Microsoft, with updates to its Teams services and Xbox game consoles, and Call of Duty, with its new NFTs on Flow’s blockchain, are entering the metaverse to deliver new experiences to their users.
Microsoft and Call of Duty in the metaverse
US tech giant Microsoft and Call of Duty Esports team owner Andbox have announced a new dip into the metaverse, albeit in a different way.
Microsoft plans to update Microsoft Teams, changing its name to “Mesh”, so that from 2022 users will be able to have personalized digital avatars and immersive spaces to meet in the metaverse. Access to the service will be possible with any device, without the need for special equipment.
As early as December 2021, a preview of a new Microsoft product, Dynamics 365 Connected Spaces, will also be available. More dedicated to businesses, this product combines metaverse and AI (Artificial Intelligence) in order to leverage observation data from, for example, shop cameras.
In this regard, Vishal Sood, general manager of Connected Spaces described:
“With the power of your existing cameras, harness computer vision and observational data to help complete the picture—giving a new perspective into people, places, and things. Following deployment, simply turn on AI-powered models, known as skills, to help understand specific scenarios such as customer behavior at a promotional display, traffic patterns, and insights unique to your space”.
On the subject of the Xbox gaming console, Satya Nadella, CEO of Microsoft did not reveal any details during the interview with Bloomberg TV, but hinted that Xbox will “absolutely” work to integrate the metaverse into its game lines.
Call of Duty chooses NFT metaverse
Aiming to create special metaverse experiences for their fans, Call of Duty team owner Andbox will launch its first NFTs on the Flow blockchain.
Essentially, Andbox has announced a partnership with Moonwalk, a blockchain startup that creates utility around NFT collectibles, and will allow them to be used for rewards such as special fan access, ticketing, and other potential uses.
So, by choosing Flow to create the NFTs, Moonwalk will step in soon after to provide the added functionality. The goal is to increase fan engagement and build a community around the NFT ownership.
In this regard, Moonwalk CEO Shiv Madan commented:
“Anyone who’s purchased [NFTs] within that community could unlock different things.[..] “Eventually, we’ll have more things that you can do over time, from in real life to the online metaverse”.
The giants and considerations of augmented experiences
It was October 28, 2021, when Mark Zuckerberg unveiled the new name of the giant Facebook: “Meta“, precisely in honour of the metaverse.
Following this, other global tech giants, such as Microsoft, are now also coming on board. In this regard, Satya Nadella, CEO of Microsoft shared his idea on his Twitter profile:
The metaverse is here, and it’s not only transforming how we see the world but how we participate in it – from the factory floor to the meeting room. Take a look. pic.twitter.com/h5tsdYMXRD
— Satya Nadella (@satyanadella) November 2, 2021
“The metaverse is here, and it’s not only transforming how we see the world but how we participate in it – from the factory floor to the meeting room. Take a look”.
In the video, Nadella states:
“The Metaverse enables us to embed computing into the real world and to embed the real world into computing. Bringing real presence to any digital space. What’s most important is that we are able to bring our humanity with us, and choose how we want to experience this world”.
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