Microsoft’s Surface Neo, their upcoming foldable tablet, (which features Microsoft’s new Windows 10X OS) is implied to have a function as a gaming device, according to My Broadband via a new patent.
The patent shows that the Surface Neo could come with an attachment that could function as a game controller.
“…the input device #102 could manifest as a trackpad or game controller, among others,” says Microsoft in the patent document, making reference to this new gaming function which will likely be more similar to how game controls work on mobile than to an actual gamepad, if the above quote is anything to go by.
The patent was filed in 2018 but only published yesterday. The Surface Neo itself is set to launch sometime during the Holidays in 2020. No price is yet announced.
My Broadband notes that the Neo will probably not launch with hardware resembling any sort of high-end gaming PC and that it is expected instead to be a platform to run Microsoft’s Project xCloud cloud-gaming service.
How the service will work around the Neo’s twin screens display is not yet known, but Microsoft could add features to work around the hardware.
Project xCloud and the expansion of Cloud Gaming
Microsoft has been pushing its new cloud-gaming streaming service to Samsung and Apple perhaps in an effort to gain an upper hand on their competition.
Cloud gaming seems to be making major marks on the smartphone market, and that may be where it could find a home for the foreseeable future – in places where access to your home console or PC is not possible or optimal.
Access to high-end video games on your tablet or phone could see such services become well-ingrained with users who may choose these services over the current market of games made for smartphone OS specifically and other on-the-move gaming options, especially those produced by Nintendo, such as the Nintendo Switch.
Edited by Luis Monzon
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