Samsung announces Smartphone Gamepad, a Bluetooth gaming controller

New Delhi: Samsung has announced a 'Smartphone GamePad' wireless game controller for smartphones and tablets running Android 4.1, with Bluetooth connectivity. The company says the controller works best with its own Galaxy lineup and can be best experienced with devices such as the Note 2, Note 3, Galaxy S III and the Galaxy S4.Initially the device will be rolling out in select European countries, but soon it will be available in other regions. The new Smartphone Gamepad is available in all black, with metallic accents throughout. The device weighs 195 grams and comes with an eight way D-pad, two analog sticks, four action buttons, two trigger buttons, a select button, a start button and a PLAY button (that works specifically with Samsung devices). The PLAY button allows users to quickly open a “Mobile Console” app to see titles that can be purchased. Samsung says that there are 35 dedicated games, tweaked specifically for the SG, ready for launch.And like other Bluetooth gamepads, the SG has an arm that extends to hold devices up to 6.3-inches.Users can easily attach the GamePad to Android smartphones ranging from 4-inch to 6.3-inch. The Samsung Smartphone GamePad includes Bluetooth and NFC support for other smartphones and tablets as well, enabling easy device pairing. There's also an HDMI cable connection to mirror the display on larger screen TVs, or use the AllShare app support for wireless display mirroring, requiring Android 4.3 Jelly Bean and above.The South Korean handset maker says the device has to be used in conjunction with the 'Mobile Console' app, which can be downloaded from the Samsung App store.