Xbox is testing a way to use your phone as a controller on smart TVs

Xbox is testing phone based controls for cloud games on supported smart TVs, letting players use an Android or iOS phone when a controller is unavailable. The preview could make it easier to start playing without extra hardware, though it remains limited to supported devices and games.

Players connect their phone to the TV by scanning a QR code, then use controls in the phone’s browser. A second preview, Cloud Connect, is available only in the US and lets the Xbox Nano controller connect to a cloud session over Wi-Fi to reduce input delay. Both features can be tried through Preview Features in the latest Xbox smart TV app, but are still being tested.