Microsoft has filed patents for a gamepad concept that can be split in two to clip each part on the edges of a smartphone or tablet.
Project xCloud is the name of the future mobile streaming game service from Microsoft. This is not a real competitor to Stadia Google, but a question arises: how can one physically be effective in games with a simple mobile phone? At Microsoft, we thought about the issue and the specialized site Windowslatest discovered patents filed by the brand for accessories that are clipped on a smartphone. At least, they are grafted on a mobile device, and it will work on a tablet.
First, we see that it is a controller with a classic design, which we put on its base to recharge. But the novelty is that the left and right parts can be dissociated and then be clipped on a mobile screen.
Prototypes saw as early as 2014
Better still, it is still possible to remove the handles to keep only the pad with the keys and the multi-directional button. The experience of the player will be almost similar to that with a game console, except that he can do it anywhere and anytime with a mobile device.
These patents complete prototypes of a project that appeared in 2014 on the Microsoft Research website. They obviously remind the controllers of the Switch, and it is also one of the strengths of the small console Nintendo. Finally, remember that manufacturers have already anticipated the arrival of streaming gaming services with smartphones dedicated to players, both by their very powerful equipment, but also their ergonomics with triggers placed on the slices.