Zoom Unveils VisionOS App With Avatar and 3D Features Before Apple Vision Pro Debut

With Apple's Vision Pro launching this coming Friday, Zoom is stealing some thunder by unveiling its latest visionOS application, scheduled for release on February 2. This cutting-edge app brings to the table functionalities like employing a virtual "persona" for video conferencing, exchanging 3D items, and integrating its own messaging platform, "Team Chat," along with additional features.

In the realm of Apple's Vision Pro, the Persona attribute performs a facial capture of the user to create a virtual representation in 3D space. Zoom's app is compatible with Persona, providing a way for others in a meeting to view participants' facial expressions and hand gestures in real time. Integrating augmented reality technology from Vision Pro, Zoom calls will appear as hovering displays within the user's actual environment.

Zoom has articulated, through a blog post, the immersive nature of their interface on Apple's new device; they envisage an experience bringing users closer to the sense of sharing a physical space with others virtually – no extra hardware or complex arrangements needed.

As visionOS apps embrace a three-dimensional approach, Zoom users will be able to share 3D models that virtually take shape around them. Zoom highlights the potential impact on industries such as game development, envisioning scenarios where designers might present a new character model for team critique and input. Though not available right out of the gate, the feature promising this level of interaction is expected to emerge later in the spring.

Another springtime arrival for the app is the integration of Team Chat and a function Zoom refers to as "real-world pinning." With Team Chat, which originally launched in March 2023, Zoom is poised to compete with platforms like Slack by facilitating fluid information exchange amongst workmates. Furthermore, Vision Pro users can affix up to five participants from a Zoom call into their actual surroundings and even opt to omit the backgrounds of these virtual interlocutors, fostering a feeling of close connection during meetings.

Despite its premium price tag of $3,499, Vision Pro will boast a collection of nearly 200 custom apps, spanning streaming giants such as Disney+, HBO Max, Discovery+, Amazon Prime Video, Paramount+, Peacock, Pluto TV, Tubi, Fubo, and Crunchyroll to name a few. Nevertheless, the absence of powerhouses like Netflix, Spotify, and YouTube hints that some industry players are taking a cautious stance about Vision Pro's initial uptake in the market.