Playing games on a touchscreen can be a hassle, but Microsoft has come up with an attractive solution that turns the Surface Duo into a portable Xbox Series X. Also, thanks to the Surface Duo's dual screens, Microsoft has effectively created an Xbox version of the Nintendo 3DS.

This feature works when the foldable is used in landscape mode (Microsoft calls it "compose mode") and one screen is placed over the other. The game is displayed on the top half and the touch controls are on the bottom half. Comparisons to the Nintendo 3DS are obvious, but this time on a much more expensive device with sharper looking games.

One of the big advantages of playing games this way is that you can see the action more clearly. Unlike when using touch controls on other devices, your thumbs do not get in the way. Xbox's Larry "MajorNelson" Hryb posted a video on Twitter showing a game in action on the Surface Duo.

Microsoft has made several other improvements to the Xbox Game Pass app as part of this update. It's easier to view content and navigate menus, and on the Surface Duo, the app organizes everything into columns. To use the dual-screen touch controls, you will need to make sure your Xbox Game Pass and Surface Duo are updated.

Microsoft has added custom touch controls to more than 50 Xbox Cloud game titles in recent months. After debuting the feature in Minecraft Dungeons last September, the Xbox team introduced dedicated touch control settings for Gears 5, Overcooked 2, Streets of Rage 4, and many other games.

Playing games on cell phones is much better than it used to be; both iPhone and Android support a variety of controllers, including Sony's PS5 DualSense and Xbox Wireless Controller. Controllers like the Backbone One, which has a built-in phone mount, are also gaining popularity.

The rise of cloud gaming has been the catalyst for mobile gaming growth over the past few years: in addition to Xbox cloud gaming, PlayStation Now, Nvidia GeForce Now, Google Stadia, Amazon Luna and Prsec, are tilting the market in the direction of high-end mobile gaming.

In general, the Surface Duo's features do not function like an external controller. It may be best suited for games that don't require dual thumbsticks or shoulder buttons, or titles that don't require lightning-quick reactions. Nevertheless, this update will give players another convenient way to play games on their phones.