Meta’s Metaverse Avatars Get a Major Upgrade: Here’s What to Expect

Meta is stepping up its game in the metaverse with a significant overhaul of its avatars. Starting October 1st, 2024, users will be able to access these upgraded avatars across Meta Horizon OS, as well as popular Meta-owned platforms like Facebook, Instagram, and Messenger. This update, revealed during Meta’s Connect conference, is set to bring a new level of customization and creativity to the metaverse experience.

A New Look for Meta Avatars

Since their introduction, Meta's avatars have seen steady improvements, and this latest upgrade takes them to the next level. The update offers users new ways to tweak and customize their virtual selves. From adjusting eye size and nose shape to fine-tuning body shapes, Meta is giving users a host of options to create avatars that reflect their individuality.

These improvements are possible due to a new underlying tech stack, including an upgraded avatar skeleton. This change makes it easier for users to experiment with different styles and appearances, offering a more dynamic and personalized experience in the virtual world.

Generative AI Brings a New Dimension

In keeping with 2024 trends, Meta is also leveraging generative AI to enhance its avatars. By 2025, users will be able to generate unique avatars simply by typing in a text prompt. Want to create a spooky Halloween avatar? No problem. During the Connect conference, Aigerim Shorman, Meta’s VP on the Horizon team, demonstrated how the generative AI could create a mummy avatar based on a description she provided.

This AI-powered feature opens up endless possibilities for customization, allowing users to quickly transform their avatars into whatever they can imagine.

Introducing Fantastical Avatars and Themed Characters

If you’ve ever wanted to become something other than a human in the metaverse, Meta’s new fantastical avatars will let you do just that. Soon, users will be able to style their avatars as animals, monsters, and other fantastical beings, adding a fun and imaginative twist to the virtual experience.

What’s more, Meta is also collaborating with popular culture franchises to introduce themed avatars. From Captain America to Doja Cat’s iconic Paris Fashion Week look, users will be able to unlock special avatars by participating in Horizon Worlds experiences. These exclusive avatars will likely attract fans of pop culture and fashion, offering them a unique way to express themselves in the metaverse.

Image Caption: New avatars will be available across Meta Horizon OS, Facebook, Instagram, and Messenger starting October 1st.Photo Credit: Jay Peters / The Verge

AI-Powered NPCs in Horizon Worlds

Meta’s improvements aren’t limited to user avatars. Starting in 2025, Horizon Worlds developers will be able to create AI-powered NPCs (non-playable characters) to make the metaverse more interactive and engaging. During the Connect conference, a demo showed how an NPC could respond to a user’s voice commands, making the experience feel more immersive.

This feature could transform Horizon Worlds by giving it more depth and making virtual interactions more lifelike. With NPCs responding intelligently to users, the virtual environment becomes more engaging and dynamic.

A Step Forward for Horizon Worlds

Meta’s new avatars and AI-powered features are part of its ongoing efforts to build a compelling virtual world in Horizon Worlds. Although the platform has a long way to go before it rivals metaverse giants like Roblox or Fortnite, these updates could help Meta carve out a more distinctive and attractive space in the virtual landscape.

With better avatars, more customization options, themed characters, and interactive NPCs, Horizon Worlds may entice users to give the platform another look — especially those who’ve been exploring virtual worlds elsewhere.

Conclusion: Meta’s Metaverse Vision Takes Shape

Meta’s avatar overhaul is a clear sign of the company’s commitment to building an engaging and interactive metaverse experience. By introducing more customization options, AI-generated avatars, and themed characters, Meta is making it easier for users to express their personalities and explore the virtual world in creative ways. The addition of AI-powered NPCs is another exciting step that could elevate interactions within Horizon Worlds.

As these updates roll out on October 1st and beyond, Meta is positioning itself to attract more users to its metaverse platform, promising a future where everyone can find a virtual version of themselves — or something entirely new.

Key Takeaways:

• Meta’s upgraded avatars arrive on October 1st with enhanced customization options and AI-driven features.

• Generative AI will allow users to create avatars by simply describing what they want, coming in 2025.

• Fantastical avatars and themed characters such as Captain America and Doja Cat will also be introduced.

• Developers will be able to create AI-powered NPCs to make interactions in Horizon Worlds more engaging starting in 2025.

Meta’s vision for the metaverse is evolving, and these updates are just the beginning.

Stay tuned to Kushal Bharat Tech News for more updates on Meta’s latest developments and all things tech.