Earlier in October, Microsoft revealed their planned game streaming service, tentatively titled Project xCloud. The service would allow users to stream full Xbox One games to consoles, PCs, and mobile devices like phones and tablets. One of the first and clearest barriers to playing console-grade games on a mobile device, however, is interface. Games that require snap reflexes can’t be accurately controlled through a touch screen. So, Microsoft has decided to employ what it already has, the Xbox controller, and give it a little adjustment.
Images have surfaced online from a paper penned by Microsoft’s own R&D department. The paper details a new kind of Xbox controller designed to turn a mobile device into a proper handheld console. The conceptual controller resembles a normal Xbox controller at first, albeit somewhat stretched out, but with a quick flick of a switch, the controller splits into two halves, leaving a charging base behind. The controller halves can then be affixed to the top and bottom of a phone or tablet, creating an ersatz handheld. The controller grips can also be removed, leaving just the buttons and the joysticks. This concept is of notable similarity to the Nintendo Switch, which the paper credits as the primary inspiration.
Since Project xCloud is still in its conceptual stages, this design could, and likely will, completely change down the line. It shows, however, how committed Microsoft is to making this new service happen.
