MagicTouch On Black Shark 2 Can Make Playing Games On A Touchscreen More Enjoyable

Using a touchscreen to play games is not to everyone liking. There are only a handful of singled-handed games that can be handled by a smartphone, but for others, swiping and tapping to control are just annoying.

To address that problem, Xiaomi has given its Black Shark 2 the MagicTouch feature, promising a more enjoyable experience with mobile gaming. Users can choose the assign controls to places they feel comfortable with, thanks to the pressure-sensitive display.  In other words, its underlying principles are similar to iPhone’s 3D Touch, with which the screen responses differently depending on how much force you apply on it. However, MagicTouch is way more useful.

The new feature from Xiaomi can be initiated in-game, at landscape mode, by swipe inward starting from the top corner on the right. This feature cannot work on games that only support portrait mode, like Pokémon Go.

In its interface, you will see questions asking for the two button mapping users would like to change, and the locations you want them to live on the screen. The choice is entirely up to you, but the idea here is to help you reduce the uncomfortable finger movements when playing.

A prime example is PUBG. The game has already come with lots of customization for control, with which users have the choice to change almost all buttons’ locations, how big they are, and their transparency. MagicTouch can complement this feature by letting you assign two multifunction buttons, thanks to the pressure-sensitive display.

In PUBG, the “Sprint” button is placed where users’ fingers rest in the natural state to control the characters. When you need to avoid gunfire, you will sway the characters right or left to do that. The inventory will be on the right-hand side of the screen. To manage it, you will have to tap the “Inventory” button at the bottom corner. With MagicTouch, users can create another button right above the “Sprint.” So when you want to access inventory, all you need to do is to tap this secondary button.

MagicTouch allows you to change the buttons on the right side too. Players of PUBG can find this feature useful. You can move the point of view, from first-person to third-person, but if you do not want to bother lifting a finger to tap the Fire button when you see an opponent, you can put a MagicTouch button at this part of the screen.

This is just an example with PUBG, MagicTouch can be useful for other games as well, especially landscape-supported titles. You can customize where you want the buttons to be placed without developers doing anything to enable the feature.

One of the biggest downers of this function is its heavy reliance on the pressure-sensitive screen on Black Shark 2, meaning that you have to have this phone to experience the functionality. So even if Xiaomi launches MagicTouch on Google Play, no other Android can support it without the special screen of Black Shark 2.

For those who want to stretch their budget for this phone, here are some of the specs. Under the hood, the chipset is the Qualcomm Snapdragon 855, the kind of processor that most Android flagships have, in-display fingerprint sensor, and RAM of 8GB. You will have a 6.39-inch OLED display, better color accuracy, less screen flicker at low brightness, and a reduced touch latency of 43.5ms. These specs put it on the same level as Samsung Galaxy S10 and OnePlus 7 Pro when it comes to hardware.

You may not care much about the camera department on a gaming phone but the dual snapper setup consisting of a 48MP and a 12MP, coupled with a 20MP camera on the front is a nice addition to have. You do not need to worry about the phone getting too hot after hours of gaming, thanks to the vapor cooling chamber. This feature can also be found on Razer Phone 2 released last year.

The Black Shark 2 is powered by Android 9 Pie, which is bloat-free. However, the interface is not what you will normally see with Xiaomi’s MIUI. One of the disadvantages of this phone is the lack of security updates. When we wrote this article, it is with the February 2019’s security patch.

If these problems have not yet damped your desire to get a Black Shark 2, the design of the phone can partly make up for these issues. This is a smartphone for gaming, meaning it does not have to look too classy or something like that, but Xiaomi has put lots of effort and thought in the appearance, making the phone appealing to the eyes. There is a chamfered edge surround the phone, and from the rear, the Black Shark 2 looks exactly like a sports car. Xiaomi has succeeded with its decision to use glass and metal for an eye-catching appearance.

For most people, the pressure-sensitive display is just a feature to attract attention without much of a useful practical application. A prime example is iPhones with its 3D Touch. It sounds appealing when you first hear it, but when you actually use a phone equipped with the feature, you may question its existence. Some users find it handy as it allows them to do more with fewer actions, but most of them are not even aware that it is there.

With all of its limitations, MagicTouch on Black Shark 2 is still somewhat a gimmick. Users will find it usefulness varies depending on the games they are currently playing. Those who have mastered the skills of playing on the touchscreen may not see the point of having it. However, gamers who think that playing on a smartphone is a real pain, MagicTouch might be able to help.