Why it's time for Microsoft to release a Surface PC for gaming

I'k a huge Surface fan and have owned a Surface device in every product generation since the Surface RT. At face value, for what you get with a Surface, they by and large seem overpriced, especially on the higher-end. Surface delivers unique form factors and a level of quality that often eludes other PC manufacturers, where every bending feels refined and fawned over by a team of passionate engineers.

Surface devices often get compared to Apple's laptops , which redefined what sexy desktop hardware might look like. Surface has carried the hardware innovation torch with gusto, spawning an unabridged ecosystem of tablet-like PCs that even Apple was forced to copy. I meet Surface devices virtually everywhere I go in Europe, from airports to coffee shops, among family and friends, with tech influencers praising the software at every turn.

Strangely enough, though, Surface seems to have sidestepped one of the PC ecosystem's biggest growth areas: gaming.

With Projection xCloud game streaming and an increased focus on PC gaming from the Xbox team, it feels similar a great for a Surface gaming PC to be released. This is peculiarly truthful when you consider that the most powerful Surface offerings but don't hit the mark.

Surface Book 2 has the internals but not the grade gene

Despite rocking 16GB of RAM, an i7 CPU, and a GTX 1060, my 15-inch Surface Book 2 could only handle the most modest of gaming loads. Thankfully, the huge library of Windows PC legacy content ways that yous'll never exist curt of something that will run well on the Surface Book 2, but for a PC that costs nearly $three,000, you'd exist forgiven for expecting to get a picayune more than juice out of the hardware.

Surface Book 2's greatest forcefulness and greatest weakness is its form factor. Rocking a detachable display, the Surface Book 2 can serve as a productivity "clipboard" or exist reversed and laid flat in an inking canvass mode. In the existent world, I'm pretty certain almost nobody actually uses the clipboard manner, detaching the screen just to flip it into its sail grade cistron. A 15-inch tablet is simply unwieldy for use as a tablet, probably circumscribed it to board meetings where you want to look particularly professional. The reversible hinge on some Dell XPS or Lenovo Yoga laptops strikes me equally a far more logical configuration for almost every other user scenario. The fact no other manufacturers actually do the detachable-display-keyboard-docking thing should be testify enough that information technology's a wasteful design.

The relentless pursuit of thin-ness gives the Book two some seriously crappy thermals. In a perfect scenario, the silicon inside the Surface Volume 2 should be far more powerful for games, simply the thermal throttling kills the whole proposition. And this is even when you condone the fact the Surface Book 2 doesn't draw enough power to max itself out, draining the bombardment even when it's plugged in nether load. This is the paradigm of course over role.

The fact that Microsoft included the Xbox Wireless direct protocol in the 15-inch Surface Book ii model says to me that the division at to the lowest degree has gaming on its heed, even if it's a bit of an afterthought.

Surface has shown it can exist 'fun'

Surface mostly skews towards productivity and "work" in its marketing and messaging, but the lineup has shown repeatedly that information technology can be fun. too. Surface Become, correct from its name, speaks of a more attainable production tailored for consumption and calorie-free tasks rather than serious work. I feel as though this device wouldn't find a lot of traction beyond consumers and schools.

The Surface make is more than versatile plenty to add together a gaming sub-brand

The uncanny thing about PC gaming hardware is that, for Windows, it intersects very nicely between productivity and gaming. If you want to do high-finish video editing, 3D modeling, or complex art tasks with multiple layers with loftier resolutions, you lot're going to want beefy hardware. Every bit an added bonus, serious PC hardware for productivity naturally translates into gaming scenarios. Razer has capitalized on this fact in contempo years, launching grayness versions of its laptops that are a trivial more appealing to artistic types, in contrast to the black chassis and rainbow RGB blush it's known for.

The Surface brand is more than than versatile enough to add a gaming sub-make to its lineup. Additionally, the Surface team is stocked full with hardware innovators capable of capitalizing on this exciting hardware sector Microsoft has never really immersed itself in.

PC gaming is a crucial area of hardware innovation

Microsoft has built gaming-oriented software, services, and accessories over the years, producing what is arguably the best gamepad of all fourth dimension. It'southward always smashing to talk upwards the Surface Book's vague capability to run games, likewise, showing off Gears of War 4 on the original Surface Book when it was previously revealed.

Companies like MSI, Razer, ASUS, and more than take all been pushing the envelope on what portable PC gaming hardware can look like. The new Razer Blade laptops have displays that go up to a baking 240Hz while remaining less than 2 centimeters thick when closed. Acer's insane Predator Helios 700 is a huge, hulking fauna that finer compresses a desktop PC into a lappable chassis. MSI, Alienware, and ASUS ROG are all also innovating, coming upwards with unique thermal solutions that push the concept of portability without sacrificing airflow.

Microsoft'southward Surface line not only serves as a showcase for the best of Windows, but historically, Microsoft likewise baked in unique solutions that push its OEM partners to effort new things. Having a hero device that showcases the capabilities of Projection xCloud as a handheld culling to the Nintendo Switch might as well be something the Surface team could capitalize on.

The time is now for a Surface gaming PC

As good as the Surface Book 2 is, as powerful every bit it is, it's frustrating how it's not able to meet its full potential as a gaming device due to the form factor. A couple of tweaks, mayhap a 144Hz display, a more airflow-friendly footprint to combat throttling, 32GB RAM option, and ditching the GPU dock machinery would be obvious get-go steps. Surface is known for innovation, though, and I'd love to meet what the team at Redmond might exist able to bring to the PC gaming market.

What do yous recollect? Would it be worthwhile for the Surface team to lend its expertise to the PC gaming hardware market? Or are OEMs doing enough already? I'd like to hear your thoughts in the comments.

Our favorite Surface accessories from Microsoft

Every one of these valuable Surface accessories is Windows Key Approved and guaranteed to please.

Surface Precision Mouse ($77 at Amazon)

The Surface Precision Mouse is not only one of favorite Surface accessories, it'southward ane of our favorite mice for any PC. Information technology's packed with valuable features and customizable buttons. Its scrolling and tracking are seamless and spot-on. And information technology'due south rechargeable so you never have to buy new batteries for it.

Surface Pen (From $72 at Amazon)

Every Surface possessor needs this Pen. Period. Information technology supports 4,096 levels of pressure sensitivity, tilt support for shading density, and enjoys supremely low latency. When paired with a Surface PC, the potential is endless. And it comes in a agglomeration of cool colors.

Surface Dock ($136 at Amazon)

With 2 Mini DisplayPorts, four USB-A three.0 ports, an Ethernet port, and a 3.5mm audio jack, this dock gives you the ports you need to stay continued to all your favorite devices. Plus, it hands turns your Surface into a desktop power hub. We highly recommend it.

We may earn a committee for purchases using our links. Learn more.

Which way volition you play?

Lost Ark best classes: Tier list, PvE, and PvP

If you're looking to jump into the rapidly growing Lost Ark MMO, bank check out this guide for an in-depth overview of the game's best classes for PvE and PvP play.