When 19-year-old Josh King suggested he would single-handedly redefine mobile gaming pinch his 3D-printed gamepad, drawing a nonstop statement from himself to Steve Jobs, I person to admit I thought it was a spot much!
But it’s nary longer conscionable a 3D-printed controller. OhSnap, the institution down the fantabulous magnetic PopSocket alternatives I showed you successful October, is now officially turning his creation into the coolest looking gamepad attachment I’ve ever seen for a phone:
It’s nary taller aliases wider than an iPhone, truthful it should descent into a pocket. It’s sewage a MagSafe shape of magnets to connect it to your magnetic ringing device. You don’t person to region it to usage your telephone for illustration a phone, because the full gamepad retracts underneath, a small for illustration the slide-out keyboard phones (or PlayStation Phones) of aged — and now, it’s mounted connected a spring-loaded limb that pops retired astatine the push of a fastener and besides somewhat angles your instrumentality towards your face.
Video by Josh King / OhSnap
OhSnap moreover recovered room for a brace of Nintendo Switch-esque analog sticks, pinch drift-resistant Hall effect sensors, and brace of fold-out grips truthful you tin (theoretically) clasp it much for illustration a full-size gamepad. The sticks are clickable buttons, and it’s sewage a afloat group of enarthrosis buttons and triggers arsenic well.
Image: OhSnap
Two months ago, Retro Game Corps came distant impressed pinch a prototype, and it seems King has been very engaged since then. As he explains on YouTube, he initially tried to commencement his ain institution astir the gamepad, moreover attracted a fewer investors, manufactured immoderate boards and was moving toward injection molding, earlier he started moving retired of money and reached retired to OhSnap astir a partnership.
Speaking of money, we don’t person immoderate thought really overmuch it’ll cost, peculiarly astatine unit — OhSnap is readying to motorboat a Kickstarter connected January 2nd to raise funds. It’s taking signups present for now.
I should beryllium getting my ain hands connected a prototype adjacent period astatine CES 2025 successful Las Vegas, and I’ll fto you cognize really it feels.