Apple's Upcoming Headset Might Use Memojis For FaceTime Calls In VR

screenrant.com:

Apple's upcoming augmented reality/virtual reality headset might give FaceTime video calls a VR spin, allowing users to interact via digital avatars in the form of a Memoji. A Memoji is essentially an animated emoji that users can customize and give a likeness of their face. The feature is quite popular, and it relies on the True Depth camera system that Apple has put on its phones, starting with the iPhone X. Memojis mimic the user's expressions via facial recognition algorithms and translate them onto the virtual avatar in real-time.

As mentioned above, the critical criteria for creating Memojis in the first place is advanced camera hardware, similar to the TrueDepth system. And it might very well be available on Apple's highly anticipated AR/VR headset. Apple's wearable device is rumored to come equipped with no less than twelve cameras with eye-tracking technology and will reportedly rely on 3D sensors for advanced hand tracking. So, in a nutshell, Apple's headset appears to have the necessary hardware in place that can deliver a lot more than just the Memoji experience.

Related: Apple's AR/VR Headset Release Might Be Delayed Until 2023 — Here's Why

Now, a fresh rumor suggests that Memojis will lay the foundation of Virtual Reality FaceTime calls via Apple's headset. In the latest PowerOn newsletter, Bloomberg's Mark Gurman notes that for group FaceTime calls, those wearing Apple's headset might be able to switch to a VR version where they interact via their Memoji avatars instead of their real face appearing in the feed. «I assume the headset will be able to determine a person's facial expressions in real-time, making the experience fairly lifelike,» Gurman adds. The premise is not alien. Meta's Horizon Workrooms is