Meta says the segment at Connect 2022 announcing the addition of legs to Horizon World avatars in 2023 “featured animations created from motion capture”

A subsequent statement from Meta says ‘the segment featured animations created from motion capture’

Kotaku 2022-10-14 Luke Plunkett

Context & Ripple Effects

Meta had framed avatar legs as an AI-driven Horizon Worlds roadmap item days after Zuckerberg responded to criticism of Horizon Worlds’ visual quality with promised avatar upgrades. The motion-capture clarification separates the Connect presentation from the AI-based body-positioning system Meta said it was developing.

The distinction matters because legs were not actually available at the event; the feature later reached Horizon Home through the Quest v57 public test release, while Quest 3 was slated to add upper-body tracking and AI-estimated legs.

First-order effects

Meta narrows what the Connect footage demonstrated: the displayed leg movement was motion-capture animation, rather than evidence that the announced AI system was already operating in Horizon Worlds.
Horizon Worlds’ legs remain a future product commitment at this point, putting the burden on Meta to show the runtime implementation rather than a staged animation.

Second-order effects

The clarification makes Meta’s subsequent avatar releases the meaningful proof point for its tracking claims, including the later planned Quest 3 update for upper-body tracking and AI-estimated legs.
For users assessing Horizon Worlds’ visual improvements after the earlier criticism, polished event footage becomes a weaker signal than features available in headset software.

Third-order effects

If Meta continues to pair captured presentation assets with AI-estimated avatar movement in products, social-VR avatar quality will be judged increasingly on the gap between showcase animation and real-time tracking performance.
The sequence points to avatar embodiment becoming a software-and-sensor capability delivered through headset updates, rather than a static visual upgrade to virtual worlds.

The trend: Social-VR platforms are moving from simplified avatars toward real-time, AI-assisted body representation, with shipping tracking features serving as the test of roadmap claims.

Discussion

@hmltn Ian Hamilton on x
For those who've been wondering about the legs shown in the Connect keynote (@hrafntho). Meta: “To enable this preview of what's to come, the segment featured animations created from motion capture.”
@seldo Laurie Voss on x
The metaverse video in which they said they've added feet was faked, they have still not cracked the technology for adding legs. https://kotaku.com/...
@mwseibel Michael Seibel on x
The folks who are shitting on Zuck re Oculus should shut up. He is trying to invent something new. Just give him some time to try. Why tear down someone who is actually trying hard?
@violetblue @violetblue on x
Facebook's playtime genocide, discrimination, and insurrection were real, the billionaire's playtime legs while the planet burned were fake Like humanity, legs are too hard https://twitter.com/...
@modernistwitch Jes Skolnik on x
the reports of legs have been premature, apparently https://twitter.com/...
@triqona Kami on x
bravo, way to mislead people... they didn't solve shit apparently, or at the very least scared to show the actual results https://twitter.com/...
@beardedgenius @beardedgenius on x
Hire the person who added legs in the fake video. They know how to add legs https://twitter.com/...
@sadlyitsbradley Brad Lynch on x
@hmltn @hrafntho Knew it 🤣
@crimsonzen @crimsonzen on x
Ah good, taking a page out of the wildly successful magic leap playbook https://twitter.com/...
@amyzenunim @amyzenunim on x
having looked extensively into mocap solutions: there is no way you can do full body glitchless computer vision mocap at a decent frame rate without a top of the line PC and multiple high def cameras. it just isn't happening on a self-contained device. https://twitter.com/...
@rmac18 @rmac18 on x
The funniest thing about this “problem” is that it was of Meta/FB's own making by not giving avatars legs in the first place. Then they said it was difficult “problem” to solve and pretended it was a massive deal to create a *feature* that everyone expected in the first place.
@mat Mat Honan on x
I knew this story didn't have legs https://twitter.com/...
@rmac18 @rmac18 on x
This is Mark Zuckerberg's version of putting a person in a shiny plastic suit and announcing an AI humanoid robot.
@rmac18 Ryan Mac on x
lmfao they fukin faked it https://twitter.com/...
@alexmorse Alex Morse on x
@hmltn @hrafntho So they misrepresented the product?
@hrafntho Hrafn Thorisson on x
@SadlyItsBradley @hmltn Helps no one. Only helps fuel delusions that *not tracking physical presence* is a great idea.
@haltingproblem Fabian Offert on x
“Zuckerberg took to the stage to demonstrate that, having spent billions of dollars to create a virtual reality universe that looked like it was from 2004, his company was working on improving that universe to make it look like it was from 2009 instead.” https://kotaku.com/...
@antimnguyen An-Tim Nguyen on x
We got E3 demo'd lmao https://twitter.com/...
@hmltn Ian Hamilton on x
Zuckerberg: “We have legs!” Devs: “Those aren't real.” Meta: “Yeah, I know.” Deep Dive Dev Videos: “Quest Pro has true multitasking and its controllers have significant new haptic and tracking features.” Devs: “Omg, why wasn't this in the keynote?” Meta: “...”
@gameism Steve Bowler on x
A gentle reminder that in 2017 we brought you the first commercially available toe-tappingly accurate full body VR avatar, and we didn't have to lie or make up fake video footage about it. https://twitter.com/... https://twitter.com/...
@hrafntho Hrafn Thorisson on x
@hmltn So by that I strongly assume they mean classic motion capture, not actual VR software/hardware capabilities. Thanks for checking on this.
@alexeheath Alex Heath on x
I can barely stand how this news cycle has run away with itself https://kotaku.com/...
@daftpina @daftpina on x
>1,500 USD headset lasts max 2 hours >Can't even track legs yet >Meta employees hate using the metaverse >Soulless avatar style Great work so far Mark https://twitter.com/... https://twitter.com/...
@parismartineau Paris Martineau on x
update: legs are not in fact coming soon https://kotaku.com/... https://twitter.com/... https://twitter.com/...
@banditelli @banditelli on x
Everything @MetaHorizon does is a lie. https://twitter.com/...
@dhruvgovil Dhruv Govil on x
I really wish #Meta would show more real content in their keynotes instead if so many aspirational pieces. Stand by the cool tech your folks are making. https://twitter.com/...
@growlithography @growlithography on x
this is basically what every techbro fraudster like Zuck and Musk do. Have artists and animators and shit fake what they promise to do and then never actually follow up on it while stealing a bunch of government money that should be used on anything actually useful instead. https…
@fbihop Matthew Reichbach on x
Be kind to Meta. In the decades we've had of video games, NO characters have had legs, so they're trying to break new ground. https://twitter.com/...
@fka_tabs Rusty Foster on x
So after all that, the legs weren't even real https://kotaku.com/...
@quendergeer @quendergeer on x
lmao this is even sadder than musk's fake robot https://twitter.com/...
@enichan Eniko Fox on x
meta employee: oh hey u guys are back early vr headset owner: legs're fake meta employee: what? headset owner: *loading a pistol and putting headset back on* legs're fake. https://twitter.com/...
@darth @darth on x
“COME BACK HERE AND EXPLAIN THIS MARK FACEBOOK” https://twitter.com/... https://twitter.com/...
@bridgetcarey Bridget Carey on x
The legs were faked? You don't say! This company's entire business model is about profiting off fake things. https://twitter.com/...
@martyswant Marty Swant on x
How many times has Meta/Facebook/Oculus used motion capture, CGI or other animation tools in their demos over the past few years that exaggerated VR's current capabilities? https://twitter.com/...
@parismarx Paris Marx on x
I regret to inform you that legs have not, in fact, arrived. They were not captured through VR headsets, but motion capture. Pretty much any metaverse demo that doesn't look like total shit is a fake. https://kotaku.com/...
@anildash Anil on x
ahhh who could have foreseen https://twitter.com/...
@grady_booch Grady Booch on x
It's fair to say that @meta was pulling our leg. They really don't have a leg to stand on to defend their profoundly unethical behavior. https://twitter.com/... https://twitter.com/...
@katy_mayy Kaitlyn Molinas on x
How on earth is it okay to be like “We've got legs finally” and then silently not even use their own product to showcase the legs. Like yes you can capture legs with a $10000 rig in 2022, that was also true in the 90s, what the hell is this shit https://twitter.com/...
@audleyzdarke @audleyzdarke on x
1) Zuck isn't doing shit 2) VR has existed for a while now, no one is inventing shit 3) The tech revolution of the 90s-2000s produced tools that were both useful and easily used- Zuck's Second Life clone is neither 4) He's not going to let you suck his dick, Brad https://twitter.…
@thedextriarchy Adi Robertson on x
“We're at the beginning of a new era of computing,” says Zuckerberg as we near the end of Connect. We're discussing two values: the first is “putting people at the center of everything we build.” The second is “openness.”
@themetav3rse @themetav3rse on x
Mark Zuckerberg: “I strongly believe that an open, interoperable metaverse built by many different developers and companies will be better for everyone.”
@timsweeneyepic Tim Sweeney on x
Meta's hardware investment strategy is sound. Constantly release new devices to learn from the consumer experience at affordable prices, and drive the leading edge through high-end devices whose tech will later migrate to the mainstream.
@jasoncross00 Jason Cross on x
@TimSweeneyEpic Strictly speaking about hardware strategy, sure. Software, and the broader implications of putting a company caught with its hand in the cookie jar a bunch of times in charge of an important platform...that's another thing.
@timsweeneyepic Tim Sweeney on x
Right now we're at the Palm Pilot / BlackBerry stage of VR and AR hardware evolution. It's not ready for a billion users yet, but that time will come. Look past the tone deaf Silicon Valley Chic first party content and there's a tech powerhouse here.
@timsweeneyepic Tim Sweeney on x
@JasonCross00 That's why an open metaverse is essential as is resisting companies trying to lock things down. Then you can mix and match the best hardware, the best client app, and the best experiences, without becoming overly dependent on any one company.
@jordannovet Jordan Novet on x
so Zuck is an Outlook user? https://stratechery.com/... https://twitter.com/...
@thedextriarchy Adi Robertson on x
Zuckerberg says every generation has a closed and open computing system — cites “Windows and Mac” and “Android and iOS.” I think Windows is the closed one in that pair?
@slhamlet Wagner James Au on x
Pretty jaw-dropping aside by Carmack for why the Quest 2 price was raised! Meta developed it to grow the market for its metaverse platform. Instead, Quest 2 owners are going in droves to FTP @VRChat & @recroom — leading metaverse platform competitors. https://t.co/I8Yqni6X1o
@walldo Brandon Wall on x
Absolute lols upon lols https://kotaku.com/...
@jonfortt Jon Fortt on x
Seems like a lot of trouble to go through to avoid going places and interacting with actual people #metaverse #meta Carmack: “There's a bunch that I'm grumpy about” in virtual reality | Ars Technica https://arstechnica.com/...
@arstechnica @arstechnica on x
“Last year I said that I'd be disappointed if we weren't having Connect in Horizon this year. This here, this isn't really what I meant.” https://arstechnica.com/...
@anildash Anil on x
This is important — Meta's headset is so expensive because its users *prefer* to consume content that's made with free, open web platforms for VR. So Meta's not making money selling games to Quest owners, because their games can't compete with the open creator community's work. h…
@ballmatthew Matthew Ball on x
The day after Facebook changed its name, Carmack, who still consults for Meta, said: “I really do care about [the metaverse], and I buy into the vision... I have been pretty actively arguing against every single metaverse effort that we have tried to spin up internally in Oculus”…
@benjedwards Benj Edwards on x
The closest analogue I can come up with is how sometimes Steve Wozniak criticizes Apple while still being a fan of its products and also maintaining generally friendly relations with the company But it's not quite the same since Meta is actually amplifying the critique here
@deantak Dean Takahashi on x
John Carmack: VR should be a delight to demo for your friends. Not a chore. It should be easy and usable. By the way, Carmack has no legs. https://twitter.com/...
@ricmac Richard MacManus on x
Great piece on the dubious “openness” of Meta -> “It's offering tools for outside developers to use, but they ultimately funnel into one big Meta-owned world, not a robust independent protocol like the web.” https://www.theverge.com/...
@firstadopter Tae Kim on x
Going to ask the silly question. Why would anyone want to read email in VR? 2D screens work fine and you don't have to put a weighty headset on your noggin https://twitter.com/...
@wholemarsblog @wholemarsblog on x
Facebook acquired Occulus in 2014, 8 years ago. How much longer does Zuck need? $META https://twitter.com/...
@jezcorden @jezcorden on x
Ngl Microsoft makes the metaverse sound ten times less lame than Meta itself.
@bentarnoff Ben Tarnoff on x
The Microsoft partnership announced today seems to indicate that Zuck sees the white-collar workplace as a (the?) major channel for wider VR adoption. Wrote something about this last year https://bentarnoff.substack.com/ ... https://twitter.com/...
@kevinroose Kevin Roose on x
John Carmack, the legendary game designer who has become an internal critic of Meta's metaverse strategy, is speaking now at the company's VR event. Earlier this year, he said the company's spending on metaverse stuff made him “sick to my stomach.” https://www.nytimes.com/...
@antonhand Anton Hand on x
Reminder that the core benefit that Carmack provides Meta, from a community/brand standpoint, is being the reasonable but critical Smart Guy™️ that voices nerd complaints to give you the experience that your views and expertise are respected by Meta when they are absolutely not.
@kevinroose Kevin Roose on x
Carmack (appearing as his VR avatar) says, “There was some public mockery about avatar quality earlier this year, and now lots of people internally are paranoid.” Says he's appearing via a custom Horizon build that won't drop avatar quality no matter what. https://twitter.com/...
@antonhand Anton Hand on x
It's the Multinational Tech Company version of the classic table scam, where you walk up and see someone winning a gambling game, but the person in question is just a friend of the dude running the table but for projecting company vision & competence.
@benjedwards Benj Edwards on x
It's remarkable that Meta gives Carmack a large platform to openly critique its products. I'm not sure I've ever seen any other situation like it in business (And if they're wise, they will take his advice) https://twitter.com/...
@kyleorl Kyle Orland on x
That said, I sometimes feel like Carmack is Meta's court jester. They let him play around, and he's the only one who can insult the king without penalty, but no one in the Court takes him too seriously
@kyleorl Kyle Orland on x
Say what you will about Meta, but very few companies would be willing to let one of their own high-level employees be so regularly critical of them in an unscripted way on such a big stage. I'm sure Carmack insists on being uncensored, but still... https://arstechnica.com/...

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