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Hello everyone and welcome to another episode of Microsoft Knowledge Nuggets here on M365.

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FM, I'm your host, Mirko Peters.

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Today's topic is one that almost everyone has heard of, but few people can actually explain.

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Microsoft Mesh, you've heard the buzzwords,

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metaverse, mixed reality, 3D meetings.

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But right now, what does Mesh actually do for you?

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Here's the short answer.

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It's a way to meet in 3D virtual spaces inside Microsoft Teams.

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Imagine stepping into a room where you and your colleagues show up as avatars.

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You can walk around, chat on the side,

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and still watch presentations together.

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It's not a game and it's not a toy.

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It's just a different way to hold a meeting.

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Now the tricky part, Mesh has gone through a major change.

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That standalone metaverse platform Microsoft originally announced, retired.

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What's left is a feature built right into Teams,

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simpler, more practical, and actually available to you today.

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By the end of this episode, you'll understand what Mesh is,

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how it works, why Microsoft changed course,

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and whether it's worth your time, grab your coffee, and let's dive in.

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So what exactly is Microsoft Mesh?

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Let's start with a simple definition.

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Microsoft Mesh is a platform for shared 3D experiences.

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Not a game, not a VR toy.

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It's a collaboration tool that adds a sense of physical presence to remote meetings.

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Compared to a regular video call,

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on a normal Teams call you see faces in little boxes.

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Everyone stares at the same grid.

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There's no sense of where anyone is in relation to you.

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In Mesh you see avatars sitting in a virtual room together.

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You can look around, you can move closer to someone.

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And here's the interesting part.

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They have voice changes depending on how far away they are.

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That's the core promise of Mesh.

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It makes remote interaction feel more natural.

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Your brain picks up on spatial cues.

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You know someone is over there or next to you.

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That sounds small, but it actually helps with engagement and memory.

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When you feel like you're in a room with people,

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you pay attention differently.

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Now let me clear up a common confusion.

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Mesh is not a virtual world you live in.

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It's a meeting space you enter for specific sessions.

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No persistent universe, no digital real estate to buy,

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no avatar walking around when you're not in a meeting.

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It's a room, not a planet.

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You join, you meet, you leave.

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The technology runs on your PC, Mac or VR headset.

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It supports MetaQuest headsets today,

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and Apple Vision Pro support has been announced.

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But here's the key point.

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You don't need special hardware for basic use.

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Just a webcam and the Teams app, that's it.

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But Mesh wasn't always as simple.

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Let's talk about the big pivot Microsoft made.

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And why it actually helped users like us.

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The big pivot from Metaverse platform to Teams feature.

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Back in 2021, Microsoft announced Mesh

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as this grand Metaverse platform,

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CEO Satyanadella called it the next frontier.

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They talked about standalone apps,

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custom worlds built with the Unity game engine,

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HoloLens support, and events for up to 330 people.

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It was a huge vision.

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But by 2024, Microsoft started rolling Mesh

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features into Teams instead of keeping it separate.

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By December 2025, the standalone platform was officially

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retired.

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The Mesh Toolkit, which let developers build custom 3D worlds,

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shut down in June 2025.

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The dedicated Mesh app for PC and MetaQuest?

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Gone, the Mesh Cloud.Microsoft website also gone.

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What happened?

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The reason is actually pretty simple.

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Companies didn't want another platform to manage,

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since they already have Teams and Microsoft 365.

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They didn't want to learn a whole new tool just

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for a 3D meeting.

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What they wanted was 3D collaboration inside the tools

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they already use.

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So Microsoft listened.

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The result is what we have today.

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Immersive spaces in Teams.

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It's a lighter, more accessible version of what

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Mesh was supposed to be.

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Think of it like this.

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Imagine someone building a brand new office building

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from scratch, then deciding to just add a nice conference room

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to the building where everyone already works.

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No separate building, no separate keycard, just one space

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that works with everything else.

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Now, there is a trade-off.

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With immersive spaces, you get fewer features.

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Meetings are limited to 16 people.

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No custom worlds.

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You can build yourself.

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And HoloLens support ends in 2027.

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But here's the thing is, it's far easier

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to adopt for most organizations that trade off is worth it.

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The goal isn't to create a virtual reality universe.

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The goal is to make your meetings more engaging and collaborative.

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You don't need a developer.

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You don't need a 3D artist.

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You just need a Teams meeting.

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So what does this mean for you?

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Let me show you exactly how to use it.

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How to join an immersive space in Teams.

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Here's the best part.

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You don't need to learn a new tool or install a separate app.

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You just need a regular Teams meeting.

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First, schedule a Teams meeting like you normally would.

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Nothing special, just a normal calendar invite.

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Once you join the meeting, you'll

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see the familiar Teams interface with your camera feed,

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the chat panel, and the participant list.

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Now look at the top of the screen and click the View button.

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You'll see an option that says immersive space 3D.

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Click it, and that's it.

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You're in.

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The first time you do this, Teams will ask you to pick an avatar.

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If you haven't set one up yet, the app

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will guide you through choosing a face shape, hairstyle,

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and clothing.

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It takes about two minutes.

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Then you'll pick a space environment.

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Microsoft gives you several options,

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an outdoor gathering space with mountains in the background,

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a Zen conference room with a calm atmosphere,

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or a classic boardroom setup.

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Pick whichever feels right for your meeting.

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The environment you choose sets the tone.

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So think about what kind of atmosphere you want.

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Now you're inside the immersive space.

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You see yourself as an avatar.

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You see your colleagues as avatars, and you can move around.

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The controls work like this.

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If you're on a PC, use the WASD keys to walk forward,

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left, back, and right.

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Left click and drag to look around the room.

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Press E to rotate, left, Q to rotate, right.

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Hold Shift to run.

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If you want to get somewhere fast, just click on any seat,

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and you'll teleport there instantly.

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It feels a lot like a video game,

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but don't let that intimidate you.

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The controls are simple, and you'll

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get the hang of them in about 30 seconds.

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Once you get used to moving around in 3D,

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you'll find it feels more natural than a flat grid of faces.

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Down at the bottom of the screen,

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you'll see your control panel.

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There are reaction buttons, so you can clap, smile,

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give a thumbs up, or send a heart.

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There's an environment settings button

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to switch to a different space theme, mid-meeting.

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There's a sitting overview that shows who's sitting where.

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And you can change your avatar on the fly

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if you want to switch outfits or appearance.

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Here's something important about privacy.

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When you join an immersive space, your camera stays

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off, your peers in avatar, so nobody sees your actual face

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or your messy background.

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Audio still works through your microphone and speakers,

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so you can talk normally.

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If some people on the call don't join the immersive space,

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they'll still see your avatar on their screen.

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They just won't be in the 3D room with you.

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Think of it as walking into a specially designed meeting room

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in your office building, where the walls are digital,

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but the experience of being together in a shared space

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is what matters.

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This setup is perfect for remote teams

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who want a stronger sense of presence

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without worrying about how their home office looks.

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Now let's talk about the killer feature

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that makes Mesh feel real.

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Spatial audio.

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Spatial audio, the secret source.

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Think about how you hear someone in a real room.

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If they're standing next to you, their voice is loud and clear.

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If they're across the room, it's quieter.

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If they're behind you, the sound comes from behind.

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Your brain uses these cues to figure out

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where people are and who's talking.

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Mesh does the same thing.

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It's called spatial audio, and honestly,

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it's what makes the whole experience feel real.

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Walk away from the group in your virtual space.

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Their voice is fade, walk closer, and they get louder.

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Turn your avatar to face someone,

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and their voice shifts to the direction you're looking.

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Simple idea, but it completely changes how a meeting feels.

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Side conversations become possible again.

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In a regular Teams call, if two people want to chat privately,

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they have to send a separate message

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or leave the meeting entirely.

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In an immersive space, they just step aside.

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Their avatars move a few feet away from the group

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and their audio moves with them.

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The main group doesn't hear them,

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and they don't hear the main session.

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Quick chat then walk back and rejoin

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that's something you just can't do on a standard video call.

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This solves a real problem in hybrid work.

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Remember the last time you were in an actual office?

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You could tap a colleague on the shoulder,

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pull someone aside for a quick word without interrupting everyone.

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Those moments are nearly gone on regular video calls.

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Spatial audio brings them back.

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It also cuts down on meeting fatigue.

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On a normal video call, you're locked into one speaker at a time.

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Everyone stares at whoever's talking.

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Exoresting.

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In an immersive space, natural social dynamics kick in.

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You look at who's talking, you turn to follow a speaker,

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you feel the room, your brain does what it evolved to do,

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and that makes the meeting way less tiring.

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You don't need a VR headset for this,

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a simple laptop with speakers works,

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but to really feel part of the space,

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you need an avatar that represents you.

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Avatars.

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Your digital self.

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Your avatar is your body in the mesh world.

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It's how other people see you.

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And it's surprisingly expressive.

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The avatar mimics your head movements,

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turn your head in real life,

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and the avatar turns its head.

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If you have a webcam, it might even smile when you smile.

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Not perfect.

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It won't catch every micro expression.

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But it's enough to make the interaction feel human.

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You customize your avatar in the Teams avatar app.

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Find it in the Teams app store,

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or through the immersive space setup.

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Pick your face shape, hairstyle, skin tone, clothing, accessories.

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You can go realistic or something more stylized.

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It doesn't need to be photorealistic.

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Think of it as a more expressive version of your profile picture,

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something that feels like you without being an exact copy.

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During a meeting, you can change your avatar instantly,

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swap from casual clothes to a suit for a presentation,

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or switch to a different look for a team social event.

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You can do it on the fly without leaving the meeting.

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Why does the avatar matter?

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Because it creates psychological presence.

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Having a body in a virtual space improves attention and recall.

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When you see yourself sitting in a room with other people,

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your brain treats the experience differently.

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You're less likely to multitask.

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You're more likely to remember what was said.

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You feel like you're actually there.

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So you're in an immersive space with avatars and spatial audio,

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great for a team meeting.

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But Mesh can do more,

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especially when organizations build custom environments.

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Custom environments, the developer angle.

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Before Microsoft retired it, Mesh had a whole different side to it.

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Organizations could build their own 3D worlds

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using something called the Mesh Toolkit for Unity.

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And some companies went all in.

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Take Accenture, they built a virtual campus called One Accenture Park

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and used it to onboard over 300,000 new hires.

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New employees could explore virtual campus areas,

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attend orientation sessions and network with colleagues,

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or without leaving their homes.

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Those custom worlds were rich.

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Product showcases where you could walk around a 3D model of a new car,

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training simulations for medical procedures or safety drills.

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Branded showrooms for sales events,

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they looked impressive and they served real business purposes.

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But they came with a cost to build them.

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You needed Unity developers.

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You needed 3D artists.

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You needed IT support to manage the deployment.

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It was a serious investment.

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That capability is now gone.

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The Mesh Toolkit officially retired in June 2025.

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No new custom worlds can be built,

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existing ones still work, but they won't get updates.

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If you were hoping to create a branded experience for a sales event

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or a training module, you're out of luck with the current version.

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What remains are the default environments Microsoft provides.

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You get a handful of pre-built spaces.

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The outdoor gathering, the Zen conference room, the boardroom,

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you can switch between them during a meeting with one click,

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but you can't create your own.

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That's a significant limitation for organizations

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that wanted something unique.

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Now, Microsoft has hinted at AI-powered environment generation

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in the future.

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The idea is that you might describe what you want

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and an AI builds the space for you.

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That's not here yet, but it's something to watch for.

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So who is actually using Mesh right now?

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Let's look at some real use cases.

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Real use cases when Mesh shines.

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Let's start with Accenture because they're the biggest example.

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They onboarded over 300,000 new hires in one Accenture Park.

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That's not a small pilot program.

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That's a massive real world deployment.

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New employees could walk through virtual campus areas,

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attend orientation talks and network with colleagues, all in 3D.

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And they did it at scale, then there's team building.

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Remote teams are using immersive spaces for informal gatherings.

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Virtual happy hours, holiday parties, brainstorming sessions.

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The spatial audio makes these feel less artificial

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than a standard video call.

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You can split off into smaller groups naturally.

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You can walk over to someone and start a conversation.

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It's closer to what happens in a real office break room.

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Product showcases are another strong use case.

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Imagine an automotive company that wants to show a new car model.

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Instead of showing slides, they build a 3D environment

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where attendees can walk around the car.

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Look at the interior, see the details,

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ask questions while standing next to the virtual vehicle.

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That kind of experience is much more engaging than a PowerPoint deck.

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Training and education is where mesh really shines.

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Medical simulations where multiple trainees

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are in the same 3D scenario,

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safety drills for manufacturing environments,

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soft skills practice for customer service teams.

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The key is that everyone is in the same space,

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interacting naturally.

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You're not watching a video.

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You're participating.

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Here's the insight that ties all of these together.

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The most successful use cases involve interaction,

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not passive watching.

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Mesh works best when people need to move, talk and collaborate.

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If you're just going to stare at slides,

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a regular team's call does the job.

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But if you need people to explore,

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discuss and work together in a spatial context,

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mesh adds real value.

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So with all these capabilities and the pivot to teams,

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what's the verdict for you?

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The verdict should you care.

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Let's be honest, mesh isn't for everyone.

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If you only do one-on-one calls or large webinars,

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you won't miss it.

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The regular team's experience handles those situations just fine.

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But for team collaboration and group dynamics,

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for that feeling of being together when you're not,

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that's where mesh earns its keep.

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Now, the limitations are real.

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You're capped at 16 people per immersive space.

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And there are no custom environments.

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You also need decent hardware.

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This won't run smoothly on that five-year-old laptop,

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your IT department hasn't replaced yet.

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It's still an early adoption among Microsoft 365 users,

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so don't expect every meeting to be in 3D.

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And most people haven't tried it.

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So who benefits most?

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Remote teams that struggle with connection and engagement,

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hybrid teams that want to recreate

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those informal water cooler moments

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that just don't happen on video calls and trainers

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and facilitators who need spatial context,

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where someone is in relation to something matters.

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If that sounds like your team, mesh is worth a look.

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Here's what's coming.

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Microsoft is investing in AI-driven features like AI guides,

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chatbots that can be anchored to specific locations in a space,

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walk up to a virtual exhibit and an AI assistant

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explains what you're looking at.

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They're also expanding VR headsets support to Apple Vision Pro

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and the platform will get richer, not cut back.

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My advice?

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Try it yourself and don't overthink it.

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Schedule a short test meeting with a colleague

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and see if the spatial audio and avatar presence

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makes a difference.

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It's just another view option in Teams.

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And if it doesn't work for you,

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you're back in a normal meeting in one click.

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No harm done.

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Let's wrap this up.

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So here's the knowledge nugget.

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Microsoft Mesh is not a mysterious metaverse.

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It's a simple way to bring your team together

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in a 3D space right from Teams,

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the pivot from standalone platform

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to integrated feature made it more accessible,

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if less ambitious.

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You can try it today with no extra cost or setup.

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Step into a virtual room, move around

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and have real-side conversations.

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It might change how you feel about remote meetings.

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If this helped, subscribe to Microsoft Knowledge Nuggets

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on M365.

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FM and share it with someone who's still confused about mesh.

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Got a use case I missed?

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Drop a comment below.