Ever since Nokia included Snake on the 5100 series of phones, consumers have demanded games on their cellphones. Since the iPhone era began developers have been struggling to make touch screen friendly smart phone games. There have been extremely successful and well made swipe based games like Angry Birds, Cut the Rope or Fruit Ninja, but the level of control provided by a set of traditional controller buttons cannot be matched on a touch screen. Accessory maker Power A has created a wireless controller called the MOGA to try and combat the issues with touchscreen gaming.
Its a simple phone sized controller that clamps onto Android powered phones and syncs with them through Bluetooth. This effectively turns the phone into a more traditional mobile gaming platform like the Nintendo DS. Being compatible with all Android devices 2.3+ gives it a wide array of devices with which to pair. The hardware itself seems competent enough, but many ducks will have to align to make the MOGA into a huge hit.
At launch more than 40 games have either been announced or are available to use with the MOGA and these games can be purchased from your preferred app store. A MOGA app named Pivot will give owners a direct conduit into what games have controller functionality. So, Power A is positioning this to be a serious piece of hardware, but ultimately its success will be based on software. If games are created with controllers in mind or even if good console games are ported with the functionality this item could really take off. While its name may be dumb, its sleek enough to catch attention, but still compact enough to fit in most pockets.
The arm designed to hold the phone is strong enough to keep your phone from slipping out and there is no need to adjust the arm as it is spring loaded. Setup in game is easy, once your device is synced it stays synced and the games automatically know the MOGA is ready to go. The controller has a comfortable ergonomic feel (which can’t be said for the 3DS nor the Vita). The strangest this I came across while using the MOGA was how well it transferred the force feedback from the phone’s vibration. It literally felt like the MOGA was producing vibrations. I can’t imagine that was done on purpose, but hey you can’t fault a happy accident.
My only real complaints about the MOGA are the the lack of a D-pad and the clicky-ness of the buttons. There’s room to put a D-pad on the face of the device and any 2D games would greatly benefit from having one. The omission may have something to do with Nintendo and Sony holding the patents on the only 2 good D-pads, but the analog stick will feel out of place on many games. The A, B, X, and Y face buttons feel cheap, they are the clicky kind of button you find on old school cells phones, Alarm Clocks or on the front of a TV. They are not the squishy silent type that are normally found on gaming controllers. This doesn’t hurt the gameplay much, but the sheer loudness of the clicking could make playing with the MOGA in public tough.
The success of this device will rest solely on its support. 40+ games is a good total for now, but Power-A needs to make sure they stay on top of developers to ensure the MOGA retains its value. A world where $50 is a reasonable price for this controller is in sight, but out of the gate with no guaranteed support that maybe a large pill to swallow.
Verdict: The MOGA is a solid product that could really find its place in the market if backed properly.
