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Adidas miCoach Football app encourages you to leave the sofa

A new footie app from Adidas lets you get fit while playing games. Whoever said apps were bad for your health?

Joe Svetlik Reporter
Joe has been writing about consumer tech for nearly seven years now, but his liking for all things shiny goes back to the Gameboy he received aged eight (and that he still plays on at family gatherings, much to the annoyance of his parents). His pride and joy is an Infocus projector, whose 80-inch picture elevates movie nights to a whole new level.
Joe Svetlik
2 min read

Adidas' miCoach app has been available for about a year now, helping track your training using a sensor, a little like Nike+. A new footie app game based on the tech -- miCoach Football -- has just launched, reports Pocket Gamer, and the more exercise you get, the stronger your in-game characters become.

So unless you want a thrashing, you'd better get up off the sofa. You place a Speed Cell sensor in your footie boot, which records your data ready for uploading when you sync with your computer after the kickabout.

But here's the clever bit: the game uses your data and feeds it into a four-vs-four football game, complete with NBA Jam-style power ups like slowing the game down, stealing the ball, giving boosts for your players, and so on. And as you get better in the real world, your players improve in the game, with their stamina, speed and recovery time all getting an upgrade.

So bad news if the best player on your Sunday league team is useless at video games, as now he'll be thrashing you on and off the pitch.

Of course there's complete social media integration too, with your achievements being broadcast via Facebook, Twitter and email. So better get a move on unless you want to look a chump.

You can personalise your players to look like you, and updates will include online multiplayer and tournament modes. Running, Tennis, American Football and Basketball versions are also in the works.

miCoach Football is out now on the App Store for free. The adizero f50 boot with Speed Cell is also out now, for €245  (£210). Individual Speed Cells cost about €70 (£60).

Would you have a run around to improve your in-game players? Or should real-world fitness bear no relation to gaming skills? Let us know in the comments below or over on Facebook.

Image credit: Pocket Gamer.