Microsoft executives Cameron Egbert and Dan Kroymann have been fleshing out some of the details on Xbox Live avatars, to be launched later this year, reports Worlds In Motion. The long-rumoured avatars were announced at E3 earlier this month, and can be seen as a response to Nintendo’s ‘mii’ avatars and PlayStation’s eagerly anticipated virtual world, Home.
They have confirmed that the avatars will be a persistent identity for players using the Xbox Live service, optionally replacing the gamercard which currently carries a player’s information, of which Egbert said: “it doesn’t say much about me”. The avatars, by contrast, are highly customisable, and Microsoft is clearly hoping to tap into users’ enthusiasm for using avatars as a means of personal expression. The avatar is tied to the Xbox Live account rather than to the console hardware, so it will follow a user round whichever console they are using. Players have the option to use a picture of their avatar as their gaming picture, as well.
Developers will be able to integrate the avatars into games that they build for the platform. The framework will allow for the generation of avatars using metadata, avoiding the need for developers to handle the 3D rendering aspect. Avatars also do not have to be tied to a human player – random avatars can be generated as well as avatars which stay the same – the example given is as a game show host.
The fact that by the end of this year (unless deadlines slip, which is not beyond the realms of possibility) all three of the main console gaming platforms will have 3D avatars or virtual world implementations is highly significant, not least because it goes some way towards pushing the concept of avatars and virtual worlds into the mainstream, perhaps paving the way for widespread adoption of more non-gaming virtual worlds in the future.
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