--- title: "Zuckerberg’s Metaverse Maybe Has Legs Now, but Apparently Only for Executives" description: "At Connect 2022, Facebook-turned-Meta Mark Zuckerberg and a fellow metaverse exec both appeared as their new, legged avatars. But only they had legs." date: "2022-10-12" modified: "2022-10-12" authors: - name: "Maggie Harrison Dupré" job_title: "Senior Staff Writer" link: "https://futurism.com/authors/mharrison" url: "https://futurism.com/the-byte/zuckerbergs-metaverse-legs-executives" categories: - "Future Society" - "Metaverse" - "Virtual Reality" tags: - "mark zuckerberg" - "Meta" - "metaverse" - "the digest" --- # Zuckerberg’s Metaverse Maybe Has Legs Now, but Apparently Only for Executives ![At Connect 2022, Facebook-turned-Meta Mark Zuckerberg and a fellow metaverse exec both appeared as their new, legged avatars. But only they had legs.]() *\Image: Meta\* ## Got Legs? Houston, we have legs. Maybe. For Meta executives, at least. Hell yeah? Between showing off a number of [not-yet-met metaverse tech goals]() and [announcing every corporate collaboration imaginable](), Facebook-turned-Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg used a decent chunk of his [Connect 2022 keynote presentation]() to show off all of the upgrades coming to avatars in the company's main metaverse app, Horizon Worlds — important upgrades to make, considering that these avatars have faced [seemingly endless criticism]() from the masses for their [cold, dead-eyed demeanors]() and, uh, not having any legs. But as Zuck was *quite* eager to show off, [legs are on their way]()! In a pre-recorded [Horizon Worlds]() session (the first time an actual Horizon Worlds clip, and [not just a rendering]() of what the world *could* be, has been featured at Connect), the founder and avatar development exec Aigerim Shorman both appeared as their new-and-improved, legged avatars, [hopping and kicking]() to show off their pixelated stems. Weirdly enough, though, *only* they had them, and notably not the plebs gathered 'round to cheer them on — a signal, perhaps, that while legs might indeed be on the way, it might take a good while. Either that, or Meta's trying to make up for [lost revenue]() with a pay-per-limb avatar model. https://twitter.com/metahorizon/status/1579947568372404226?s=46&t=0jfXjmBCOzlUwHBG337TJg ## Fly Kicks That lack of legs in particular has long plagued Zuck's expensive metaverse vision, one centered on both realism and complete immersion; immersion is a difficult thing to achieve in a space where rudimentary, Wii Mii-like faces roam around as floating torsos. And on that note, judging by the way he talked about (and over-explained) the no-leg situation, you could tell that the criticism *really* gets to him. "Seriously, legs are hard," said a salty, post-hop VR Zuck, "which is why other virtual reality systems don't have them either." Meta claims to have solved the problem through predictive AI, which, as Zuck further explained, is able to statistically track and predict how a Horizon Worlds avatar's limbs would naturally be following any given movement. This would eliminate the issue of occlusion, and voíla: legs for all. At some point. Probably. Anyway. Cheers to Zucko and his top metamates as they bunny hop and [backstab]() through Horizon and beyond, making Instagram Reels and answering Zoom calls — two other new improvements to the avatars — with their still-glossy-eyed digital selves. And remember, everyone. Legs are hard. For everybody. **READ MORE:** *[Meta figured out legs for its avatars]()* \[*The Verge*\] **More on the next-gen metaverse:** *[Meta's Uber-expensive New VR Headset Is Dead on Arrival]()* ## Author At Futurism, I've reported extensively on the rise of AI as a cultural and business force shaping the media industry, and more broadly how those dynamics are changing how we all consume and share information and relate to one another. I'm also fascinated by public health policy and ethics, the role of emerging tech in politics and governance — and the powerful people and forces at those intersections — climate change, and the environment. My investigation on Sports Illustrated's use of AI-generated authors with fictional biographies won a 2024 Mirror Award for "Best Story on Media Coverage of Artificial Intelligence in Journalism and the Media" from Syracuse University's SI Newhouse School, I contributed to Niemen Lab's 2025 Predictions for Journalism series, and I've discussed my work for Futurism during appearances on NPR, CNN, the BBC, the CBC, and more. I grew up in rural Pennsylvania and attended the University of Massachusetts Amherst, where I played Division I field hockey for the Minutewomen as a midfielder. Since then, I've lived in New Orleans, Louisiana and Manhattan, New York. I spend my free time running, reading, perusing archival fashion, and searching for the world’s best negroni. I also have a debonair tuxedo cat, Westley, who's named after "The Princess Bride." ### Author social links [Bluesky]()