It’s been a little over a year and a half since Josh King took to Reddit, revealing a magnetic controller attachment for your phone. Since then, we’ve seen numerous iterations of the MCON controller, along with an impressive Kickstarter campaign that ended up raising just north of $1.7 million. This long journey is finally nearing its next stop, as there’s now a countdown on the official MCON landing page.
At the time of this writing, the launch sequence is set to initiate in about 17 days, meaning that we suspect this will be available, in some capacity, on October 14.
Earlier this month, an update video was published on the Kickstarter page, showing off what the MCON’s final design looks like, along with the expected retail packaging. Those who backed the MCON were also informed of a survey that would be sent out, asking for shipping addresses and a few other questions.
However, this update also had quite a bit more to share, such as a variety of features that include the following:
- Multi-device Bluetooth pairing
- iOS/Android/Windows/macOS/Switch/Switch 2 Support
- Auto-sleep/Wake Functionality
- Tabletop Mode
- MCON Dongle/Dock
Although the MCON’s general design has shifted quite a bit since the beginning, it’s clear that the team is determined to deliver something that’s polished and complete. This doesn’t just apply to the actual controller, but also includes things like the retail packaging and various accessories.
I highly recommend checking out the video embedded above, as both Josh and OhSnap CEO Dale Backus go quite in-depth with everything.
With all that being said, you might be wondering just how much the MCON will cost. Provided that nothing has changed, the MCON will retail for about $150, at least according to the Kickstarter campaign that concluded in February.
Although we don’t expect pricing to be any different, there’s always a chance that it could be a bit higher thanks to everything that’s happened with tariffs since the beginning of the year. For now, all we can suggest is to keep a lookout for when the MCON countdown concludes.
If you want to sign up for more updates, you can do so via the button below. This takes you to the MCON landing page, where you can sign up for “Blueprint.” In addition to being notified of future updates, Blueprint offers a variety of other perks, such as a “discounted price,” access to the MCON Discord, and more.
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I still can’t believe people are excited for this e-waste.
I wouldn’t say it’s “e-waste”. It’s not for everyone, based on the response from your single track mind that should be obvious, but the time and care they’re trying to put into this wouldn’t classify it as “e-waste”.
The problem with this particular device is it doesn’t do any one thing particularly well. The attachment method is not very good, the sliding mechanism doesn’t really offer any benefits, and the folding grips are likely to be frequent points of failure. Because of the sliding mechanism, the controls have to be heavily recessed, yet it also gains a lot of thickness back because of this. A telescoping controller can be just as thin, while connecting directly to the USB port without the need for battery charging or a dangling cable, and is going to have a much more secure grip on your phone.
I really think the majority of people who backed this are going to quickly forget it in a drawer.
I can’t believe 40 year old dudes with female anime profile pictures are lecturing me on what’s a waste of anything. As you sit there stealing my oxygen with every wasted breath you take.
By all means, kid. Share your esoteric knowledge with the class. What long since forgotten web service is this website pulling profile pics from? All it asks for is an email and a display name. I promise if you tell me I will DEFINITELY track down some long forgotten login information so I can change a profile pic I haven’t used on anything in over a decade.
Do wait until after class to reply though, I wouldn’t want you to get in trouble at school.