Portable gaming has gotten a huge wave of development on cell phones, and tablets. But the pressing issue most gamers have had with their devices is the inconvenience of playing on a touch screen instead of a controller. For awhile now I have searched for some sort of device that could remedy this situation. This year at PAX East I found what I was looking for in the form of an attachable blue tooth pocket controller designed by mobile gaming’s saviors MOGA. I was able to get my hands on one of these bad boys and I am excited to give you my impressions about the MOGA pocket Controller, and pro Controller.
Now the MOGA pocket controller is the smallest out of the two controllers MOGA has developed. It fits in your pocket just as it advertises, and does not give you a snug pocket either. The analog stick and button layout is like that of an Xbox 360 controller. But with the feel of a 3DS. What I mean by this is that the controller feels sturdy, and dependable without sacrificing size. Rather than overbearing, and sometimes annoying depending on the size of your hands.
The MOGA pocket runs on two small AA batteries to power its blue tooth connectivity. Any android device can easily pair itself as long as it has blue tooth capabilities. The way you enable for the two separate devices to connect. Is by downloading the MOGA pivot app which has its own separate MOGA enhanced game catalog as well. Both controllers are able to run on the same android devices, and play the same titles.
The difference between the two controllers is the noticeable size difference, appearance, and feel. MOGA pro’s appearance, button layout, and feel is a mirror image of an Xbox 360 controller with a few differences. The MOGA pro has grips placed on the side of its frame for a more secure feel and not loose. MOGA pro’s d-pad is also more pronounced than the Xbox 360’s d-pad which I felt had far better comfortability, and responsiveness. But the MOGA pro is for more of a stationed gaming session instead of a portable one. So it may be hard trying to figure out somewhere to incorporate this into an everyday carried object. This can obviously be remedied as long as you can carry something like a backpack to keep your MOGA pro stored.
MOGA definitely has a lot of potential to grow outside of the mobile gaming market, and into the console and PC one. The quality of their work definitely speaks for itself and if you had the chance to demo one of their controllers at PAX East. You understand where I am coming from. Both the MOGA pocket and pro are available for purchase VIA their site, and will cost you both $49.99. Out of the two controllers I recommend the MOGA pocket to truly get a portable experience.
