Zoom’s “Breakout Rooms” are breaking into the metaverse.
According to a recent blog post, Zoom just introduced new metaverse features to its popular “Breakout Rooms.” Thanks to new integrations with the Welo app, employees could create a lifelike virtual space for a more interactive video conference experience.
According to Zoom’s blog post, Welo creates a digital workspace where people could use in-app avatars to see and interact with others. Whenever employees want to go from one group to another, they could move around this tiny metaverse space. The app will automatically sync with whichever group a user wants to interact with.
In addition to enhancing connection during virtual meetings, Zoom hopes the Welo integration will make these sessions more productive and efficient. The company highlighted bonus features like embedding notes within Welo that may make work more seamless and interactive.
Currently, Welo for Breakout Rooms is in beta mode, and the company plans to upgrade this offering in the ensuing months.
While Welo is the most significant new feature from a metaverse perspective, Zoom announced many other updates in its recent blog post. The top innovation that Zoom highlighted was “Collaborate Mode,” which is primarily designed to add a more “interactive” element to “screen-sharing.”
With “Collaborate Mode,” anyone hosting a Zoom call could share their screen and let others access the app they’re using. A few examples Zoom used to explain “Collaborate Mode” include working on a shared whiteboard via Miro or working on a document together with Coda.
Any Zoom users who want to test these new functions could click “Apps” and “Discover” to see everything that’s currently available.
Businesses Make the Most of Metaverse Meetings
“The metaverse” encompasses a lot of technologies and topics, but a core idea is the blending of virtual and physical space. Although metaverse gaming often grabs most of the headlines, innovations like Zoom’s Welo show companies are interested in the more practical aspects of this technology.
As remote work becomes increasingly common, more people seem to be receptive to using metaverse technologies to overcome physical barriers. Indeed, the firm ReportLinker recently said the global pandemic’s restrictions caused a greater acceptance of metaverse apps.
It’s becoming increasingly common to hear companies using metaverse technologies to make the work-at-home experience more interactive. A few recent examples Rarity Sniper has covered include the following:
- Toyota offers virtual reality workspaces for its employees.
- Vice Media opened the “ViceVerse” office in the game Decentraland.
- J.P. Morgan Chase owns the Onyx virtual office in Decentraland.
- Emirates Airline has suggested using the metaverse to improve employee onboarding and training.
- Microsoft is now using its metaverse app Mesh in Teams.
As more businesses invest in metaverse projects and devices, “working in Web3” will likely become an option for many employees.