Skip to main content

Acer might launch a gaming smartwatch, but would you wear it?

Not everyone wants to wear a smartwatch, and we’re going to guess even fewer want to play games on one, but Acer may think this is a niche that’s ripe for filling, if the latest rumors turn out to be right. Acer may be working on what’s described as a, “smartwatch for the gaming market,” according to DigiTimes, an industry publication known for its hit-or-miss accuracy when it comes to predicting future product releases, but is quoting a Chinese report here.

While a gaming smartwatch sounds unlikely, if any company is going to give one a try, it’s Acer. Its Predator range of gaming hardware covers monitors, desktop PCs, laptops, tablets, and smartphones already, so a smartwatch is perhaps the next logical stage. Logical to Acer, anyway. However, while games can be played on a Predator tablet, PC, and smartphone, it’s definitely not going to be easy on a watch.

Recommended Videos

The rumor report doesn’t go into any detail about Acer’s possible definition of what makes a gaming smartwatch, so all we can do is speculate for now. It’s obviously doubtful Acer will want anyone playing games on a watch, so may follow in Razer’s footsteps and come up with a social-focused gaming wearable, although this has proved to be an up-and-down product niche for Razer.

Acer has considerable experience in the world of fitness wearables, such as the Leap Fit, but none quite ascend to smartwatch status — they don’t use Google’s Android Wear operating system, for example. It has also dabbled in adding smart technology to analog watches in a partnership with Victorinox, although we sincerely hope it won’t adopt a similar style again in the future.

If a Predator smartwatch is coming, Acer may use the IFA technology show in Berlin, which starts at the beginning of September, to show it off. At the time of writing, Acer’s official Twitter account tells us to prepare for “endless possibilities,” as it prepares to show off some new products soon. We’ll keep you updated right here.

Andy Boxall
Andy is a Senior Writer at Digital Trends, where he concentrates on mobile technology, a subject he has written about for…
Smartwatches might predict psychiatric illnesses tied to genetics
A person wearing the Fossil Gen 5e smartwatch.

Over the past couple of years, the medical science community has shifted its attention to wearables in a serious fashion, thanks to their mass uptake. Those efforts have yielded some remarkable results in the efficacy and potential of these wearable devices.

The latest such scientific revelation comes from the experts at the University of Barcelona. In a paper published in the Cell Journal, the team described how smartwatches can be used to accurately detect psychological disorders using biomarkers.

Read more
A company you wouldn’t expect just beat Apple as the No. 1 smartwatch brand
A Huawei smartwatch on a person's wrist.

Apple’s wearable devices, and specifically its smartwatches, are often deemed the default best. The ecosystem around the Apple Watch is often cited as the core convenience, but there’s no doubt that Apple deserves merit for health innovation and technical prowess, too.

It, therefore, comes as a surprise that a sanction-battered company with a far smaller presence in the West has managed to topple Apple and nab the crown of the world’s biggest wrist-worn device brand. The company in question is Huawei.

Read more
The Red Magic 10 Pro is 2024’s best smartphone deal you haven’t heard of
Side frontal view of Red Magic 10 Pro.

I often question what exactly is a flagship phone. Some would argue that a top-tier silicon is the first requisite. Others go for a more holistic approach that involves a fast screen and big camera sensors.

The boundaries, however, vary wildly, depending on the brand you’re chasing. Then there are mavericks like Red Magic, which play in the outlier category of “gaming phones.”

Read more