It looks like Microsoft is interested in improving the segment of portable devices - the company has released an update to its xCloud service, in which it added support for the Surface Duo smartphone.
You may have heard of this unique model, which starts at $1400 - it features two screens that the user can switch between using the second screen as a keyboard - or a joystick, which is what Microsoft noticed. Interestingly, the Surface Duo received a pretty cool welcome right after its release, but can the developers make it an alternative to Nintendo handheld consoles?
Thanks to the "cloud" capabilities of Xbox Cloud Gaming, the smartphone now supports Xbox games, which you can play using an impromptu joystick located on the screen. The Qualcomm Snapdragon 855 processor, which is installed on the device, could not cope with the launch of games "alone", but now it will be helped by xCloud. Interestingly, it really looks like a mobile Xbox - the developers have already added support for over 50 games. You can find a list of them on the official Xbox website.
As a reminder, Microsoft announced their plans to update xCloud earlier this year. Of course, the situation with the lack of parts for the development of new consoles Xbox Series X/S forced the company to look for new ways to solve the problem - Surface Duo may be one of the options, although not the only one. Anyway, this is an interesting experience of using cloud technologies to play games on devices that were not designed for this.
Interestingly, Microsoft is expanding Xbox Cloud Gaming on PC as well, although at the moment the service can be used only by special invitations. As you can see, there are many "cloud" alternatives that depend only on the imagination of the developers and the capabilities of your device, although even this is no longer a decisive factor. In an environment where powerful video cards are hard to reach for most gamers, such projects can be a real salvation.
Comments