose of this new product would be to recreate whole factories and retail spaces to give both employees and customers a natural feel when working and shopping.
Still, while Microsoft will start its journey into the metaverse in a more corporate style, its vision for gaming also shifts towards 3D experiences. According to Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella, the Xbox arm of Microsoft will venture into virtual worlds as well. Games like Halo and Minecraft are already whole universes on their own. However, the tech giant will be looking into making them an entirely 3D immersive experience.
Microsoft x Facebook
Microsoft is not the only big tech company to announce plans regarding the metaverse. Several days ago, Facebook, the most popular social media channel out there, rebranded itself. The company behind Facebook is now called Meta. The name was chosen as a reference to the team refocusing its efforts towards creating immersive virtual world products.
It might seem like Microsoft and Facebook are racing against each other. However, in reality, the two companies have announced shared plans. According to the recent Microsoft announcement, all virtual world applications released by the company will be accessible through the help of Oculus goggles. Oculus is part of Meta, which specializes exclusively in virtual reality equipment.
Even as Microsoft and Facebook are collaborating on this, the fact that they are competitors remains. Many big tech companies are now joining the metaverse race. Consequently, one of the most commonly asked questions is “Will any of those big tech companies truly create an open metaverse where value, identity, and information can flow in and out freely?”. DappRadar will continue monitoring the space as the metaverse ventures further into the mainstream. Follow us on Twitter and Discord to find out the latest developments and news regarding the metaverse.
