Microsoft is upgrading the Xbox experience on mobile devices by adding touch controls to its iOS and Android applications, according to The Verge. Currently under beta testing, the touch controls allow Xbox owners to remotely manage their consoles and play games on smartphones and tablets without the requirement of a Bluetooth controller.
These touch controls are similar to those seen on Microsoft’s Xbox Cloud Gaming service, and include an on-screen overlay that allows for remote navigation around the Xbox user interface. Users may open and stream games directly from their consoles, removing the need for a physical controller.
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While dedicated controllers provide a better gaming experience, the survey claimed that Microsoft’s touch controls are rather effective, particularly for gamers who previously used Bluetooth controllers for remote play. Notably, Microsoft reports that 20% of Xbox Cloud Gaming gamers only utilize touch controllers. The business has actively incorporated bespoke Xbox touch controllers into a variety of games, including Hades, Minecraft Dungeons, and Yakuza: Like a Dragon.
Simultaneously, Microsoft has made substantial organizational changes, including the elimination of nearly 1900 positions in its Xbox and Blizzard game companies. This decrease represents around 8% of the Microsoft Gaming division’s total workforce, which now numbers roughly 22,000 individuals.
Matt Booty, Microsoft’s head of game content and studios, acknowledged the personnel reductions in an internal message and announced the resignation of Allen Adham, Blizzard’s chief design officer. Adham, a cofounder of Blizzard, helped shape the company’s games. Booty was certain that Adham’s influence would continue via his mentoring of future designers in the profession.
As part of the restructure, Microsoft announced the scrapping of a previously promised survival game from Blizzard. Despite the failure, Booty stated that the expertise from this project will be diverted to potential new endeavors in the early phases of development at Blizzard.
