Another look at OhSnap's MCON, a magnetic game controller for your phone

OhSnap won our hearts (and a champion of CES award) past twelvemonth pinch nan MCON, its mini Bluetooth crippled pad that magnetically connects to your phone. At nan time, we tried a pre-production unit, but successful nan twelvemonth since nan MCON has been finalized and went connected waste past month. I conscionable sewage a chance to effort nan last type present astatine CES, and conscionable a speedy demo was capable to person maine that OhSnap has made immoderate coagulated refinements complete nan past year.

Just arsenic we saw past year, nan MCON attaches magnetically to an iPhone aliases immoderate compatible Android telephone (the institution besides includes a magnetic ringing successful nan container for Androids that don’t person Qi2 yet). It has nan afloat array of controls, including 4 look buttons, a D-pad, 2 joysticks and scale digit buttons and afloat bumpers. It’s conscionable sleeker and feels much coagulated than past year’s prototype, and while mounting your makes it consciousness a spot top-heavy, it’s not awkward capable to origin existent issues erstwhile playuing (at slightest that’s really I felt aft my little demo).

The controller besides has grips that unfold to thief equilibrium things, and nan sheet that attaches your telephone to nan controller has a kickstand. So if you want to driblet your telephone down connected a tray array connected a level and play conscionable holding nan controller, consciousness free. All successful all, nan MCON feels for illustration a elastic and high-quality instrumentality that’s astir apt worthy nan $150 OhSnap asks for it.

The institution besides has immoderate caller accessories to show off. There’s a $70 TV dock that powers your telephone and outputs video from USB-C to HDMI. You could usage this dock pinch immoderate Bluetooth controller hooked up to your mobile phone, not conscionable nan MCON. There’s besides a mini $30 adapter you tin put connected your keychain that has a USB-C plug that goes into your phone; plug an HDMI cablegram into nan different extremity and you tin broadcast your games to a TV anyplace you spell and play them pinch a controller.

It’s a beautiful clever and broad group of products, and while location are tons of mobile crippled controllers, nan OhSnap feels for illustration 1 of nan much portable and sleek options retired there. OhSnap is moving connected thing moreover slimmer, though. The institution showed disconnected 2 caller prototype controllers, nan MCON Lite and MCON Slim.

As nan names suggest, they’re some much compact than nan original model. The Lite uses concave joypads alternatively than afloat sticks, and nan Slim makes things moreover smaller by utilizing concave touch pads. Your’e not going to get rather nan aforesaid value acquisition pinch those arsenic you would pinch nan bigger version, but they are noticeably thinner; OhSnap says they’ll beryllium cheaper, too. The MCON Lite is scheduled to get this summer, while nan Slim should motorboat successful nan autumn (around nan aforesaid clip arsenic nan iPhone 18).