It has happened to the best of us. You log into a corporate Microsoft Teams video conference but forget the camera is on. Before you know it, HR is calling to let you know that the accidental moment of nudity has cost you that position at a Fortune 500 company. Even though none of the women complained, I’m no longer an Apple employee.
What could have solved this? Official Microsoft Teams 3D avatars! We knew this feature was coming, but that announcement was made two years ago. As of May 2023, the avatars will be officially part of the program, according to The Verge.
The best part about the new animated 3D avatars is that a camera is not required to use them. Instead, the digital representations will trigger various animations based on the user’s vocal cues.
The Microsoft Teams roadmap doesn’t tell us much. I’d like to know how customizable the avatars are and if I can trigger emotes via keystrokes rather than vocalization: “Avatars for Microsoft Teams gives you that much-needed camera break, while still allowing you to collaborate effectively. You can add a new layer of choice to your meetings and represent yourself the way you want with customizable avatars and reactions.”
Videos of the MESH avatars from months ago show off a fairly robust list of options. However, will these be improved during the final rollout?
One of the most famous video conference call disasters was when CNN’s Jeffery Toobin appeared totally naked on camera while polishing an acorn glued to his groin area. I understand that conference calls can be tedious. Hopefully, the Teams avatars won’t include inappropriate animations to mimic the Toobin-Lubin’.
Will you be taking advantage of the upcoming avatars? Let us know in the comments section below.
[Source: PC MAG] [Source: The Verge]
Much like the previous Resident Evil remake titles, the biggest change to the experience is the massive improvement to the atmosphere. Things feel a whole lot scarier in here, with the dramatic lighting and bone-chilling sounds making every spot you go to feel like a setup to scare you. Everything works together in creating a far better horror vibe than the original game, which will please many long-time Resident Evil fans.
Controlling Leon feels very good. The layout of the controls is very similar to Resident Evil 2 Remake, which feels better to move around and quickly take action when things get crazy. As you move through the demo and make your way to the central part of the nearby village, the game has pop-ups that guide you through some of the basics of Resident Evil 4.
But what about the zombies you encounter? This is Resident Evil 4 after all, so how are the Las Plagas? While you don’t get to see many of the crazier versions of Las Plagas in the chainsaw demo, you do get to fight against some of the lesser zombies and the chainsaw-wielding boss that chases you around in the original. With all of the visual upgrades for this remake, these encounters look and feel deadlier. You’ll have to be quick thinking to take down zombies with your pistol or knife, but without lingering around for too long. Much like before, these zombies come at Leon in groups and will throw axes and lunge at him relentlessly. And when the chainsaw comes out, the zombie swinging it around won’t stop until Leon is chopped up to pieces. The entire section of the demo is satisfyingly fun to play and terrifying when things go wrong.
There’s even a hidden difficulty within the demo called Mad Chainsaw Mode that is exclusive to the demo and won’t be in the final game. If you enter a specific combination at the main menu, you can enable the super hard mode that increases the strength of the zombies, makes them incredibly more aggressive, and gives the Dr. Salvador zombie a flaming chainsaw. The placement of enemies is also mixed up, while also making them less prone to staggering you attack them. Getting through this mode is prohibitively hard if haven’t already gotten used to how the demo plays and where you can exploit enemy weaknesses.
