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Samsung launches Smartphone GamePad in Europe

Jon Mundy By Jon Mundy linkedin Contact via linkedin
Samsung has finally launched its official Smartphone GamePad peripheral in Europe, bringing console-like control to Android games.

Samsung first revealed its GamePad concept back in March, at the launch of the Samsung Galaxy S4. Doesn’t that seem like a lifetime ago now?

The final device, as shown above, looks quite different to that prototype controller. While the original appeared to be heavily influenced by the Wii U and Xbox 360 pads, the final design puts us more in mind of some of Sega’s controller efforts back when it was still in the hardware business.

The Smartphone GamePad is still operationally the same, however. It still works on devices with displays between 4-inches and 6.3-inches in size, which is mounted directly above the controller itself.

There’s a D-pad, two analogue sticks, four action buttons and two trigger buttons, as well as start and select buttons. You can also hook up the GamePad to your TV via an HDMI cable or AllShare for the full console experience.

Meanwhile, the centrally place Play button initiates the Mobile Console app that has launched alongside the GamePad.

Mobile Console acts as a kind of storefront for browsing through and purchasing Smartphone GamePad-compatible games. There are 35 at launch, and the press release mentions Need for Speed Most Wanted, Asphalt 8 : Airborne, Modern Combat 4: Zero Hour, Virtua Tennis Challenge, and Prince of Persia : The Shadow and the Flame as being among them.

Samsung claims that the Smartphone GamePad is available now “in select European markets,” though it offers no guide on specific regions or pricing.

Jon Mundy
By Jon Mundy linkedin Contact via linkedin

Jon is a seasoned freelance writer who started covering games and apps in 2007 before expanding into smartphones and consumer tech, dabbling in lifestyle and media coverage along the way. Besides bein…

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Editorial independence means being able to give an unbiased verdict about a product or company, with the avoidance of conflicts of interest. To ensure this is possible, every member of the editorial staff follows a clear code of conduct.

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We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.

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