It’s not a secret that the Surface Duo was released more or less as a concept device with many missing features, which just… should’ve been there in the first place.
Microsoft hinted at a dual-screen game support on the Surface Duo when it was released back in 2019, but like many other features, it took a while for it to arrive. However, the company is finally on the case. The feature works thanks to an update to the Xbox Game Pass Beta app, adding support for dual-screen devices.
Supporting games will let you turn your Surface Duo into something like a Nintendo Switch, by allowing you to use the bottom half of the screen for dedicated controls, leaving the top part uninterrupted. That makes the Duo more of a gaming console than before, and we think improving the gaming experience can be a selling point to an otherwise strange device, which rather struggles to find its identity.
With the controls on the bottom, playing games will feel more natural. Moreover, you can use motion controls thanks to the gyro sensor. This feature lets you navigate around spaces within the game by physically moving your device, similar to how 360-degree videos work on YouTube. The third-person shooter game, Gears 5, has dedicated dual-screen controls, which you can try out now.
As for the current update, rolling out for the device itself, it is a simple security and firmware update, which likely contains minor bug fixes. The changelog is not available yet, but we’ll add the information to this article whenever it pops out. It will come to unlocked devices first, while AT&T models usually get it a week later.
The update brings the build number from 2021.115.52 to 2021.207.70 and the security patch to March 5, 2021. You can select System Update from your Settings to check if you’ve received it!
