What you need to know
- The Windows 11 on Surface Duo project recently added the ability to run 3D games.
- A bug fix also removed graphical issues that caused screen glitches when driving both displays.
- The project is run by an independent developer that specializes in getting Windows to run on unsupported hardware.
The Windows 11 on Surface Duo project is a fun development we've followed over the last year. Independent developer Gustave Monce, who is known for getting Windows to run on unsupported hardware, has been hard at work getting Windows 11 to run on the Surface Duo. The project took a major leap forward in June by adding support for several sensors. Now, the GPU works properly, marking another major step forward.
I followed up with Monce recently to check in on the project. Since June, Monce has managed to smooth out glitches affecting the displays. Both of the foldable's screens now work when running Windows 11 without any issues. Monce explained the fix.
"The GPU has a dedicated memory region for tiling textures, it was doubled incorrectly to what it should have been so as more tiling textures made its way into gpu memory, some corruption happened because some data went to basically nowhere," explained the developer.
That fix removed any graphical glitches affecting the displays.
No more graphical glitches :) pic.twitter.com/rxJ5witDhXSeptember 3, 2022
The Surface Duo running Windows 11 also gained the ability to run 3D games, which is an incredible feat. Users from the community have shared several videos online of the Duo running titles natively, including Skyrim and Minecraft.
This is the craziest thing I've seen in a while. Full 3D game running on Surface Duo in Windows 11. pic.twitter.com/60N4SHsqTESeptember 3, 2022
here is a video of the game running(yes it's running natively) pic.twitter.com/0shPzCZIFvSeptember 5, 2022
Minecraft Bedrock edition is running very well on duo with windows 11! Special Thanks to @gus33000 https://t.co/OhHVNDH1HW pic.twitter.com/58Tbm63jglSeptember 3, 2022
There are some thermal issues with the Duo when powering games at the moment. The problem is related to the temperature sensor and should be fixed in the future. Of course, the Surface Duo was never meant to run Windows 11, Steam, or power PC games, so a few issues should be expected.
If you'd like the best gaming experience on the Surface Duo, it's worth playing through Xbox Cloud Gaming. Of course, doing that doesn't come with the added benefit of running Windows 11 on a phone.
If you'd like to try out the Windows 11 on Surface Duo project or contribute to it, you can check it out on GitHub. There's a how-to guide on that page. Just be aware that you'll be running unsupported software on your device, which can cause issues.
