Currently the only nonverbal cues I can really get across are hand/head movements(with cube avatars) but as far as achieving presence goes I find that to go a long way. Even without facial expressions or complicated hand gestures having that "physical" presence seems to make each session feel really concrete, and less like you're talking to someone through the ether. To make up for the loss of facial expressions I've found myself and others becoming more gestural when using the app, which may not be ideal, but the fact that you can adapt at all(and that it feels natural) sets it apart from 2D interfaces.
That's really neat! The facial cues can be done today in real-time to a surprisingly high-quality degree (I do virtual filmmaking as a hobby), and with cheap mocap hardware, you could get the full upper body and what not. I'd expect when combined with the HTC Vive that you'd get a pretty decent VR experience.
Website doesn't show it now but there's whiteboards as well:
http://i.imgur.com/TzXrRPc.jpg
Currently the only nonverbal cues I can really get across are hand/head movements(with cube avatars) but as far as achieving presence goes I find that to go a long way. Even without facial expressions or complicated hand gestures having that "physical" presence seems to make each session feel really concrete, and less like you're talking to someone through the ether. To make up for the loss of facial expressions I've found myself and others becoming more gestural when using the app, which may not be ideal, but the fact that you can adapt at all(and that it feels natural) sets it apart from 2D interfaces.