Build a better gaming peripheral and the world will be a path to your door. Mobile peripheral company PhoneJoy thinks it has the winning formula with its Phonejoy GamePad controller . Originally launched as a Kickstarter project, PhoneJoy was on-hand at CES 2013, to show off the fruits of its labor ahead of its U.S. debut.
At first glance, the gamepad looks like a miniature version of a console controller. However the controller opens to reveal a thick silver band that expands enough to house an iPhone 5 or a massive Samsung Galaxy Note II. The prototype of the device had a lime green matte plastic casing. The face of the controller features the button setup found on console controllers complete with two analog sticks. The top of the controller has two pairs of shoulder buttons. A microUSB port rested on the top right of the controller while what appeared to be a mini-HDMI port sat on the left. The gamepad's 14 buttons are programmable allowing gamers to adjust commands for each game title.
The PhoneJoy buttons were rather stiff while the analog sticks felt loose. However it should be noted that we were using a prototype model. When the product is ready to ship it will connect to mobile devices via Bluetooth, In addition to iPhone, PhoneJoy will support Android and Windows Phone. Company reps said that the product will ship sometime in 2013 and will be priced between $60-$70.
