Microsoft Surface Duo gets touch controls for xCloud gaming

Microsoft Surface Duo can now be used as a virtual gamepad with the new dual-screen support.

Microsoft Surface Duo  (Microsoft)

Microsoft has finally released an update that turns the Surface Duo into a handheld Xbox. It has added touch controls on the second screen of the Surface Duo. This was first teased almost two years ago, and it is finally available through an update to the Xbox Cloud Gaming app for Android.

The Surface Duo can now work as a handheld Xbox thanks to the dual-screen support. Microsoft's Chief Product Officer, Panos Panay tweeted the announcement along with an image showing how the feature looks on the Surface Duo. It looks quite cool where one screen shows the game, and the other has the touch controls. So you pretty much have a virtual gamepad on the Surface Duo. Prior to this, Surface Duo users had to use a controller to play xCloud games on the device.

There are more than 50 games on xCloud that support touch controls. The list includes Gears 5, Sea of Thieves, Spiritfarer, Hellblade: Senua's Sacrifice, and Minecraft Dungeons. You can find the full list of compatible games here. Surface Duo users with an xCloud subscription can experience the new feature by updating the app from the Google Play Store.

Microsoft launched the Surface Duo last year. It has a 5.6-inch AMOLED display which opens up to an 8.1-inch screen. It has a 3,577mAh battery with support for 18W fast charging. The dual-screen phone features an 11-megapixel camera that works as the front and rear cameras. It is powered by the Snapdragon 855 processor paired with 6GB of RAM and up to 256GB of internal storage.