Turn your smartphone into a game console Dendy, Sega, PS

Good day, hawkers,

In this post I would like to tell how I turned my Android smartphone into a Dendy, Sega, PS game console. It cost me $ 21. If someone is interested in what and how - I ask for a cat.
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Preamble


The topic that Samsung released GamePad for mobile phones already slipped on Habré. Here is a link to the topic . The price of such a device, as stated in the topic, is $ 146. For some it is a lot, for someone it is not, but you still need to know what games to play on this controller. Personally, I'm not sure that Angry Birds will be convenient to play with the joystick. Yes, and many games for smartphones are created specifically for touch screen.

Also on Habré slipped topics about a game console based on Android: Nvidia Shield . This is a portable console, which in characteristics is similar to a fairly powerful smartphone.

In principle, Samsung's Nvidia Shield and GamePad with the smartphone are the same thing. The Chinese also thought about this and created their joystick, which can turn your smartphone into a portable console.

Gamepad iPega


I ordered an iPega gamepad on AliExpress for $ 21. The gamepad arrived without a box, so such a low price. Gamepad model PG-9017. The gamepad has a built-in battery and is charged from micro usb. I have not completely discharged the gamepad, so I can not say how much it is enough.
Here are a couple of pictures of the controller:



The controller connected to my smartphone via Bluetooth without any problems. To pair the device, you had to press “X” + “HOME”. The light on the controller starts to flash quickly and at this moment you can search for the controller on the smartphone. The gamepad has a latch for a smartphone. In this controller model, you can insert a phone up to 5-5.5 inches. There is a spring in the mount and it stretches, so some manage to insert a phone with a diagonal of 5.5 inches into the mount, but I would advise you to limit it to 5 inches. Somewhere I came across a modification of this gamepad for phones with a diagonal of more than 5 inches. By searching for “Android gamepad” on AliEpress you can find a gamepad with the same functionality as iPega, but with the design of the XBOX controller (and, therefore, +2 additional control buttons). After the gamepad is connected, you need to think about what to play.

Games for gamepad and joystick responsiveness


For games developed for Android, I don’t see much reason to use the controller: somewhere, the touchscreen copes well, somewhere you need visibility. To test the controller, I installed the Dendy and Sega emulator. In the emulator, you can configure each button and remove the virtual keyboard. I already tried playing Super Mario, Earthworm Jim and Mortal Kombat.

The gamepad in games behaves just like a regular joystick from game consoles. The response time of the buttons is tolerable, the cross is working fine, nothing creaks. The gamepad is quite light, especially without a smartphone. In Earthworm Jim, I could shoot diagonally with the help of a cross, although some reviews say that they can’t properly press up / down and sideways. I have not tried playing in other emulators: PS, GameBoy, etc. I have a Nexus 4 with factory firmware, Android 4.4.2 is on board. The description of the device says that it requires Android 2.3 or iOS, without specifying the version.

I did a short video review for those. Who wants to see a gamepad in work:


A couple of links to emulators:

The list of emulators can be expanded, but I used only these. Games for the emulator are not difficult to find on the Internet.

conclusions


Honestly, the gamepad iPega is the best smartphone add-on for $ 21. Oh my gosh, a phone case at the same cost. And emulators for smartphones allow you to remember your childhood and play good old games. In addition, it is possible to save the passage of the game (especially for Dendy and Sega, this was relevant in our time). Of course, it would be naive to assume that the device has no cons, especially for such a price, but I can’t say that there are significant disadvantages. Yes, the XBOX joystick is more pleasant to hold in your hand, yes, two buttons may be missing in PS games, but you can come to terms with these minuses or buy a newer gamepad model when you decide that you obviously need it.

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