Microsoft’s Xbox Watch, A Piece Time Forgot

What if Microsoft made a watch? A true watch, not the Band, not something from the labs of Nokia but a real watch from the Xbox team.

While we likely won’t ever be able to buy one, it does appear that the Xbox team did toy with this idea at one point in the recent past. We know this because images of what is likely an early prototype have appeared on Twitter.

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The images posted by Hikari Calyx, which were first spotted by Jez, show what is possibly a precursor to the Microsoft Band. If you didn’t know, the Band started out as a product inside the Xbox team but was eventually moved into its own org as it didn’t quite align with the Xbox mission at that time.

Looking the prototype, the size appears to be similar to that of an Apple Watch or the Fitbit Blaze and has a similar style to the UI that shipped with the band.

Based on what we can see, the hardware supports a heart rate monitor, GPS, and featured workouts too. The device was powered by a standard USB charger but seeing as this is an early prototype, I’d expect a retail version to use a smaller charging port.

Sadly, I seriously doubt that this device will ever see the retail shelves as Microsoft has been moving away from building out niche hardware products. And the fact that the company shelved the Band, I can’t image that they would bring out an Xbox branded watch.

That being said, it would be interesting to know what the team had envisioned for this hardware and what it would have evolved into if it did ever make its way out of the R&D labs.

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Conversation 12 comments

  • T182

    22 January, 2018 - 10:40 am

    <p>If this was a year ago, and MS had sold this device, i could have been suckered into it. I'd be very hesitant these days to get into anything they're making. I really like MS products, but the way the kill stuff these days…. </p>

    • wolters

      Premium Member
      22 January, 2018 - 11:47 am

      <blockquote><a href="#239531"><em>In reply to T182:</em></a></blockquote><p>I truly cannot embrace anything beyond Windows 10 and XBOX these days. Not even the recently discounted AR headsets on Amazon can sucker me in. I've been burned too many times. I'll keep an eye on their new products and ideas but I can't get excited about it anymore. </p>

      • Edward Grego

        22 January, 2018 - 1:48 pm

        <blockquote><a href="#239552"><em>In reply to wolters:</em></a></blockquote><p>I feel exactly the same. My loyalty to MS stoped with the Surface Book, but prior to that I was all in on every device MS produced. The SB was so bad, and MS's decisions so flakey that Apple now gets my loyalty. </p><p>Like you I will keep an eye on MS, but won't dive in again until they have a fully proven eco system to move me and my family back to. I won't be holding my breath…..</p>

        • wolters

          Premium Member
          23 January, 2018 - 2:59 pm

          <blockquote><a href="#239582"><em>In reply to Edward_Grego:</em></a></blockquote><p>I'm still holding on to my first gen Surface Book even if I still have to battle "Hot Bag" / Dead Battery. It had been solid for me and I wouldn't mind Surface Book 2 with the better GPU. My work bought my first one for me, so waiting to see if I can upgrade this summer. Otherwise, I might be sporting an HP or the new Samsung Laptop with the S-Pen. </p>

    • OwenM

      Premium Member
      22 January, 2018 - 5:41 pm

      <blockquote><a href="#239531"><em>In reply to T182:</em></a></blockquote><p>It's exactly as Paul says…. they're an Enterprise and software and cloud services company these days with some legacy consumer stuff still kicking around</p>

  • ben55124

    Premium Member
    22 January, 2018 - 10:43 am

    <p>They should have called it Windows on Arm.</p>

    • JCerna

      Premium Member
      22 January, 2018 - 11:35 am

      <blockquote><a href="#239543"><em>In reply to ben55124:</em></a></blockquote><p>It was too high risk to release ;-).</p>

    • DarrellPrichard

      22 January, 2018 - 11:55 am

      <blockquote><a href="#239543"><em>In reply to ben55124:</em></a></blockquote><blockquote><br></blockquote><p>Mic drop.</p>

    • IanYates82

      Premium Member
      22 January, 2018 - 5:53 pm

      <blockquote><a href="#239543"><em>In reply to ben55124:</em></a></blockquote><p>This wins the internet today </p>

  • Winner

    22 January, 2018 - 2:28 pm

    <h1>"Microsoft’s Xbox Watch, A Piece Time Forgot"</h1><p><br></p><p>I see what you did there.</p>

  • SvenJ

    22 January, 2018 - 8:09 pm

    <p>And Steve Jobs said, "If you see a square, they did it wrong"…oh wait…</p>

  • maethorechannen

    Premium Member
    23 January, 2018 - 8:15 am

    <p>There's an alternate universe where MS created a really good fitness solution that all tied together – XBox workouts that made use of the Kinect, bands/watches that tracked your outdoor activities and HealthVault to store it all in. </p>

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