Your workplace Microsoft Teams calls may never be the same again after the company announced its latest upgrade.
The new “immersive spaces” feature will look to take your Teams video conferencing to a whole new dimension – allowing users to “transform their meetings into a 3D experience,” the company says.
This means that instead of your typical blurred background, or even slightly more-exciting virtual backdrop, your Microsoft Teams call can now take place in any kind of 3D location or setting you choose (so long as Microsoft has built it).
Microsoft Teams immersive spaces
The news was revealed in an incredibly brief post on the company’s official Microsoft 365 roadmap.
“With just one click, you can connect with your team in a pre-built immersive space right from the view menu in Teams meetings,” the company added, without revealing exactly what kinds of space would be available, or how users might go about adding or requesting new additions.
The post says that an initial preview of immersive space will be available in October 2023, so users won’t have too long to wait for a first glimpse of the new spaces. Microsoft says it is then expecting to issue a full release in January 2024, when the new feature will be available to Windows desktop users only to begin with.
Built using its new Microsoft Mesh development platform, immersive spaces were first hinted at by Microsoft back in May 2023.
Accessed either through a PC or a VR headset, the experiences will apparently be able to span across large virtual locations, giving the opportunity to move between different rooms or spaces in order to communicate with different teams or individuals, and spatial audio will mean that users can engage in individual chats or larger discussion with multiple conversations seamlessly.
The new platform could therefore be used to boost a single team’s communication, or be the backbone of a virtual conference or company event.
The launch is the latest in a series of additions and upgrades to Microsoft Teams in recent months as the company looks to keep the platform intuitive and engaging for users everywhere.
It also launched Microsoft Teams virtual avatars in May 2023, offering users the chance to substitute themselves for an animated alter-ego that offer more customization options, but also spices up the look and feel of Microsoft Teams calls.
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