Samsung may be working on a smartphone gamepad accessory for Galaxy phones: Update - already real

2 min. read

Published on March 12, 2020

published on March 12, 2020

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Samsung appears to be working on a gamepad accessory for their smartphones, according to a September 2019 patent application which has recently been published.

The patent application for an ‘Auxiliary control electronic device or mobile terminal’ shows a case into which the phone can be placed with a full range of additional buttons and triggers.

The gamepad would also provide additional cooling via a built-in fan or heatsink. The gamepad can offer direct connection via USB or wireless via Bluetooth, and also includes additional features such as haptic feedback, speakers and microphones.

The accessory is ideal for the rising number of streaming game services such as Google Stadia and Project xCloud, which brings desktop-class gaming to the smartphone.

Samsung has in fact produced gaming accessories in the past, including for the Samsung Galaxy S4 and Note 3, it seems highly likely, given the current environment and Samsung’s close ties to Google and Microsoft, that the second coming of the device is on its way again.

See the full patent here.

Update: Nappy Boy alerted us to the fact that the device is in fact already in the market, being sold by Samsung as the LAP Play.