Meta's VR legs aren't real and can't hurt you - Mashable

One of the halfway truisms of tech is that you should instrumentality each large announcement oregon objection with a atom of salt. This tenet has present been proven erstwhile again, with the unsurprising revelation that Meta's objection of virtual world legs was pulled disconnected utilizing question seizure technology.

Earlier this week, Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg introduced caller idiosyncratic avatars coming adjacent twelvemonth to the company's virtual world level Horizon Worlds — avatars which volition see legs. Previously, Horizon Worlds' denizens were simply ghostlike floating torsos, incapable to kick, jump, oregon partake successful immoderate different activities which mightiness impact little limbs.

Calling legs "probably the astir requested diagnostic connected our roadmap," Zuckerberg's avatar jumped and stretched to amusement disconnected his newfound limbs during the demonstration, portion the ecstatic legless proletariat silently cheered for their quad-limbed king.

However, arsenic reported by UploadVR exertion Ian Hamilton, Meta has since stated that "To alteration this preview of what’s to come, the conception featured animations created from question capture."

In short, alternatively than showing disconnected the existent tech that Meta volition rotation retired to users, the objection utilized different tech to make a practice of what they anticipation to marque it do. It's fundamentally akin to Tesla's expansive announcement of its humanoid Optimus robot, which was virtually conscionable a feline successful a robot suit. The existent robot is markedly little limber.

As mentioned before, this isn't surprising. Anyone who's ever seen an advertisement volition cognize that promotional worldly often uses tech that doesn't really bespeak the last merchandise — oregon is adjacent successful the merchandise astatine all. Still, it feels beauteous misleading without immoderate disclaimer, and could easy fool much enthusiastic, trusting viewers.

Further raining connected Meta's limb parade, others person noted that not adjacent each of Zuckerberg's explicit claims astir Horizon Worlds' updates are wholly true. Namely, his assertion that "legs are hard, which is wherefore different virtual world systems don't person them either." Virtual world platforms specified arsenic VRChat person had full-body tracking for years — including moveable legs. In fact, a speedy hunt connected YouTube turns up galore videos of users utilizing said limbs to execute immoderate beauteous slick creation moves successful virtual reality.

It's unclear whether Meta's incoming legs volition beryllium susceptible of pursuing users' shuffling with arsenic overmuch precision. But don't expect your virtual gams to beryllium arsenic creaseless arsenic successful Zuckerberg's demonstration.