Sidekick in Google Play Video games is now simpler to set off

Google lastly gave Play Video games an enormous improve final yr, together with an in-game overlay referred to as Sidekick. This overlay enables you to immediately view achievements, get enter on the sport with Gemini Dwell, take screenshots/display screen recordings, and extra. Activating Sidekick in supported video games at present requires customers to tug the deal with that seems on the suitable or left of the display screen. The Play Retailer is now including a brand new activation technique for this gamer-centric function, and might need one other within the works.

Whereas the prevailing Sidekick drag deal with works as meant, its placement isn’t preferrred for sure video games, particularly FPS or some arcade titles. The Play Retailer is including a brand new “Configure Sidekick entry” possibility in Settings > Basic > Google Play Video games, which incorporates an “Open solely from notifications” possibility, alongside the prevailing “Open solely inside video games.”

Selecting this new possibility removes the onscreen drag deal with and allows you to activate Sidekick by way of the notifications panel, enabling a distraction-free gaming expertise. We’re seeing this throughout a number of Play Retailer variations, which signifies it might be a part of a server-side rollout. However that’s not all.

Digging into model 53.1.23 of the Play Retailer, we can provide you an early have a look at one other strategy to set off the on-screen drag deal with that would drastically scale back unintentional Sidekick activations.

Because the screenshots above present, a future replace might allow you to configure a double-tap system for this deal with, whereby tapping the deal with as soon as shows a “Double-tap to open” onscreen immediate. The deal with itself will get a revised circle icon to differentiate it from the usual drag deal with.

This may let avid gamers preserve the onscreen drag deal with expertise with out worrying about unintentionally activating it. Since that is below growth, it’s nonetheless troublesome to say when (or if) it could be included into Play Video games, however we’d be completely happy to see it arrive.

Due to @catat2am on Telegram!