With the pandemic showing little signs of slowing down, video communications are becoming more and more important for business (and frankly, for our sanity). While video conferencing has been around for years, research around the physical and psychological impact of video communications replacing in-person communication has ramped up more since it has become such a part of daily life.

Out of this, Microsoft has come up with Together Mode for Microsoft Teams

This feature will virtually place participants in a shared background to make it feel like you are sitting in the same room with everybody else. With Together mode, Microsoft aims to make your video meetings more engaging by helping you focus on the faces and body language of other attendees so that you can pick up the nonverbal cues that are vital for human interaction.

If you’re a fan of the NBA, which just restarted their season, you’ll see this new technology in action as the NBA is incorporating Teams’ Together Mode to allow fans to virtually attend the game and react in real time:

Each game court is outfitted with 17-foot-tall LED screens that wrap three sides of the arena. These “stands” will be populated with more than 300 cheering fans who will join the game using Together mode in Teams. Participants can watch a live feed of the game right within Teams.

Teams Together Mode is rolling out over the next month or so to 365 users.