The Android development team took to reddit this week to preview Android 17’s foldable gaming mode. Made specifically for foldables, the mode splits your display 50/50, with the gameplay up top and a full array of controls available on the bottom.
“We wanted to make this experience as seamless as possible for both players and game developers. Foldable gaming mode creates a virtual gamepad that emulates physical button presses at the system level. This means it’s designed to work with any game that supports physical controllers,” the team explained.
Supported Inputs
- D-pad
- Left and Right Thumbsticks
- A, B, X, Y action buttons
- L1, L2, L3
- R1, R2, R3
- Start button
A lot of thought seems to have went into the customization of the layout, too. There are numerous configurations to choose from, with Google noting that not everyone holds a controller the same way. Themeing is also available for the controllers.
Once available to devices, foldable owners will simply need to open their device, open a supported title, and then enjoy the new mode.
We’re excited for this. It’s expected to release in the “coming months.”
