Your iPhone looks and acts an awful lot like a PSP with this gaming controller

Originally published at: http://boingboing.net/2017/04/14/your-iphone-looks-and-acts-an.html

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But will it run Crysis?

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With a Moga Power Pro controller and ePSX/FPSe for PS1 or PPSSPP for PS2 (along with emulators for many other consoles), my Android phone (a Galaxy S7) IS essentially a PSP, and plays actual PS1/PSP games like a champ. And Genesis. And N64. And etc., all the way down to the Atari 2600, if you care to.

In fact, amusingly enough, unless you have a jailbroken device you’re not going to find any emulators for the iPhone.

Note: For those who already own a Moga controller or are planning to get one, you can use it as an XBox 360 controller on your PC (assuming it has Bluetooth, that is) with MogaSerial; it works very well, and has become my main go-to game controller for PC.

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I personally prefer an actual PSP for gaming - longer runtime and all - but I wouldn’t mind a more comfortable controller grip. Is the S7 a model with an extended battery? Does the MOGA have a battery pack for the phone built in?

I think Apple missed the boat with their controller initiative. If they had come out with their own device, a lot more games would have designed around that control scheme and gaming would be better for it. Instead all that’s offered is a mish-mash of mostly crappy third-party controllers and not a lot of games that really make full use of them. Personally, I’ve moved on from iPhone games (mostly) and am looking forward to getting a Switch when all his shortage/hoarding is over.

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Well, sure, native is most often better than emulated (barring graphic and sound improvements, such as many emulators offer), overall, although a big phone (or a tablet, for that matter) = WAY bigger screen, for one thing. You also definitely need a somewhat beefy CPU/GPU combo to run most PSP games w/o any perceptible lag, so of course YMMV. I also tend to prefer PS1 games, to be honest; the PSP pickings can be a little slim, and I literally have every NTSC PS1 game that I care to possess (so no “Barbie Dream House 2” xD). But I play Disgaea often enough on PPSSPP, and it works fine; Disgaea, even though just a JRPG, is actually pretty hard on PPSSPP’s capabilities, and is a good test for any given phone.

The S7 has a relatively large battery, but “extended”…? Dunno. It’s a 3000 mAh battery, so take that as you will.

I own the Moga Power Pro 2, specifically, and it has a ~2330 mAh LiON battery, larger than any other internal controller supply I have seen on the market. It comes with a stubby little USB cord to connect it to your phone as an assistive charger, yes, although this won’t work if the controller is under a certain charge (1/3 or so?). Generally, IRL I can use the combo without hooking it up this way for at least 2-3 hours of continuous play, if both start with a full charge. The controller will last MUCH longer than the phone will. Used as my main PC controller, I end up charging it every 1-2 weeks, depending on use. Yes, it will fast-charge if your charger has the amperage, and yes, it is usable while charging.

It’s in an XBox 360 configuration but that works fine for PS1/PSP games, as well, and imo the ergonomics are pretty good; it’s at least as comfy as the standard 360 controller. The only real caveat I have is that I wish the clamp that holds your phone (it comes with a separate stand for tablets, or if you just want to put your phone on it) would go a little further back, for a wider range of motion, as well as hold tighter, so you can play while lying on your back w/o it moving; I use a rubber band for this, so +shrug+ w/e, but it would be nice.

The fit and finish have been top-notch, so far; it doesn’t feel even remotely “cheap” or fragile. I have hardwood floors and so far, it passes the “bounce across the room” test with flying colors, when I get a little overenthusiastic while playing “Castlevania: Symphony of the Night” =x .

An additional nice feature, is that you can use Moga Serial directly with vJoy as a generic controller, so you can fully remap every button and/or axis, as well as use the lower shoulder triggers as digital buttons, both of which are often necessary for older games. This does, of course, remove all 360 emulation features ^^’ .

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That would have been like a stylus to them. iPhones don’t use styluses

until they do

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Or I could hold out for a Nintendo Switch, I guess.

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Maybe, but I also see an issue of convenience, too. If the controller is external, it’s no problem if I’ve an otter box on my iPhone, but then I have to carry a separate controller. And if not (like this device), then it looks like I have to take off the Otter box just to game.

Whereas a 3DS/2DS is pretty much already complete with a controller, and probably more durable than any iphone. Because believe me, I drop things, and I prefer to not take valuable communications devices out of their otter boxes just to play with them.

But I guess this controller is really for people who don’t mind so much anyway.

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This is just not right. Now if you can make my phone look like an Atari Lynx…

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That’s why I keep a vintage Game Boy Color loaded with Tetris in my bathroom at home.

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