Pokémon Go Plus wearable launched back and September and stocks were depleted in a few seconds. The device allows users to catch Pokémons without having to open the mobile app in order to do so.
Cued by all the success, it looks like the studio behind Pokémon Go is looking to expand even more into wearables. According to a new report coming out of 9to5Mac, Niantic is working on wearable built specifically to interact with its games.
Sources familiar with the matter claim that Niantic is working closely with the company behind the Nex Band to produce an Ingress-branded smart band sometimes next month. We’re even treated with an image of this purported product.
The Nex + Ingress Band is supposedly the reason why Niantic has postponed or even canceled the development of the Apple Watch version of Pokémon Go.
According to the sources the Nex + Ingress Band will feature five touch sensitive displays (separate?!) with multi-color LEDs for customization and icons. The device is expected to offer a long battery life of up to 4 days and fitness tracking feats. An Ingress-oriented model will be launched first, but surely a Pokémon Go version will follow soon enough.
What do we know about Niantic’s partner, Nex? Earlier this year, the company launched a crowdfunding campaign designed to gather funds for the Nex Band, which mysteriously disappeared. Nex’s website seems to be functional still and teasing a “Evolution”. Passersby are invited to join the Waitlist, but that’s about all the information we are given.
The Nex Band was built on a pretty interesting concept. The wearable was supposed to allow users to add charms of “Mods” – each adding a new set of features. The wrist-bound device supported five different modifications including offering the ability to track fitness or sending coded messages to other NEX users.
We can see there’s an obvious resemblance between the Nex Band and the purported Nex + Ingress Band. Anyway, according to the leaked image the upcoming Niantic wearable will come with five collective Mods including Enlightened, Niantic, Anomaly Medal, Map Location and Resistance.
If the story turns out to be true, more details about the upcoming wrist-bound device are likely to surface in the upcoming weeks, so keep checking back with us.
