Yes, tracking the entire face is already being done in prototypes. I guess Meta in particular is extremely interested in rolling this out, it enables them to analyze better which content and ads you react to.
People in the meeting with standard laptops and desktops with a camera are going to show their faces to the other participants. What are they going to see for the ones wearing a headset?
This could make total sense, I always thought they spend to much energy on what was a gimmick at this point. But maybe they were just preparing a live memoji feature until it was flawless.
You might notice that unlike Meta, Apple current approach focus solely on head avatar. But they make a point for them to be very expressive.
This also perfectly fit the privacy narrative. Expressing yourself thought an expressive live animated avatar help preserve privacy as a remote worker. My life companion colleagues never agreed to turn on their webcam, maybe they would feel more at ease with an avatar.
PS: Maybe a better video (example) of the footage used in last year daily WWDC recap. The setup for the daily recap was a memoji of Serenity Caldwell reporting thought online meeting with other developers using memoji.
I just switch off my camera when I don't need it and turn it on for those few business interactions that are more effective by looking each other faces. That's it. 3D moving avatars feel totally inappropriate to me in a business environment. I would wonder if I am working with kids.
Not sure typical business meetings would be the main target audience anyway. Videoconferencing is here to stay.
It should rather be compared to other VR avatar concepts. Meta full body avatar for instance. The tech is clearly not ready and feel clumsy and add absolutely nothing. Meanwhile a floating head of some sort that can surimpose over the media you are collaborating on could be a better experience.