brandice romancer: PowerA's Moga Android game controller grows in Pro model, arrives this spring

Tuesday, January 8, 2013

PowerA's Moga Android game controller grows in Pro model, arrives this spring

Remember the Moga? It's the Bluetooth-powered Android game controller unveiled in mid-2012 by gaming accessory manufacturer PowerA, in case you'd forgotten. With PowerA's just announced Moba Pro, however, the company's taking its original concept and blowing it out into a full-on gaming controller (reminiscent of what you use on Xbox 360 or PlayStation 3, as seen above). Like with the first Moga, the Moga Pro features four face buttons, a standard d-pad, and two shoulder buttons -- additionally, the Pro has two triggers below each shoulder, making shooters all the more shoot-y. "But where does my Android phone go?" you're asking, right? Well it gets strapped into the stand attached to the top of the controller, of course.

If it looks a bit awkward, that's because it is a bit awkward -- setting your expensive phone into a rubber rocker while making that rocker unstable by pressing buttons below it is a precarious situation. That said, our experience with the first Moga was relatively positive, despite the nagging fear that our phone was moments from falling to its death at any moment. The Pro model gets around this fear a bit with a separate stand for your phone, but it also keeps the design of the original (supporting Android phones up to 3.2-inches wide) should you wish to test your luck. We'll see just how different the Moga Pro is from its previous iteration when we go hands-on during CES 2013, later this week.

Gallery: PowerA Moga Pro Bluetooth game controller