Gadgetory

- Today's video is sponsored by RAID: Shadow Legends. Something that's been making rounds in the news again that we actually haven't talked about yet is the concept of Xbox Joy-Cons. I know that's a weird-sounding concept, but that's actually a pretty accurate description of what they are. I've had people ask me numerous times before, whether or not Microsoft will make their own version of a handheld. Something like the Switch, where they make an on-the-go system, and I always say no, I don't think they are. I think what they're more interested in is bringing the Xbox One experience to mobile platforms, and the main way they've really talked about and pushed this is xCloud. For those of you who don't know, xCloud is Microsoft's currently in-development service that will allow people to stream-play their Xbox One games to different mobile devices, like a phone or tablet, and so, the concept of an X-Box Joy-Con is their attempt at making controllers that are specifically suited to that medium. Now, this idea itself isn't very crazy 'cause, keep in mind, the Switch itself actually had lawsuit issues from companies like Gamevice that have made before controllers that are designed to go on the sides of phones. So, it's something that we've seen other companies mess with before, but this is gonna be one of the first cases where something that's designed for a phone or tablet comes from a major company like Microsoft, and is designed for their games specifically in mind. Now, the reason why this news has been making rounds on the internet, again, is because Microsoft has actually filed patents for these products. In the past, we've seen a few different early mock-up designs of what exactly they have in mind. Now, keep in mind, none of this is actually final. It's not stuff that Microsoft is officially releasing, but it gives an idea of the kind of stuff that they have in mind, and it's really interesting, 'cause I think it takes one concept from the Joy-Cons that I really enjoy, which is the idea of modularity. The mock-up images that we've seen, while showing a controller that is similar in concept to the Joy-Con is actually something pretty different, one of the most notable things being the shape of it. Now, Joy-Cons are designed to be something that are usable when attached to the side of the Switch, but are also designed to be useful when you're holding one in each hand, wirelessly, which is why they have that very long design. Almost similar to what Nintendo did in the past, with the Wii remotes. On the other hand, the Xbox mock-ups are showing something that's more along the lines of a classic-style controller. Almost something very similar to the Hori Mini Pad on the Playstation, but where you take that kind of smaller design and cut it in half, leading to two controllers that are more square, roundish in shape, rather than being long. The obvious downside to this is that it's not as comfortable to use if you wanted to have one in each hand, wirelessly, but that's not really what these are designed for. Instead, the main goal is for using them when they're attached to the side of a phone or tablet, or using a specially-designed attachment that allows you to put both controllers together to form one single controller, kind of like having a controller grip on the Nintendo Switch Joy-Cons. What's really interesting about this idea, though, is that it's not just focused on having these two small, squarish controllers, and then a single grip attachment to put them together, but also the idea of having different, choosable grip attachments that go on the sides of them, to create that more familiar handlebar design that a lot of major popular controllers have. And, it wouldn't just be one singular grip design, they'd have multiple ones. A smaller one, a medium-sized one, a large-sized one. That way, it works for different hand sizes, instead of being an approach that's one size fits all, which is always a good idea if there's only one choice, but it doesn't always work out in the favor of people that have particularly large or small hands. Before moving on, I want to take a second to thank RAID: Shadow Legends for sponsoring today's video. Now, if you haven't heard of it, RAID: Shadow Legends is a brand-new mobile RPG that has been a huge success. It already has almost 10 million players after only being around for three months. The game has got something for everyone, whether you like playing through the story, tough tactical battles, fighting other players, or just marveling at the awesome graphics. Me, personally, I just love collecting heroes. Just look at the details on them. The game is growing super fast, and an update just went live, along with a new loyalty rewards program for new players, where you can get a new login reward every day for 90 days. Make sure to check out the link down below in the description to instantly get 50,000 silver and a free epic hero as part of their new player program. These grips can be used both when the controllers are being used separately, attached to the sides of a phone, or if you're using that connector to treat it more like a traditional wireless controller, which is a really cool idea, 'cause that gives you a lot of different ways you can use this mocked-up design. It's also worth noting that the attachment allows you to combine the two controllers together also looks like it might have some sort of charging port on it, so that may be how you charge the controllers separately, or even use it in a wired configuration if need be. Now, again, everything we have seen so far are mock-ups and proposed ideas for how these controllers would work. So, the final product, if and when it does come out, is something that could be very similar to this, or something completely different. But, if it is the same, something I find really interesting to how they chose to design these is that in order to accommodate those different attachments you could use, was where they placed certain buttons. All the front-facing ones make sense. It's where you would normally, traditionally view them, but the trigger designs are closer to the the inside middle-back of the controller. So, you're reaching farther in when it's designed like a normal controller, but it might feel a little closer to natural grip design when you're using them on the sides of a phone. The reason for this being that you want to be able to make room for where the grip attachments would go in on the sides, so they can't really be on the outside of it, they gotta be further closer in. All in all, I think this is a really cool concept, and while I don't necessarily think the mock-ups that we're seeing are the absolute best design out there, I really like the ideas that they're incorporating, and the direction they're taking, in that this is very modular focused design, so it can adapt to a number of different situations, and there's a lot of customization options, so that way you can make sure the controller is at most comfortable for you, personally. However, there is one very important question about all this, and that's, actually, how necessary this controller design is in the first place. Ever since Xbox One controllers added support for Bluetooth, and more recently, Apple announced that you can use Xbox One controllers with the devices that use iOS. It's really easy to take an Xbox One controller you already own and use it with a tablet or phone of your choice. So, it raises the question, why exactly do you need to buy a new, specialized controller for that? In fact, back at E3, I even got a chance to go hands-on with xCloud in use, and the way they had that setup was with Xbox One controllers with a phone clip attachment, and using the phone to play games. I think when a lot of people pictured the idea of using a traditional controller with a mobile phone, this is exactly the kind of setup that comes to mind. So, really have to start thinking about what does this alternative option offer that you don't get out of just taking a controller you already own and using that instead? And, I've been thinking about it, and there's three main reasons that really stand out to me of why I would want to pick up and use one of these modular controllers instead of just sticking with an Xbox One controller I already own. The first one is tablets. Sure, if you want to use a traditionally controller with a phone, phone clips make that really easy, and if you want to use it with your tablet in a tabletop setup like with the Switch, that makes a lot of sense. But, if you want to use the larger screen of the tablet on the go, when you're moving, well, there's not really a feasible way to use the normal controller. Even if they made a clip large enough to fit that, it's not going to exactly balance very well. So, the idea of something where you have controllers that attach to the side of it, allowing you to walk around and play at the same time, makes a lot of sense. Second off, one of the core concepts of this very design is that concept of modularity and customization. Sure, an Xbox controller is a really good one-size-fits-all option, but you may find that using one of these modular controller designs allow you to find a grip that is perfectly suited to your needs and ends up working out a lot better. Not to mention the way this whole thing works, where it's multiple pieces, you can break down, put together, take apart again. It allows for something that's way more portable than a traditional Xbox One controller. We don't have a full sense of scale just yet for how big these controllers can be, but it's entirely possible the two main modules could fit in your pocket, making it a lot easier to carry around and put together when you want to play, as opposed to a full-sized Xbox One controller where you definitely need a bag or a carrying case, or something. The third reason, and this one that comes down a little bit more to personal preference, but it makes a lot of sense to me, and that's the orientation of controls relative to the screen you're using. Now, look, when you're using a phone on a phone clip with a controller, it makes sense, it works. But, at the end of the day, I do really prefer the idea of having hands on each side of the device, and having a screen right dead center in the middle. It gives you the ability to look at your controls and the screen all at the same time, instead of it being a slightly more divorced experience. And, this is why most handheld systems work that way. It's very rare that you have all the controls at the bottom, and the screen up top. The only thing I can think of that's popular is the 3DS, and that's because, well, it has two screens, so it needs to do that. So, the idea of having traditional Xbox-style controls, but on the sides of your screen, instead of down below on a separate controller, is something that works really well, I think. Is that enough reason alone to buy a specialized controller over just saving money on a cheaper phone clip? Probably not, but adding on to those other things I was talking about earlier, like the modularity and the customization, and portability over everything else, I think it all comes together to be a pretty compelling argument to use a controller like this. Either way, this is something that is going to be a bit of ways off. We just saw the patents filed, and after all, think back how long we heard rumors and early designs for the adaptability controller up until that actually released. So, it's gonna be a bit before this thing becomes a reality. We more than likely will not see it at the same time as when xCloud officially launches, but it could be something that comes out sometime late next year, and I, for one, am very curious to see what it actually becomes.