Microsoft
has been working to bridge the gap between mobile and console gaming. As a part of those efforts, the company last year completed the acquisition of Activision Blizzard and has been announcing several mobile-first features. One of the features that is coming is the integration of touch controls into its
Xbox
apps for iPhones and Android devices.
As per a report by The Verge, the software giant started testing touch controls in the beta versions of its Xbox mobile apps, offering Xbox owners the ability to remotely control their consoles and play games on smartphones and tablets without the need of a Bluetooth controller.
The touch controls mirror those available on Microsoft's
Xbox Cloud
Gaming service, providing users with an on-screen overlay facilitating navigation through the
Xbox UI
and launching games for streaming directly from their consoles. The smartphone will essentially work as a remote control.
The controls are said to be compatible with any game and are particularly beneficial for on-the-go gaming scenarios where a dedicated controller may not be readily available. They may, however, may not match the precision of a physical controller.
Microsoft has been adding touch controls compatibility with hundreds of Xbox games, with notable popularity in titles like Hades, Minecraft Dungeons, and Yakuza: Like a Dragon. The company has also been rolling out updates to Xbox consoles, with the most recent big update included a UI change.
Job cuts at Activision, Xbox
The development comes after Microsoft announced that it is laying off 1900 employees from Activision Blizzard and Xbox units. Microsoft Gaming CEO Phil Spencer sent a memo to employees announcing the job cuts.
Microsoft acquired Activision Blizzard in a $69 billion deal in a bid to develop its gaming ecosystem on mobile devices and compete with Google as well as
Apple
in the mobile gaming space.
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