Meta Unveils VR Legs, Hulu Hikes Prices, and Microsoft Adopts DALL-E 2
This week in tech, Meta reveals leg avatars and a pricey new headset, while Hulu increases subscription costs. Microsoft also integrates AI image generator DALL-E 2 into its consumer apps.
Meta holds its annual Connect conference and reveals a highly anticipated $1,500 VR headset alongside a new workplace partnership with Microsoft. The highlight for CEO Mark Zuckerberg is the addition of fully animated legs to metaverse avatars, addressing a long-standing user complaint. Meanwhile, an unauthorized ad-free Instagram app called OG App quickly faces legal action from Meta and disappears from app stores.
Hulu raises its subscription prices again, pushing the ad-supported tier from $7 to $8 per month and the ad-free plan from $13 to $15 per month. In the artificial intelligence space, Microsoft embraces the text-to-image trend by integrating DALL-E 2 directly into two of its popular applications. This move signals a major step toward bringing mainstream AI generation tools to everyday users.
Google expands its experimental Project Starline beyond its own offices, bringing the 3D video-calling booths to enterprise partners like Salesforce, WeWork, and T-Mobile. The tech giant uses depth sensors and light field displays to make virtual conversations feel like in-person meetings. On the podcast front, TechCrunch dives into a new $100 million VC fund, robotics inspired by ants, and an ongoing SEC investigation into the Bored Ape Yacht Club creators.