Seoul – Samsung wants a piece of the console- and mobile-gaming action.
The company has begun a global rollout of its Smartphone Game Pad, a gaming controller that controls games running on a Bluetooth-connected Android smartphone or tablet. The device works with smartphones and tablets running Android 4.1 and up but is optimized for Samsung devices running Android 4.3 and up.
The GamePad is available in select European markets and will be available in additional regions in the coming weeks. U.S. pricing and availability weren’t disclosed.
For home use, the on-screen action can be transferred to a big-screen TV by connecting a tablet or smartphone to a TV via HDMI cable or via wireless, Samsung noted. For on-the-go use, consumers can attach the Game Pad to mobile devices with screen sizes of 4-inches to 6.3-inches.
The controller, equipped with nearfield communications (NFC) for tap-to-connect functionality, is designed for use with Samsung’s Mobile Console app, which lets users browse and purchase Game Pad -supported games in Samsung’s app store. The number of supported games is 35 with more to come in 2014, the company said.
Supported games include traditional racing titles such as EA’s Need for Speed Most Wanted and Gameloft’s Asphalt8: Airborne, first-person shooter games such as Gameloft’s Modern Combat 4: Zero Hour, sports titles such as SEGA’s Virtua Tennis Challenge, and action titles such as Ubisoft’s Prince of Persia: The Shadow and the Flame.
