Wish you could make mobile gaming fun again? Check out the MCON. It’s a mobile gaming controller that fits your phone and your pocket!
Most mobile gaming devices are not as “mobile” as you’d think. Take the Switch. I can play it on the go, but there’s no way it’s fitting in my back pocket. The same goes for the Backbone One, Steam Deck, and Razer Kishi—I have to carry them in a backpack, and that’s no fun. Josh King, creator of the MCON mobile controller, felt my pain.
At 19, Josh created a pocket-friendly mobile gaming controller using his 3D printer—and the internet went wild! Recently, he’s partnered with Ohsnap to refine the product’s mechanics and perfect its design.
The MCON now looks better than ever and is packed with cool features: a shape that’s more pocketable, an auto-sliding feature, and nearly full-size joysticks—to name just a few.
If you’re intrigued, keep reading. MCON may be just what you need to make mobile gaming fun again.
MCON x Ohsnap partnership
After his internet success, Josh got a team together and started a company. Things were moving fast, but they hit a wall with the prototypes. At that point, Josh turned to Dale Backus, the CEO of Ohsnap a company that was solving design problems similar to his.
With 6 successful crowdfunding campaigns under its belt and expertise in creating ultra-functional mobile accessories, Ohsnap helped take the MCON to a whole new level. Let’s check it out!
Keep games in your pocket
You should be able to play mobile games anywhere: during car rides, at your friend’s house, and while waiting to be picked up. But, somewhere down the road, phones got a lot bigger, and so did their controllers.
The Ohsnap MCON turns the tables on oversized mobile gaming controllers. Not at all bulky, it flaunts a magnetic attachment phone that snaps to the phone and—yes—actually fits in your pocket. The front one. Then, it connects to smartphones via Bluetooth for stable & easy gaming.
Auto-launch your gaming session
For me, a pocketable design is plenty—but I’m a girl of simple tastes. Josh and Ohsnap wanted to take the design a step further and did so with a neat auto-sliding feature.
It’s activated by pressing down on the quick launch buttons built into the controller. The mechanism works smoothly, revealing the controller from the back of your phone. At the same time, it slides your screen into an angled view for gaming.
It’s a fun launch feature that adds magic to an already-awesome product.
Fold-out grips for ergonomic play
Mobile gaming controllers are designed to make your smartphone easier to play games on. And most mobile gaming controllers achieve this by adding grips to your phone. But how can a controller have grips and stay pocketable?
The MCON accomplishes this with fold-out style grips that are attached to the back of the accessory. They can flip out and lock into place when it’s time to play, plus they keep gaming on your phone comfortable and accurate.
Use the MCON with all phones
Whether you own an iPhone or an Android, the MCON will work with your phone. It adapts easily to a range of phone sizes and shapes as well as camera bumps—but styas slim and pocket friendly.
How is it possible? With pucks, of course. The pucks connect to the MCON’S steel plate, which is what your phone attaches to. If your phone has a large camera bump, you’ll use 2 pucks for more clearance.
If you use an Android, there’s a MagSafe adapter included in the box. Simply attach the adapter onto your phone or case so that it can work with the MCON without any hiccups
Elevate your play with full-size joysticks
You might wonder what gaming experience you’ll have on such a compact gaming controller. I’m here to tell you that it’ll be a high-quality one. That’s thanks to the full-size Hall-Effect joysticks. They’ll give you that controlled precision and durability you’re after. Pluts, they’re less prone to stick drift, a common issue even on the Switch.
Play in silence on a thoughtful layout
The MCON even plays quietly. So you can use it at the library while waiting for your group to show up for a project—and the librarian will be none the wiser. The same goes for covert classroom use, but you didn’t hear it from me.
Meanwhile, the button layout is comfortable and familiar—you can start playing your favorite games immediately, with no learning curve required.
Support your right to repair
As someone who as reviewed hundreds of tech products and gadgets, I’ve seen far too many items without a repairable design or a plan for post-use recycling. As a consumer, you deserve to fully own the product you’ve purchased, and that includes a right to repair.
Josh and Ohsnap agree. For that reason, they’ve made it so you can take the MCON apart with a screwdriver. That way, you can fix it or modify it, anyway you want.
Final thoughts on the MCON
The MCON pocketable mobile controller is one the coolest gaming products I’ve seen this year (and I covered CES). I love how it balances practicality with fun in a universal design. It really just ticks all the boxes on what I’d want in a portable gaming controller, and I’m sure it’ll do the same for Gadget Flow readers, too.
Want an MCON for yourself? It’s currently a Kickstarter campaign, and pledges start at $119. Preorder yours today so you have it when the first models are available!