Meta’s avatars are getting legs

Meta has announced several updates to the avatars that it wants you to use in the metaverse and beyond. And hey, the avatars will have legs! At least in the virtual sense, if not the physical or metaphorical ones. 

Meta says “legs have been one of the most requested features on our roadmap, and it’s been a significant area of our focus.” These upgraded avatars will initially be available in Horizon Worlds before Meta opens them up to other developers.

On that note, Meta has created a software development kit so the avatars can be used in third-party virtual reality experiences and other apps. This actually makes a lot of sense. Meta will never be able to create a true metaverse by maintaining a walled garden. As such, the SDK will soon include Unreal Engine support for VR and iOS and Android support for Unity. The SDK will also enable what Meta is calling “natural facial expressions” on Meta Quest Pro — the high-end VR headset will be able to replicate your actual facial expressions on your avatar.

Elsewhere, Meta wants to make it …read more