The idea of Facebook changing its name to Meta, along with the launch of Metaverse, has made headlines in the news. As appealing as it may sound, Metaverse Avatars ended up being the star of the show.
It is the sheer concept of utmost customization and personalization that makes Metaverse Avatars worth waiting for. But what exactly is an Avatar? That is why, in this article, we are going to explore the uncharted domains of Metaverse and what makes Avatars truly unique?
How the Concept of Avatar Fits into the Metaverse?
One might argue that the idea of Metaverse has stayed since the rise of the internet. We are dedicating this section to how the concept of avatars fits right into the Metaverse.
What Exactly is an Avatar?
For anyone who has been on the internet, you must have represented yourself in one of the many social media platforms. In Layman’s terms, that’s exactly what an Avatar is all about. An online representation or digital identity of a user, that differs from one person to another.
For better understanding, consider how Snapchat introduced the concept of Bitmoji. Users could create their 3D Avatars and use them in various Snapchat games. This continuous usage of Avatars on social media led to their popularity in the first place.
Not to mention, a user can be just about anyone in their Avatar. Starting from changing the ways they look, to completely customizing hairstyles, accessories, and apparel. Just check your social media profiles, and you would understand what exactly is an Avatar.
The Significance of Avatars in the Metaverse
Upon the announcement of Metaverse, by Mark Zuckerberg, one of the biggest highlights was Metaverse Avatars. In fact, Avatar in Metaverse is more or less the same, the majority of us are accustomed to.
The Avatar is going to portray the user’s identity throughout the Metaverse. Instead of being restricted to 2D platforms, users can customize their Avatars to their heart’s content. Furthermore, the flexibility of the Avatar lies within its interoperability among various Metaverse platforms. With a single Metaverse avatar, users can travel through the different experiences of the Multiverse.
The Metaverse Avatar in itself is quite flexible as well. To cater to a wide variety of usage, Metaverse Avatars are made quite realistically. Instead of just mimicking the facial nodes for expressions, Metaverse Avatars showcases movements through the entire body.
The idea is to replicate, how one would interact with a real person. If they were present in the Metaverse. All these are achieved through extensive research on physical movements, and training them using Artificial Intelligence.
Not to mention, these models are capable of predicting the extract shoulder and elbow position, just by using the controller and headset. In the end, Avatars in the Metaverse operate with more accuracy and intuition.
Read: Metaverse vs Multiverse vs Omniverse: The Differences Explained
The functionality of the Avatars
One of the biggest aces up Avatar’s sleeve is its sheer versatility. And for the best part, users can access their Avatars through various applications and Metaverse. Entering into another Metaverse, users can take their same Avatar with them.
Having a central Avatar creates more appeal while simplifying the process altogether. Meta in itself announced, how users can take their Avatars to third-party apps created by the Devs.
For better understanding consider the use of social media. Anyone having an online presence can relate, to how tedious it gets to manage multiple social media handles. Avatar in Metaverse mitigates the issue while allowing users to seamlessly move from one platform to another.
The Role of Avatars in the Metaverse
The concept of Avatars in Metaverse goes beyond just a user’s facial expression. At its core, Avatar becomes the epitome of a user’s manifestation within the Metaverse. So how the Avatar looks, feels, and interacts directly correlates to that of the user.
Avatars expand their horizon by playing a few games and interacting with other users. The sole purpose of Avatars is to, give equal importance to the user’s online persona just as we care for people in the real world.
What are the Types of Metaverse Avatars?
Due to the creative restrictions, as of now, the Metaverse Avatars can be further classified into two types. These includes:
1. VR Avatars
VR Avatars are by far one of the most sought-after forms of Avatar as of now. This is where the user can engage with the Metaverse through the avatar’s Point of View (PoV). While other users can only have limited access to the given user’s avatar.
Oftentimes, the lower part of the body remains absent, due to the lack of proper tracking. VR Avatars only facilitate upper limb movements such as hand gestures. But, they end up missing out on the lower limbs.
2. Full Body Avatars
Full Body Avatars are the exact representation of how a user interacts in the real world. Using full-body sensor recognition we can achieve such Avatars. Not only the application can track hand gestures, but the entire hand movements altogether.
That being said, Full-Body Avatars are only achievable in VR games. Although they showcase potential growth in the future. It also requires compatible hardware that is capable of full-body tracking.
Can I Make My Avatar in the Metaverse?
It is not entirely impossible to create your own Avatar in the Metaverse. But, given its early stage, it is currently inaccessible for the consumer market. Although there are companies that are offering Avatar creation services.
Users can be available a fully personalized, completely customizable Avatar. But the biggest setback is the lack of its usability. Even the majority of the apps and games that require Avatars are still in the development phase.
Are Avatars Restricted to the Metaverse?
It is imperative to understand that, although Meta announced their version of Metaverse, it is not restricted to a single company. Even Microsoft announced their version of Metaverse in late 2021, named Microsoft Mesh.
Microsoft’s platform would allow 3D avatars, along with virtual spaces. This is also where users can interact with other Avatars within Microsoft Teams. The company also announced their sets of facial movement tracking, which can enhance the user experience to many folds.
Also Read: 10 Best VR Games You Should Play
Jump into the Metaverse
There is no point in arguing about the rising popularity of the Metaverse. As time goes by, more personalization features are going to be introduced for the Metaverse Avatars. So, hold on to your horses until Metaverse launched commercially. Let us know in the comment section below, are excited about partaking in the world of Metaverse?
