Surface Duo: This App Will Make Your Phone A Xbox
Microsoft is transforming its Surface Duo mobile phone into an Xbox with an app. The new version of Xbox Cloud Gaming (xCloud) lets you play Xbox games on your smartphone with two displays.
Surface Duo: The App Turns Your Phone Into An Xbox
Microsoft has updated its Xbox Cloud Gaming (xCloud) app and now offers a unique function for its Surface Duo smartphone. If you have an Xbox, you can stream some games from the console directly to your mobile phone with a double screen. One display serves as a virtual controller, while the content is shown on the other display. The cell phone itself looks more like a Nintendo 3DS than a smartphone.
In all games for the Xbox, the virtual controller on the Surface Duo does not work. Microsoft has worked hard in the last few months and added Xbox Touch Controls to more than 50 games. These include Sea of Thieves, Gears 5, and Minecraft Dungeons, among others. According to The Verge, a classic controller can still be used when streaming Xbox games on the Surface Duo.
In the announcement made via Twitter, Tom Warren said,
“Microsoft is turning its Surface Duo into a handheld Xbox today. The latest app update for Xbox Cloud Gaming (xCloud) let’s you use one screen for touch controls and the other for the game. It’s like a Nintendo 3DS with Xbox games.”
The significant advantage of having a double screen is evident. There is much more space for the actual game if the buttons have their net. In addition, Microsoft has also changed the Xbox Cloud Gaming (xCloud) app so that menus and other content on the Surface Duo are easier to navigate.
Surface Duo: Sales Have Started
It is doubtful whether Microsoft will boost the Surface Duo’s sluggish sales with new gaming options. In the USA, sales for the particular mobile phone have already begun. The Surface Duo is available from that place at $1199.
The Surface Duo Can Become a 3DS
With this distinctive feature, the Surface Duo offers a better experience than a traditional smartphone. If Microsoft provides more and more games compatible with touch controls, the ergonomics are not always there: the keys are displayed superimposed on the game. The second screen of the Surface Duo provides access to the buttons without affecting readability – since the game is shown usually (your thumbs are not likely to hide part of the information).
The tactile controls displayed as such will never replace the ergonomics of a standard controller – especially in terms of experience with the sticks. It may be more of a backup solution if you are not able to use a Bluetooth controller. The Xbox Game Pass brings together exactly 66 games compatible with touch controls. There are games like Tell Me Why, Two Point Hospital, Dead Cells, Celeste, Overcooked! 2, or Gears 5.
