What you need to know
- Xbox Game Pass on Android is now Surface Duo ready.
- Games can span to show controls on one screen and the game on the other.
- It's been in testing with the beta app for some time.
Microsoft has today announced that the Xbox Game Pass app for Android now officially supports the Surface Duo and its unique dual-screen setup. The company has been testing this with the Game Pass Beta app on Android for a handful of weeks, but now the feature is ready for prime, which is why Microsoft is announcing the feature today.
Xbox Game Pass support on Surface Duo allows gamers to play over 50 games on their Surface Duo with dedicated touch controls. However, unlike on a normal smartphone, these touch controls will appear on the bottom display so that your fingers don't get in the way of the game you're playing, just like on a Nintendo DS or other popular handheld gaming systems.
Microsoft also says that Xbox Game Cloud (xCloud) developers can adapt their games even further to take advantage of Surface Duo's other unique form factor choices, including support for the wider 3:2 aspect ratio, columned layouts, and more.
A very cool update goes live for #SurfaceDuo customers today! Working with @Xbox we've put touch controls on to the second screen. More than 50 games are available to play with touch for @xboxGamePass Ultimate Members. pic.twitter.com/ZPIqQZXxS4A very cool update goes live for #SurfaceDuo customers today! Working with @Xbox we've put touch controls on to the second screen. More than 50 games are available to play with touch for @xboxGamePass Ultimate Members. pic.twitter.com/ZPIqQZXxS4— Panos Panay (@panos_panay) May 24, 2021May 24, 2021
Xbox Game Pass support for Surface Duo is available now, and will automatically work when you span the app across both screens. Not all games have support for touch controls just yet, but Microsoft is constantly adding support for new ones so hopefully the entire library will have support for touch at some point. Check out our in-depth look at Xbox Game Pass on Surface Duo if you're interested.
Interestingly, Xbox Game Pass is one of the few Microsoft apps on Android that isn't pre-installed on Surface Duo. That means you'll have to download it from the Google Play Store to take advantage of this new support. Perhaps the app will be preloaded on Surface Duo 2 now that the app officially supports the form factor.
In the meantime, what are your thoughts on Xbox Game Pass support for Surface Duo? Leave them in the comments.
Take the finished version of xCloud for a run out
Game Pass subscribers can check out xCloud on their Android phone or tablet right now with the Xbox Game Pass app from the Play Store.
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