Tag Archives: game controller

Retro Wired Controller for the Xbox is a legitimate Blast from the Past

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Remember the classic feel of your favorite retro console controllers? The chunky buttons, the responsive D-pad, the sheer simplicity of the design? The 8BitDo M30 Wired Controller for Xbox brings back that sense of nostalgia while offering features fit for modern gaming.

This officially licensed Xbox controller boasts a familiar 6-button layout, a hallmark of classic gaming experiences. But unlike its predecessors, the M30 boasts “updated” functionality for today’s titles. Exactly what these updates are remains to be seen in reviews, but it suggests the controller can handle the complexities of modern games while retaining the feel of a retro favorite.

Designer: 8bitdo

Beyond aesthetics, the M30 offers a wired USB-C connection for virtually lag-free gameplay. This is a major benefit for competitive gamers who rely on split-second reaction times. The controller is also built with precision engineering, featuring a smooth D-pad and calibrated buttons for optimal control.

Gamers who crave customization will appreciate the M30’s ability to remap buttons and adjust sensitivity. This allows for a personalized experience tailored to each player’s preferences. The controller also boasts additional bumpers and triggers for a more immersive gaming experience, particularly in genres like racing or shooters.

For fighting game enthusiasts, the M30 includes a dedicated mode button that lets them switch between regular and professional layouts. This is a thoughtful feature that caters to the specific needs of the fighting game community.

Whether you’re a seasoned gamer yearning for a simpler time or a newcomer curious about retro experiences, the 8BitDo M30 Wired Controller for Xbox offers an intriguing option. It blends classic design with modern functionality, creating a potentially compelling controller for a variety of gamers.

The post Retro Wired Controller for the Xbox is a legitimate Blast from the Past first appeared on Yanko Design.

This modular multiverse controller is well-equipped for gaming, drone flying and industrial applications

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In a world where gadgets are ruling the roost, a unified approach to control them is prime. Carrying around different controllers for your drone, portable gaming consoles and Metaverse applications seems like backtracking to the last century. The dynamic aspects of life and users’ desire to have the least possible things to carry in their backpacks with the maximum scope of utility are important in current times. That’s the reason multiple utility gadgets are in hot demand.

This Multiverse controller wants to address this market space with its ability to address multiple use-case scenarios. With 3D printing in its structural design, the controller has modular capabilities to adapt to the needs of users and gamers who love the freedom of customization.

Designer: Diego Perez Rogé

Strangely named the Lifil Murtiverse controller, this gadget will primarily be an open-source product in terms of hardware and software. This keeps the options open for industrial applications, along with the casual applications for individual users. All the buttons, triggers and joysticks are completely modular, allowing the users to program the controller for different game-playing needs, customize for drone flying, controlling industrial equipment, or even employed in tech-savvy educational applications in schools or institutions. The ergonomics have been kept close to what’s identified as a winning formula as it closely resembles an Xbox or PlayStation controller.

The positioning of buttons can be adjusted by a 30-degree adjustment angle to have maximum control over the transversal axis. On the inside, the components are ARDUINO actuated to make possible the assembly of the controller from scratch for potential configuration with newer Bluetooth or WiFi modules. According to the designer, the controller can be reconfigured at the internal hardware level to ensure it never gets obsolete with technological advancements.

The post This modular multiverse controller is well-equipped for gaming, drone flying and industrial applications first appeared on Yanko Design.

World’s smallest smartphone turns into a gaming handheld with this case

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Gaming smartphones are quite the novelty in the mobile world, but despite their advertised or actual gaming chops, they often lack the necessary controls that would put them on par with consoles. Conversely, most of these gaming smartphones have designs that make them a little less appropriate for more formal environments with their flashy RGB lighting and distinctive motifs. A middle ground between these two extremes would be to slap on some controllers on “normal” but premium handsets, effective but also a little too mundane these days. This rather unusual phone case, however, tries to add a new flavor to mobile gaming by introducing not only an unusual controller design but also by making it exclusive to one of the weirdest and cutest smartphones in the market.

Designer: Sugar Cubes (via Retro Dodo)

The Unihertz Jelly Star is obviously not your typical smartphone. With a size that’s no larger than a credit card, the tiny device is advertised as the world’s smallest Android 13 smartphone, a title no one will probably try to wrest away from it anyway. With a 3-inch screen, a transparent colored back, and some rather reasonable specs for its size, the Jelly Star is probably also the world’s cutest smartphone.

A Chinese accessory maker by the name of Sugar Cubes is taking that cuteness and turning it into something that even gamers will find alluring. Rather than simply attaching controllers, which would be gigantic compared to the Jelly Star, you will instead insert the tiny phone into a large, boxy case that transforms it into a rather unusual gaming handheld that is more reminiscent of the “Game & Watch” devices of old than any modern handheld console. Even the controls themselves are in non-standard locations, even though they provide most of the standard buttons, including a joystick.

There seem to be two designs for the Sugar Cube Jelly. One has the Unihertz Jelly Star lying horizontally and near the top, giving the device a more Game Boy-like appearance, though short in stature. The other has the phone standing vertically in the middle, flanked by two sets of controls, a design closer to the Nintendo Switch by some stretch of the imagination. Details on how the small phone will be inserted into the case are still slim, though it seems that the vertical design will simply have the Jelly Star slip into the case from the side, with one of the controllers swinging open like a flap.

The unconventional and eye-catching design of the Sugar Cube Jelly makes it perfect for branded merchandise, theming the colors and decals accordingly. That said, there’s still no word on when this product will actually hit the market, or if it will even be made available outside of China. Even then, the Unihertz Jelly Star isn’t exactly oozing with power, so while you might be able to comfortably run some retro games via emulation, forget about boasting your odd contraption while playing Genshin Impact.

The post World’s smallest smartphone turns into a gaming handheld with this case first appeared on Yanko Design.

This smart game controller has a screen for phone notifications

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Whether you prefer playing on consoles, PCs, or even mobile phones, chances are you will be using a controller at some point or another. Game controllers are a dime a dozen these days, and they come in all shapes, sizes, and feature sets. Some are so tiny they can fit on a keyring, while others try to include everything and the kitchen sink in a handheld gadget. A new design leans more towards the latter, listing a litany of features that could make pro gamers on any platform drool. But while the Turtle Beach Stealth Ultra is already quite notable for its its RGB lighting, which gamers apparently love, it has a special trick that seems both cool yet also over-the-top for something you hold in your hands and barely look at while playing.

Designer: Turtle Beach

Game controllers have come a long way since the earliest days of gaming. There are now more buttons than you can handle, added to cope with the growing complexity of games. Some controllers even have touchpads or some mouse mode, thanks to games or software that need a bit more precise movement than a joystick. The Turtle Beach Stealth Ultra doesn’t have the latter but instead slaps a 1.5-inch display in the middle for showing customization options and notifications, even from social media apps coming from your phone.

This “Connected Command Display” feature, as it is called, is definitely a fancy way to upgrade the game controller. In a nutshell, it lets you see and access controller settings right on the controller itself, removing the need to put up a separate window on the PC or console screen. You can even connect it to an iPhone or Android phone and it will show notifications as they come.

The implementation, however, leaves a few things to be desired, like how you have to switch to a specific mode to use the controller to navigate that screen, breaking your flow. Making it a touch screen could have made it more convenient. Having it display notifications might also be overkill or too distracting since you will most likely want to keep your eyes on the game screen rather than having them glance down at the controller.

Aside from the screen, the Stealth Ultra is chockful of features that gamers will definitely appreciate, ranging from drift-free analog sticks, so that you won’t feel like a ghost is moving them sometimes, to a promise of lag-free wireless connection to customizable RGB lighting to match your game and mood. These features, however, don’t come without a price, specifically a $199.99 price tag. That takes the Turtle Beach Stealth Ultra to the “premium” game controller segment, though some of those features might sound a little superfluous or even unnecessary, especially for hyper-focused gamers.

The post This smart game controller has a screen for phone notifications first appeared on Yanko Design.