The viral MCON gamepad may be the first mobile controller than can fit in your pocket.
The problem is, my pockets are already occupied with my mobile supercomputer that contains my life behind a 6.3-inch pane of glass. If my phone has a powerful processor and excellent AMOLED display, why can’t it also become my gaming device when I’m on the go?, the controller hyped to hell and back by young engineer Josh King and brought to market by phone peripheral makers OhSnap, could be enough to make me leave my handheld at home.
; only then it was a very early prototype using 3D-printed parts. Even then, I came away impressed with the collapsible phone controller. I had to duck and weave through many, many halls atto find the miniscule stall for MCON’s designer OhSnap. The company let me wrap my exhausted hands around the new, black and clear plastic MCONs that will be shipping later this year after its successful Kickstarter from earlier this year.The MCON, even in its prototype state, felt surprisingly fun to use. © Kyle Barr / Gizmodo, they all boil down to an Xbox controller split in half to make room for a phone. Some of those devices offer better controls or larger cavity space for up to the. While they’re slim enough to fit in a bag, the issue with this classic design is they’re not so portable you can slip them into a pocket. MCON is about the size of a phone itself. It’s compact enough that it may fit into cargo pants-sized pockets or into a pocketbook. I doubt it could fit in most thin jeans without tearing a hole in your pants or thigh. The collapsible mobile controller also uses a MagSafe magnetic attachment point while it communicates with the phone over Bluetooth, rather than a physical USB-C connection., though without a screen or PCB of its own. The controller collapses to the size of your average phone. With the press of a button, the spring-loaded front plate shoots out to reveal twin thumbsticks, four face buttons, and a D-pad. Two fold-out wings fan out from the base to create a pseudo-controller feel, though you can game without them if you can retreat to your Game Boy glory days, before companies cared a lick for wild concepts like “ergonomics.” The extra benefit of MCON is how it keeps the screen angled up, which may be more comfortable when sitting and gaming compared to The version I used was a prefab design, though it’s the closest model the company had available for when the device went into full production. The full-size drift-resistant TMR joysticks didn’t feel constrained despite being deep-set into the controller. While the buttons had a pleasantly shallow and clicky feel, I wouldn’t have been able to hear how loud they were in such a crowded convention hall. The real surprise was the two triggers. Despite being so thin and close to the device, they dipped to a surprising depth. I didn’t feel as much resistance for each trigger as I may have liked from myThe prototype MCON took a little too much effort to collapse, though that issue may be fixed by release. © Kyle Barr / Gizmodo, a game that automatically accelerates for you. I imagine most people who backed the MCON controller are more interested in games without solid touch controls. It may be an option for cloud gaming when you have access to a strong Wi-Fi connection. What may be more exciting is how it could be used for. The MCON’s MagSafe dock can slide out and reposition vertically for playing old-school Game Boy games on emulators, like The pop-out mechanism felt fast and smooth, though I found it was difficult to push the magnetic plate back into place. It took two hands, offering a grating feel as the rail ground against itself. OhSnap! told me it was working on making that mechanism smoother as they run into full production. This is the kind of device designed for taking out while ignoring the world on your daily work commute, and it would be especially handy to collapse the MCON with one hand and slip it into your pocket when you need to. OhSnap said MCON should launch some time late in October, so we’ll know then if my phone might finally become the Game Boy I wanted it to be.Streaming Can’t Replace Your PC, but Nvidia’s Updated GeForce Now Comes CloseThe iPhone 17 and 17 Pro Are Official and We Don’t Need to Read Leaks About Them AnymoreFollow along with the Gizmodo crew as we cover all the consumer electronics news announcements coming out of IFA 2025 in Berlin.Live Updates From Apple’s ‘Awe Dropping’ iPhone 17 Event 🔴Mark Hamill Is Embracing His Villain Era This Apple MacBook Air Costs Less Than AirPods at 80% Off, and You’d Never Guess It’s Refurbished From the Reviews
United States Latest News, United States Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Trump Sucks Up to World Leader After Epic Phone Call SnubThe president has gone on a charm offensive after being ignored.
Read more »
Jennifer Garner's Phone Crossbody Is So Clever — The Look Is $22Jennifer Garner recently rocked a chic, functional accessory: a phone crossbody pouch. The smart add-on is easy to copy with this $22 find.
Read more »
The New iPhone Air is Apple’s Thinnest Phone YetAfter years of slowing sales and stagnant design, Apple released the iPhone Air alongside the iPhone 17. It’s the thinnest iPhone yet and a sign of coming smartphone trends.
Read more »
Creepy selfies recovered from Idaho killer Bryan Kohberger's phone revealedFox News Channel offers its audiences in-depth news reporting, along with opinion and analysis encompassing the principles of free people, free markets and diversity of thought, as an alternative to the left-of-center offerings of the news marketplace.
Read more »
iPhone Air vs. Samsung Galaxy S25 Edge: Begun, the Thin Phone Wars HaveLet's see how the iPhone Air compares to the Samsung Galaxy S25 Edge.
Read more »
Jerry O'Connell claims 'yoga bandit' stole his wallet and phone during classFox News Channel offers its audiences in-depth news reporting, along with opinion and analysis encompassing the principles of free people, free markets and diversity of thought, as an alternative to the left-of-center offerings of the news marketplace.
Read more »