After a long, public, and exciting road through development, the MCON controller has finally been made available for pre-order.
The now-infamous magnetic controller that aims to change how we play games on our phones emerged from a viral prototype to become one of the most successful Kickstarter campaigns ever. Now, after many revisions and developments, it is up for pre-order at accessory manufacturer Ohsnap for $149.99.
The history of the MCON is a classic inventor story for our times. It started as a hobby project conceived in a basement by Josh King, a 19-year-old who aimed to 3D-print a solution to bulky mobile game controllers. His hobby became a YouTube saga where he later conceived of the “switchblade” concept, where the controller hides behind the phone.
This concept quickly went viral and stoked interest from accessory maker Ohsnap, who quickly partnered with King to develop a model for mass production. From there, the project hit Kickstarter earlier this year and raised an astonishing $1.7 million.
In contrast to telescoping controllers, which expand to fit a phone, the MCON is a feat of compact engineering. It attaches to the back of a phone by way of a magnetic connection (utilizing MagSafe or a like adapter, included) and is no thicker than a typical battery pack.
The controller features a sliding mechanism enabling the phone to pop up (not unlike a SideKick), revealing a full array of controls, including Hall Effect joysticks, and stacked shoulder buttons. The MCON even has ergonomic grips that flip out for comfort and Bluetooth for multi-device pairing.
Ohsnap has a long history of producing high-quality MagSafe accessories, so the pedigree is there for this to be a success. It is reported to be fully compatible with iOS, Android, Windows, and even the Nintendo Switch, and starts shipping in mid-January 2026.
You can preorder the MCON now at Ohsnap’s website. Will you be picking one up? Let us know in the comments below, and chat with us in our Discord!
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