This Pop-Out Telephone Controller May Reinvent How We Consider Cellular Gaming

Today’s retro recreations are so good at replicating the Game Boy’s look, really feel, and portability. The drawback is, my pockets are already occupied with my cell supercomputer that comprises my life behind a 6.3-inch pane of glass. If my cellphone has a strong processor and wonderful AMOLED show, why can’t it additionally develop into my gaming machine once I’m on the go? MCON, the controller hyped to hell and again by younger engineer Josh King and dropped at market by cellphone peripheral makers OhSnap, may very well be sufficient to make me go away my handheld at house.

I first noticed the $150 MCON cellphone peripheral again at CES 2025; solely then it was a really early prototype utilizing 3D-printed components. Even then, I got here away impressed with the collapsible cellphone controller. I needed to duck and weave via many, many halls at IFA 2025 to search out the miniscule stall for MCON’s designer OhSnap. The firm let me wrap my exhausted palms across the new, black and clear plastic MCONs that shall be transport later this yr after its profitable Kickstarter from earlier this yr.

MCON has surprisingly great-feeling controls

When I have a look at most fashionable cellphone controllers, whether or not they’re the Backbone, the 8BitDo cell controller, or a Razer Kishi, all of them boil all the way down to an Xbox controller break up in half to make room for a cellphone. Some of these gadgets provide higher controls or bigger cavity area for as much as the dimensions of a 13-inch iPad. While they’re slim sufficient to slot in a bag, the problem with this basic design is that they’re not so transportable you possibly can slip them right into a pocket. MCON is in regards to the dimension of a cellphone itself. It’s compact sufficient that it could match into cargo pants-sized pockets or right into a pocketbook. I doubt it may slot in most skinny denims with out tearing a gap in your pants or thigh. The collapsible cell controller additionally makes use of a MagSafe magnetic attachment level whereas it communicates with the cellphone over Bluetooth, relatively than a bodily USB-C connection.

You can consider MCON as a Nintendo DS or a slide-out PSP Go, although with no display or PCB (printed circuit board) of its personal. The controller collapses to the dimensions of your common cellphone. With the press of a button, the spring-loaded entrance plate shoots out to disclose twin thumbsticks, 4 face buttons, and a D-pad. Two fold-out wings fan out from the bottom to create a pseudo-controller really feel, although you possibly can recreation with out them in case you can retreat to your Game Boy glory days, earlier than firms cared a lick for wild ideas like “ergonomics.” The further advantage of MCON is the way it retains the display angled up, which can be extra snug when sitting and gaming in comparison with Steam Deck-like handheld PCs or the Switch 2.

The model I used was a prefab design, although it’s the closest mannequin the corporate had obtainable for when the machine went into full manufacturing. The full-size drift-resistant TMR (tunnel magnetoresistance) joysticks didn’t really feel constrained regardless of being deep-set into the controller. While the buttons had a pleasantly shallow and clicky really feel, I wouldn’t have been in a position to hear how loud they have been in such a crowded conference corridor. The actual shock was the 2 triggers. Despite being so skinny and near the machine, they dipped to a shocking depth. I didn’t really feel as a lot resistance for every set off as I could have favored from my favourite controllers, however I’d nonetheless favor them over the clicky triggers of many DS-like gadgets.

Time to work out the kinks

I didn’t get to play something however Warped Kart Racers, a recreation that mechanically accelerates for you. I think about most individuals who backed the MCON controller are extra involved in video games with out strong contact controls. It could also be an choice for cloud gaming when you have got entry to a powerful Wi-Fi connection. What could also be extra thrilling is the way it may very well be used for retro emulation. The MCON’s MagSafe dock can slide out and reposition vertically for enjoying old-school Game Boy video games on emulators, like Delta on iOS.

The pop-out mechanism felt quick and clean, although I discovered it was troublesome to push the magnetic plate again into place. It took two palms, providing a grating really feel because the rail floor towards itself. OhSnap! advised me it was engaged on making that mechanism smoother as they run into full manufacturing. This is the sort of machine designed for taking out whereas ignoring the world in your every day work commute, and it could be particularly helpful to break down the MCON with one hand and slip it into your pocket when you’ll want to. OhSnap stated MCON ought to launch a while late in October, so we’ll know then if my cellphone may lastly develop into the Game Boy I wished it to be.