Gaming hardware company Razer has its own line of Android smartphones. But now the company is introducing a new accessory that lets you turn other Android phone into gaming phones.
The new Razer Junglecat controller is a $100 Bluetooth controller that features two analog sticks, a D-Pad, and buttons.
You can use it as a standalone, handheld wireless controller. But you can also attach it to the left and/or right sides of any supported Android phone for a Nintendo Switch + Joy-Con style gaming experience.
Razer says the Junglecat controller offers more than 100 hours of battery life on a charge, pairs with your phone through a Bluetooth Low Energy connection, and charges via USB-C.
The controller can be paired with any Android phone or PC that supports Bluetooth, but you need a custom case that fits your phone if you want to attach the Junglecat to the sides of your smartphone.
Each Junglecat will ship with three custom cases, although there are two different variations. In the US, Razer will offer cases for the Samsung Galaxy Note 9, Galaxy S10+ and Razer Phone 2. International customers won’t get the Galaxy Note 9 case, but they will get a Huawei P30 Pro case.
Razer’s Gamepad App for Android lets you set custom button mapping, adjust stick sensitivity, and tweak other settings.
The company says the new Junglecat is not compatible with iPhones or other iOS devices…. which is interesting, because the last time Razer introduced a Junglecat-branded device, it was a game controller designed specifically for iOS.
Cool, I’ll jump on this when I see it on sale for half off
I just ordered a telescoping gamepad for my Note 10+. It was about $30 and supposedly offers x-input support (which I hope it does because I’d love to have one gamepad in my laptop bag for my phone and my Windows tablet).
This one is interesting for sure, but that $100 price tag seems pretty brutal.
This actually looks pretty nice and I might have to get one. Razer should release 3D printer templates for the cases, though, so that people with unsupported phones (or mini laptops, like the OM3S, for example) can modify them and make their own. That would make these things worth picking up for a much wider group of people.
I was thinking the same thing.
The price is definitely steep. But the product is finally real, and has good comfort and quality. I was thinking of such a product myself. Colour me impressed. I imagine people gaming with it like out in the public or outdoors. And when they need to get going, they can slide both JoyCons off, place the two together into one pocket, and place the phone in the other pocket. Done. No need for backpacks or purses.
I wonder if they could have done a version with Side Clamps instead of Slide Rails. Or better yet have the controllers in a width-orientation instead of a landscape-orientation.
The build quality is why I’m ok with the steep price. I’ve used some of the cheaper telescoping controllers and they’re largely trash, they feel flimsy and break easily. I’m willing to pay for something that won’t disintegrate immediately. I’d also prefer clamps to sliders, but I assume there’s a reason they went this route, like reliability. At this price, it better not have been a cost issue.