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Microsoft has turned the Surface Duo into a handheld Xbox

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Re: Microsoft has turned the Surface Duo into a handheld Xbox

#31

Post by jayd16 »

techrat wrote: post #11
jayd16 wrote: post #4

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Just pair a controller.

Thus defeating the entire purpose of having a two screen setup where one screen acts like a controller. You'd be better off getting a larger screen phone and a bracket to clip the phone to a physical controller. Especially with one that has as many buttons as the XBox controller does.

I'd probably prefer this little laptop mode over holding a phone strapped to my controller. You could fold it around to one screen and use that configuration if you like as well. There are a lot of options and I think that's neat.

Re: Microsoft has turned the Surface Duo into a handheld Xbox

#32

Post by evanextreme »

whazor wrote: post #19

Get a Razer Kishi or Backbone (seems better for iPhone) for your current phone. Much better experience as you have actual buttons.

Backbone on iPhone is an amazing experience. What shocked me was how well they nail the software side of the "game console". it has a full home button and button based UX for selecting games

Re: Microsoft has turned the Surface Duo into a handheld Xbox

#33

Post by jayd16 »

kbenson wrote: post #6
jayd16 wrote: post #4

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Just pair a controller.

At that point, why use the surface duo over some phone that doesn't take up that space with another screen? This does bring up that a good gaming controller meant to mount to a phone might have a lot more use these days with the cloud gaming services than it would a decade ago though. A high quality Xbox or PS4 like controller that could mount a phone might sell well. Or an adapter for the real ones.

Still seems like a nice form factor to me. If you get a text you can just switch to that and type as you normally would. When a phone is strapped to a controller it seems a bit more cumbersome but I think it comes down to personal preference.

This mode only adds a feature and takes nothing away so in my mind its just a nice addition.

Re: Microsoft has turned the Surface Duo into a handheld Xbox

#34

Post by opencl »

kbenson wrote: post #6
jayd16 wrote: post #4

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Just pair a controller.

At that point, why use the surface duo over some phone that doesn't take up that space with another screen? This does bring up that a good gaming controller meant to mount to a phone might have a lot more use these days with the cloud gaming services than it would a decade ago though. A high quality Xbox or PS4 like controller that could mount a phone might sell well. Or an adapter for the real ones.

There are controllers that split in half and you stick the phone in the middle for a Switch-like form factor. The ergonomics are much better than the controller clips because those end up being very top heavy with most newer phones.

The real problem is that there are few mobile games designed for controllers, unless you want to use one of the streaming services or console emulators.

Re: Microsoft has turned the Surface Duo into a handheld Xbox

#35

Post by mumblemumble »

johnvaluk wrote: post #29
neogodless wrote: post #24

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I'll disagree with UX on the Windows Phone. I miss it to this day. The problem was 100% insufficient ecosystem support. Friends having social apps I simply couldn't get my hands on (and third-party apps that worked great getting blocked by official sources.) And bank apps that required Android/iOS - the convenience of mobile check deposit can't be overstated in the U.S.! The Surface UX (Windows 10) has improved massi…

I wish Microsoft had continued to develop Windows Phone as an alternative to Windows, instead of trying to incorporate some features into Windows as Metro, which met with inevitable backlash. I would have loved to see it evolve into a tablet/touchscreen laptop platform on its own merits.

Indeed, my sense is that Windows Phone 7 was picking up some decent momentum, and then it was scuttled by the Windows 8 initiative. There was probably some guilt by association with the ill-fated desktop OS. But there was also the confusing compatibility story between Windows Phone 7 and Windows Phone 8, which I found to be confusing and slightly intimidating both as someone who was shopping for a phone at the time, and someone who was considering developing an app for Windows Phone.

I get what they were trying to do, and it was certainly an interesting and ambitious goal. But they made the same mistake I repeatedly make when I'm trying to kindle a campfire: putting the fire out by throwing way too much wood onto it at the first hint of a visible flame.

Re: Microsoft has turned the Surface Duo into a handheld Xbox

#36

Post by GordonS »

neogodless wrote: post #24
al2o3cr wrote: post #21

Earlier quoted context omitted.

This seems to be the ongoing story with Windows Phone / Surface: interesting and well-made hardware, let down by mediocre software and UX.

I'll disagree with UX on the Windows Phone. I miss it to this day. The problem was 100% insufficient ecosystem support. Friends having social apps I simply couldn't get my hands on (and third-party apps that worked great getting blocked by official sources.) And bank apps that required Android/iOS - the convenience of mobile check deposit can't be overstated in the U.S.! The Surface UX (Windows 10) has improved massi…

I used Windows Phone for a few years back in the day. I did find it a bit buggy (my phone would crash about once a week), but the UX was pretty good. Especially at the time, where screens were lower-resolution than they are now, the tiled interface worked really well.

I eventually moved to Android, and it took me a long time to get used to it - for a long time I kept thinking that just about everything had been more intuitive in Windows Phone.

Re: Microsoft has turned the Surface Duo into a handheld Xbox

#37

Post by dylan604 »

rvz wrote: post #23
nicolashahn wrote: post #2

Touchscreen buttons? No thanks.

Exactly this. And it is $836.21 for the device according to this link: [0] No thanks and certainly no deal. [0] https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08JTDPRM1

Using that link, I see the 128GB version for $768.99 a discount of $631(45%) from the $1399.99 original price.

The 256GB is $849.99 being a $650(43%) discount of the $1499.99 price.

I see no other discounts to get to the price you posted.

Re: Microsoft has turned the Surface Duo into a handheld Xbox

#39

Post by lotsofpulp »

neogodless wrote: post #24
al2o3cr wrote: post #21

Earlier quoted context omitted.

This seems to be the ongoing story with Windows Phone / Surface: interesting and well-made hardware, let down by mediocre software and UX.

I'll disagree with UX on the Windows Phone. I miss it to this day. The problem was 100% insufficient ecosystem support. Friends having social apps I simply couldn't get my hands on (and third-party apps that worked great getting blocked by official sources.) And bank apps that required Android/iOS - the convenience of mobile check deposit can't be overstated in the U.S.! The Surface UX (Windows 10) has improved massi…

>The problem was 100% insufficient ecosystem support.

The root cause of which is insufficient Microsoft support. If they had stuck with it and kept investing for 10 years and kept up their investments in physical stores where people could go to buy non malware laden products and get tech help, I think they could have been a 3rd option in today's market.

Re: Microsoft has turned the Surface Duo into a handheld Xbox

#40

Post by kbenson »

jayd16 wrote: post #33
kbenson wrote: post #6

Earlier quoted context omitted.

At that point, why use the surface duo over some phone that doesn't take up that space with another screen? This does bring up that a good gaming controller meant to mount to a phone might have a lot more use these days with the cloud gaming services than it would a decade ago though. A high quality Xbox or PS4 like controller that could mount a phone might sell well. Or an adapter for the real ones.

Still seems like a nice form factor to me. If you get a text you can just switch to that and type as you normally would. When a phone is strapped to a controller it seems a bit more cumbersome but I think it comes down to personal preference. This mode only adds a feature and takes nothing away so in my mind its just a nice addition.

Perhaps I was too dismissive initially. I can see the benefit of having controls already there without having to take up screen real estate, so it does make sense, especially for games that don't require precise timing and movement, and there are plenty of those.

Having access to those games easily and without needing a separate controller or using controls on the same screen you view the game with is beneficial, and doesn't preclude adding a separate physical controller for games that would benefit from one, so this seems like a net win.

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