Hands-on with the MOGA Pro Controller and Windows Phone at GDC

One of the biggest surprises coming out of GDC 2022 for me was undoubtedly PowerA's annunciation that its MOGA Bluetooth controller SDK would be coming to Windows Phone. On iOS and Android, videogame controller accessories are becoming increasingly pop with core gaming fans. Such peripherals can add more than precise command and a panel-like experience to smartphones. Certain, they can impact portability but they're nifty at home and other places where you'd be playing for an extended length of time.

Windows Phone has ever been a bit backside on peripheral support. We don't accept a Bluetooth keyboard, for instance. Merely Windows Phone 8 does add the ability for apps to communicate with Bluetooth. That ability now makes it possible for hardware add-ons like the MOGA Pro Controller to work with Windows Phone viii games!

Head past the pause for full details on the MOGA Pro Controller and a hands-on video.

From MOGA to MOGA Pro

Annotation: You'll meet someone else'south hands in the video as I was on camera duty.

The original MOGA Pocket Controller is a tiny and highly portable controller designed specifically to work with Android games. The peripheral is fairly well reviewed, but some of the concessions made to portability also consequence in a less-than perfectly comfortable controller. For instance, the face up buttons are too tiny (similar to those on modernistic Nintendo systems), the analog sticks are nubs instead of real sticks, and the triggers are slightly hard to achieve. Also, the Pocket Controller requires two AAA batteries, and so power becomes a business organization also.

Thankfully the MOGA Pro Controller fixes everything I disliked about the previous model. For one, it's virtually exactly the same size and shape as an Xbox 360 controller. The layout of the dual analog sticks (proper sticks this time), d-pad, face buttons, shoulder buttons, and triggers perfectly matches the ane that 360 users accept grown to love over the years. And the d-pad is actually more precise than the standard 360 controller's!

To utilize the MOGA Pro Controller with a Windows Telephone or Android device, yous'll simply flip out the MOGA Arm that holds the telephone in place. Y'all so plug the controller's USB charging port into your phone'south power jack or another USB power source – no demand for split batteries hither. Then but boot up a game that supports the controller and you're fix to game on!

Windows Phone specifics

The MOGA Pro Controller hasn't actually been released still, merely already one game supports information technology: Drift Mania Championship 2. Yous'll remember that title as the start Windows Telephone game to apply the Unity Engine, then clearly the Drift Mania developers love being the first at things. The game works great with the Pro Controller; steering with the analog stick and accelerating and braking with the analog triggers feels very much like playing a real console game. None of that imprecise tilting business!

During the briefing, Microsoft stressed what an easy fourth dimension the Migrate Mania developers had incorporating MOGA support into their game. The entire process took them less than a day. Games must specifically support the controller, but the ease of implementing that functionality certainly bodes well for future back up. (Developers interested in adding MOGA support to their games should visit the MOGA website.)

Now, docking a phone into a real controller and playing games on it won't be for everybody. But for people who love platformers and other cadre games that utilise virtual sticks and buttons, the MOGA Pro Controller will feel similar a godsend. Emulators like SNES8X and VBA8 will especially do good from MOGA support (assuming the emulator programmer implements it, which is very likely) since classic games were designed to exist used with physical controllers in the first identify. Let'due south hope Gameloft volition support MOGA in their Windows Telephone games as they do on Android!

Virtually in your hands

The MOGA Pro Controller will launch on April xv (taxation day!) for $49.99. Look forward to our full review shortly thereafter. In the meantime, you tin learn more about MOGA's Android support from Crackberry'southward hands-on.

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Keeping it affordable

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Source: https://www.windowscentral.com/moga-pro-controller-wp-hands-on

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