Xbox Smartwatch Rumors 2017: Leaked Images Reveal Prototype Microsoft Worked On
It looks like Microsoft may have toyed with the concept of an Xbox smartwatch. This is at least what new images that recently emerged online seem to indicate.
First shared by Suomimobiili, the images show what is believed to be a prototype of the cancelled smartwatch. It features a small 1.5-inch square display surrounded by chunky bezels while the back has what appears to be a heart monitor.
Per a translation by Neowin, the Xbox smartwatch was reportedly in development over at Microsoft back in 2013. It was apparently planned to be released 2015, which, needless to say, did not pan out.
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The device was designed to sync with Microsoft Surface tablets and can even be charged through them via a magnetic connector. Like other smartwatches in the market, it can also be customized through replaceable bands.
Being branded as an Xbox device, media outlets cannot help but wonder what the smartwatch would have offered gaming-wise. It would have made it stand out from the crowd as most companies come out with primarily health-focused smartwatches.
It is unclear as to why the Redmond giant ended up abandoning the project although Microsoft did end up releasing a fitness smartwatch called the Band in 2014.
Whatever the reason for it being canned, the Xbox smartwatch now just becomes another one of the scores of devices from the tech giant that would never see the daylight.
Microsoft has scratched a lot of offerings in the past. Not too long ago, a Surface Mini tablet that was supposed to be released around the same time this Xbox smartwatch was being developed, but was apparently scrapped just weeks before its official unveiling.
In the past few years, images of unreleased and cancelled Lumia devices also came to light, suggesting that Microsoft had been experimenting with mobile for a while before it pulled the plug on the brand.
