The MCON Could Finally Turn Your Phone Into the Handheld Console You’ve Always Wanted
Retro-inspired handhelds are everywhere these days, each one doing a great job of capturing the charm, portability, and nostalgia of the Game Boy era. The problem? My pockets are already dominated by a device far more powerful than anything from the 1990s: my phone. With its blazing-fast processor and AMOLED screen, my “pocket supercomputer” should be the perfect gaming machine—but it rarely feels like one. That’s where the MCON comes in.
Designed by young engineer Josh King and brought to life by phone peripheral maker OhSnap, the MCON is a collapsible, pop-out controller that snaps onto your phone. After months of hype across CES demos, Kickstarter campaigns, and late-night gadget blogs, it might just be the accessory that convinces me to finally leave my dedicated handhelds at home.
I first spotted the MCON back at CES 2025, when it was nothing more than a 3D-printed prototype. Even then, it had promise: a controller small enough to rival your phone in size, yet expandable enough to mimic a full gaming pad. Fast forward to IFA 2025, and OhSnap’s booth was buzzing with energy as attendees got their hands on the nearly final version. Sleek, pocketable, and surprisingly refined, the MCON is now real hardware set to ship later this year at $150.
Compact, Clever, and Surprisingly Playable
Most modern phone controllers—from the Backbone to the Razer Kishi—follow the same formula: split an Xbox controller in half, wedge your phone in the middle, and call it a day. They work well enough, but they’re bulky. You toss them in a bag, not your pocket. The MCON rethinks the entire approach.
Collapsed, it’s about the size of your phone. Hit a button, and the spring-loaded front plate snaps open to reveal dual thumbsticks, a D-pad, and four face buttons. Two folding “wings” fan out to give it a controller-like grip, though you can also keep them tucked away for a more old-school, Game Boy-style feel. It attaches via MagSafe and connects wirelessly over Bluetooth, meaning no clunky USB-C plug-in required.
Even in prototype form, the MCON’s inputs impressed me. The TMR (tunnel magnetoresistance) joysticks felt precise, without the stickiness or drift that plagues some controllers. The buttons were shallow yet clicky, the kind of tactile snap you want when hammering through platformers. And the triggers? For something so thin, they dipped deeper than expected, offering a sense of range that’s rare in handheld add-ons. They’re not quite as buttery as an Xbox Elite’s, but they’re far from the plasticky “clickers” found on cheaper devices.
Built for Pockets, Commutes, and Retro Dreams
The MCON isn’t just about convenience; it’s about transforming how and where you play. Slip it into your pocket, pop it out on the subway, then collapse it back when you need to get on with your day. It’s handheld gaming designed for real-world portability, not just “fits in a backpack” portability.
There’s also a clever twist for retro fans: the MagSafe dock can slide vertically, making it perfect for emulators like Delta on iOS. Holding my phone in portrait mode with the MCON attached, I couldn’t help but feel the Game Boy nostalgia hit hard. It’s like a modern-day DS or PSP Go—only without the bulk of carrying yet another device.
Of course, it’s not flawless. The collapsing mechanism took more force than I’d like, grinding a little as I pushed it back into place with two hands. OhSnap assures me this will be smoothed out in production, but it’s a reminder that this is still first-gen hardware.
A Glimpse of the Future of Mobile Gaming
I only tested it with Warped Kart Racers (a game that auto-accelerates, so not exactly the best benchmark for controller precision). But the MCON’s real promise lies elsewhere: cloud gaming, where a reliable Wi-Fi connection could turn your phone into a portable Xbox or PlayStation, and retro emulation, where classics shine brighter on OLED screens than they ever did on their original hardware.
OhSnap is targeting a late October release. If the production version fixes the minor quirks and delivers the same satisfying snap-and-play experience, the MCON could do something few mobile accessories ever achieve: actually change how we use our phones. For me, it could finally be the moment my phone doesn’t just replace my camera or my computer—but my Game Boy too.