Currently, mobile game controllers that flank smartphones with physical controls on either side, such as the Backbone One and the Razer Kishi, are the most popular form factor in the category. It’s no surprise, since they make you feel like you’re playing on a modern gaming handheld. Only problem is, you can’t put them in your pocket that way, requiring you to detach the whole thing if you want to fit your phone in your pocket. That won’t be the case with the OhSnap MCON.
A slide-up mobile game controller, the device snaps to the back of your phone and gives you access to a proper gamepad by simply sliding your phone upwards. It’s a form factor copied straight out of the Sony PSP Go from back in the day, which makes for a more compact solution that mobile gamers might end up preferring over the currently more prevalent alternatives.
The OhSnap MCON is a mobile game controller that snaps to the MagSafe on the back of the iPhone to attach itself to the mobile device. They also offer a stick-on MagSafe adapter that non-iPhone users can use to attach the device to their non-MagSafe phones. Once secured to the phone, you can access the gamepad by simply holding the phone in landscape orientation and pressing the two buttons on top, which will flick the phone upwards automatically.
The gamepad comes with two hall effect joysticks, four action buttons, a D-pad, two shoulder buttons, and two triggers in a symmetrical layout, so you get all the basic controls necessary for playing modern games. For better ergonomics, it also gets a pair of blade-shaped grips that fold out of the controller’s body, giving you a more convenient place to hold the whole thing during gameplay.
The OhSnap MCON measures around the same width and height as a smartphone at 5.7 x 2.7 inches, all while coming in at 0.7 inches thick. When snapped onto the back of most phones, the whole thing should sit at around an inch thick, so it adds a good load of bulk to the whole thing. However, that’s still compact enough to fit in most pants pockets, especially when compared to the added length you’ll get from the usual gamepad solutions. At the size, you’ll still be able to keep your phone right in the same pocket you usually stash it in, albeit at the expense of extra weight and bulk.
It pairs with phones over Bluetooth, so there’s no need to plug in a connector of any sort, although you can also connect via a phone’s USB-C port if you prefer. According to the outfit, the control can charge fully in around 30 minutes, which is good enough to last it for weeks of gaming before needing to replenish. It comes with
two magnetic pucks that you can attach to add some space if the accessory ends up hitting your phone’s camera lens.
A Kickstarter campaign is currently running for the OhSnap MCON. You can reserve a unit for pledges starting at $99.
