New Xbox Avatars Reportedly Arriving in April

Microsoft unveiled its new generation of Avatars for the Xbox One at E3 2017, and then the noise and excitement of the show swept their memory out of our minds. Microsoft's been quietly toiling behind the scenes since, and it's reportedly getting ready to unleash these new digital pals.

Sources privy to Microsoft's plans for the Xbox tell Verge the Avatars should arrive in April, and Xbox Insiders will get a chance to preview them later this month. The Avatars are supposedly integrated with the Xbox One dashboard, and they also hang out on the home screen area.

We already know from last year's reveal video the Avatars are highly customizable and include options for wheelchairs and artificial limbs—options that rarely show up in avatar creation programs of any kind. Verge's report also states Microsoft will eventually let third party vendors create and sell their own accessories through Microsoft's digital store.

I'm kind of excited for the Xbox One's new avatars, to be honest. The PlayStation 4 doesn't have an equivalent, which is a downer. Also, the lack of Mii customization options on the Nintendo Switch and the recent shutdown of the Miitomo mobile app indicate Nintendo's moving away from the little puppet-people that helped make the Wii a household item. Only Microsoft wants to put you on the back of a rainbow-maned unicorn. It's a shame.