Rumor: An Xbox One-Specific Wearable May Come In 2015

Hot on the heels of Microsoft’s tepid Band release, rumor has it the Redmond tech supergiant may have yet another trick hidden up its sleeve, this time aimed squarely at users of the Xbox One console.

The Xbox One is, technologically speaking, the best console on the market for fitness apps, tracking users’ motion in 3D space using the Kinect 2.0 camera. Microsoft has since unbundled the Kinect from Xbox One kits, a decision that may have led to Xbox One finally outselling PlayStation 4 by a wide margin on Black Friday. Both Sony and Nintendo also have motion tracking technology, which each has used with fitness games that were met with mild success, neither offers the same level of body tracking that Microsoft’s Kinect can. According to Joystiq, the Kinect 2.0 can even track a user’s heartbeat.

Microsoft’s first foray into the wearable market, simply bearing the moniker “Band,” was not well received by most critics, citing the awkward shape and uncomfortable fit as the primary points of contention. Beyond that, however, most critics praised the Band’s UI and were impressed by Microsoft’s decision to implement their Microsoft Health app on not only Windows Phone, but also Android and iOS, making it one of the first fitness trackers—and smartwatches—to work across all three platforms.

The inevitable conclusion that at least one will be Xbox One-centric opened the floodgates for fan theories of design and functionality. Others believe that Microsoft may sync the Band with current Xbox apps like Xbox Fitness. While the idea of introducing new functionality to a device mired in lackluster sales might help bolster the ailing Band, Gizmodo seems to be a little more optimistic about an all-new device purposed specifically for Xbox One.

What are your thoughts? Would you buy an Xbox One smartwatch? Leave your thoughts in the comments below.

[Image via Microsoft]