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New image shows off alleged Microsoft Xbox Watch

S

SOR5

Member
Source: Neowin

https://www.neowin.net/news/new-image-shows-off-alleged-microsoft-xbox-watch

When it comes to a large company like Microsoft, there are plenty of ideas that get produced but never actually make it to the consumer. Over the past few years, we have seen countless images of unreleased Lumia devices, along with a Surface Mini, and now, we are getting a look at what is being called the Xbox Watch.
Click to expand...

Images of device:
1506380034_screen_shot_2017-09-25_at_3.53.06_pm.jpg


I've got no idea how or why this was being developed
 
O

oti

Banned
This + Xbox Fitness could've been really cool.
Achievements for walking an x amount of steps, for losing weight. Too bad.
 
C

Clive

Member
oti said:
This + Xbox Fitness could've been really cool.
Achievements for walking an x amount of steps, for losing weight. Too bad.
Click to expand...

Yeah, that has to have been the use for it. Ditching the Kinect probably being the cause of its cancellation, if it was planned to go into production like the article says. Can't think of any other reasons for an Xbox watch to exist that can't just be replaced by a phone. You're not gonna play Halo on a watch.
 
Alx

Alx

Member
oti said:
This + Xbox Fitness could've been really cool.
Achievements for walking an x amount of steps, for losing weight. Too bad.
Click to expand...

They had an official fitness band that was part of their whole fitness environment, along with xbox fitness. But it didn't take off apparently (and only Xbox fitness had achievzments).
Are we sure that watch isn't a prototype for their Fortaleza product ? The leaked presentation showed the gamers with an arm band attachment.
xbox-720-kinect-2-fortaleza-640x480.jpg
 
Dredd97

Dredd97

Member
I suppose this gives weight to the argument that xbox isn't just a console name now, but a service for certain hardware, they've dropped windows phone, but we could soon be getting an xbox phone..

(personally I'm holding out for the Xbox branded toaster!)..

edit : oh it was cancelled?

shit no toaster for me then :(
 
G

Guess Who

Banned
This is probably from the Don Mattrick era of "Xbox is for all your entertainment!" before Phil Spencer took over and refocused the brand more exclusively on gaming hardware and services.
 
Electret

Electret

Member
Yeah, there's at least one published patent application out there that describes the modular functionality - possible components (computing hardware, additional battery, wifi module) as well as the means of physically and electrically coupling the modules, which as described could be connected in a complete loop to form a smartwatch. There's a similar competitor product called BLOCKS that was coming out soon, last I checked.

I certainly didn't know this was branded as an Xbox device. Thought it would've been branded under the general MS moniker.

Dredd97 said:
I suppose this gives weight to the argument that xbox isn't just a console name now, but a service for certain hardware, they've dropped windows phone, but we could soon be getting an xbox phone..

(personally I'm holding out for the Xbox branded toaster!)..

edit : oh it was cancelled?

shit no toaster for me then :(
Click to expand...

I don't think this has anything to do with that.

Guess Who said:
This is probably from the Don Mattrick era of "Xbox is for all your entertainment!" before Phil Spencer took over and refocused the brand more exclusively on gaming hardware and services.
Click to expand...

Maybe from a branding perspective, but I get the sense that the actual hardware and software development was not informed by the Xbox division.
 
T

ThoseDeafMutes

Member
To clarify this is a dead product from 2013. Not something they're working on now. It says that in the OP but people are definitely going to miss it.
 
N

Nights Owl

Member
MaulerX said:
I mean, It's a canceled device from 2013 so....






It's a good thing they canceled it then.
Click to expand...

Yes. I know. Why it was even thought of is the confusing part. Mostly because I dunno how they'd ever really implement the Xbox brand into it beyond the (apparent) fitness achievements.

It's just one of those extremely bizarre things that makes you question why it was even seriously considered.
 
S

Syriel

Member
Nights Owl said:
Yes. I know. Why it was even thought of is the confusing part. Mostly because I dunno how they'd ever really implement the Xbox brand into it beyond the (apparent) fitness achievements.

It's just one of those extremely bizarre things that makes you question why it was even seriously considered.
Click to expand...

A prototype is not automatically "seriously considered."

That is "hey, here's a cool idea that might be something cool, let's investigate a bit" level.
 
nekkid

nekkid

It doesn't matter who we are, what matters is our plan.
Electret said:
I certainly didn't know this was branded as an Xbox device. Thought it would've been branded under the general MS moniker.
Click to expand...

It could also have been to do with working around budgets. This might not necessarily have been an Xbox device, but it might have been developed under the Xbox moniker at a time when Xbox hardware R&D had a lot of cash to throw around.
 
S

Shiggy

Member
It's just a display with a countdown to the release of the next first party release. That also explains why the idea was shelved.

Sounds like an idea from the Kinect era, otherwise I have no idea what purpose such a device should have in the modern Xbox portfolio.
 
F

Fluloco

Member
Guess Who said:
This is probably from the Don Mattrick era of "Xbox is for all your entertainment!" before Phil Spencer took over and refocused the brand more exclusively on gaming hardware and services.
Click to expand...
Agreed.

This smells like "second screen experience" all over.
 
MaulerX

MaulerX

Member
Nights Owl said:
Yes. I know. Why it was even thought of is the confusing part. Mostly because I dunno how they'd ever really implement the Xbox brand into it beyond the (apparent) fitness achievements.

It's just one of those extremely bizarre things that makes you question why it was even seriously considered.
Click to expand...



Well back then we had "Xbox Music" and "Xbox Video" so this would've probably be tied in with "Xbox Fitness". Of course the very next year in 2014 they gave us the Band so that was that.
 
N

Nights Owl

Member
Syriel said:
A prototype is not automatically "seriously considered."

That is "hey, here's a cool idea that might be something cool, let's investigate a bit" level.
Click to expand...
I figured if there was a prototype it'd be pretty far along. I don't have much knowledge at all about production of a new product, so that's interesting to learn.
MaulerX said:
Well back then we had "Xbox Music" and "Xbox Video" so this would've probably be tied in with "Xbox Fitness". Of course the very next year in 2014 they gave us the Band so that was that.
Click to expand...

That's actually kinda interesting. I don't know much about Xbox since I've never really had an interest in the consoles. I actually didn't even know they were trying to branch it out further. I guess this was part of the plan originally with the One? Since they seemingly wanted Xbox to become more of an entertainment brand way back when it was unveiled?
 
P

PSOreo

Member
Strange idea. It would have been interesting to see whether the Kinect worked with it in some way. How far are we down that leaked pdf roadmap now? I think the last image was that one someone posted further up.
 
A

AmyS

Member
Not interesting in that.

But would be in an Xboy dedicated gaming handheld, something that was rumored many years ago.
 
Sintoid

Sintoid

Member
It looks it had an heart rate sensor and the classic running watch dock station connector in the back. I think it was something like a classic smartwatch, maybe MS was trying to make a Windows 10 watch like android and Apple using Xbox brand power
 
E

EvB

Member
Nights Owl said:
Yes. I know. Why it was even thought of is the confusing part. Mostly because I dunno how they'd ever really implement the Xbox brand into it beyond the (apparent) fitness achievements.

It's just one of those extremely bizarre things that makes you question why it was even seriously considered.
Click to expand...

If you were Microsoft and you held the names to multiple brands which are current and were targeting young people and the tech savvy.

Microsoft watch
And
Windows Watch

Conjure up all sorts of images of Microsoft office for many people, so trying to utilise the Xbox Brand doesn’t seem that strange does it?
 
C

Cfer

Neo Member
It’s stupid but not completely unreasonable R&D. There was a silly phase where tech thought we wanted to gaming every aspect of our lives, this would just be exploring it with the Xbox brand instead of Microsoft

Edit: gamify ***
 
Falchion

Falchion

Member
So this was something Don Mattrick wanted so that you could always be connected to your always online console?
 
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