MCON Review: You Won’t Find a More Compact Mobile Controller

The smartphone should have ushered in the next generation of Game Boy-like handhelds. They’re always in our pocket. They’re powerful enough to play so many games, past and present. They have pretty screens with high refresh rates (at least the latest iPhones finally do). So what’s the problem? Well, part of it is the games (really, the lack of varied, quality original titles). The other issue at play is the awkward touch-based controls eating up valuable screen real estate.

Earlier this year, the $150 MCON promised a mobile controller that was—finally—just as pocketable as your phone itself. That pitch was enough to make the product go viral, and after a successful Kickstarter, the makers at OhSnap are finally starting to ship. Still, there are two things you need to understand about the pricey mobile controller. It’s not as pocketable as some may have hoped it would be. Plus, it won’t offer the same level of gamepad controls found on home consoles.

The MCON is a Bluetooth-only controller. Sure, that means you can connect it to any iPhone and Android (there’s a metal ring adhesive for Android phones without built-in magnetic accessory support), as well as the Nintendo Switch, PC, and Mac, but it won’t feel as ergonomic as the wider clamp on other mobile controllers like the Backbone. The MCON is still the most portable of any design I’ve seen yet. It’s chock full of unique features that all work surprisingly well, expanding what you can use this controller for. Hell, it’s now my commuting controller of choice. You just need to find that one game that makes using the MCON worth the space inside your pocket—not to mention the relatively high price tag.

Is that an MCON in your pocket, or are you just happy to see me?

Thanks to Netflix, I had the chance to return to Red Dead Redemption on mobile. Rockstar’s misanthropic and epic take on the Wild West demands a controller and all the necessary face buttons and triggers. The MCON proved up to the task. I never thought I would have the opportunity to play a title that helped define my taste in games on my daily train ride to work.

Compared to a mobile controller like the $170 Backbone Pro, which is another Bluetooth-enabled mobile controller, the MCON is not so much “smaller” per se. Instead, I’d define it as more compact. Without any ergonomic grips or a sliding function to bite down on either side of your phone like Backbone or Razer Kishi, the MCON is far more squared off, almost like an old-school Nintendo DS (and the many recent DS recreations).

A Backbone controller won’t fit in anything but the largest cargo pants or a coat pocket. That’s one of the original reasons why young engineer Josh King worked long and hard on making the MCON in its current shape. King built the accessory alongside phone peripheral maker OhSnap to fine-tune the design and make a magnetic connection point strong enough to hold most phones for extended use. After first getting hands-on at CES 2025, I’ve followed the company through its Kickstarter updates. The finished product still holds true to the original pitch, which is to the designer’s credit. That doesn’t mean it’s still perfect for everybody.

The MCON will slide down into most loose-fitting jeans. However, if you’re the kind of person who wants to show off their best features in tighter pants, a 5.6-inch-wide controller plus a phone will stretch what’s possible—literally. The controller is nearly an inch thick by itself. My one pair of jeans that hug closest to my waist felt strained to the extreme trying to contain the MCON and phone connected together. The better option for most people is to stick the controller and phone in a coat or separate them out for different pants pockets.

The faceplate is designed to fit a standard iPhone at 6.1 inches diagonal. I also tried it with a larger phone, the iPhone 17 Pro Max, and though it was extra large on the MagSafe connection point it didn’t make accessing controls any more difficult. The major thing to consider is weight. My iPhone 14 Pro isn’t a light phone with its stainless steel frame. Because of this controller’s design, the weight sits toward the screen rather than feeling balanced in each hand. It’s not hard to hold, especially with the wings. The MCON just takes getting used to.

A small, notable feat of engineering

The MCON is still much, much more transportable than any other mobile controller alternative I’ve tried. The fact that the controller uses a MagSafe attachment point means it can come apart in a flash. It’s easy to extend and contract the phone’s metal plate, even with one hand. The only sticking point (again, literally) are the two foldout wings that act as the more ergonomic grips. On the unit sent to me for review, it required using one hand to hold the controller while my other fingers had to dig in and tug each wing into place. They certainly won’t slide out on accident, but it’s just an extra step you need to take before you can get into your games.

There are so many things going on with the MCON that I was worried it would seem over-engineered to the point that some aspect wouldn’t work correctly. The MCON proved the opposite. It’s built with such tight and refined components that no one element is sacrificed for another.

The “quick launch” button is jarring the first time you try it. It shoots open with such a sharp crack you may think your phone will go flying if you stick it on the magnetic puck. However, I found the connection between my personal iPhone 14 Pro and the larger iPhone 17 Pro Max was strong enough that I wasn’t worried about hurling my $1,000 smartphone across the room.

What’s more, the puck can slide in and out to help position your phone squarely in the center of the plate. This puck can be removed completely and flipped vertically if you were hoping to emulate retro Game Boy titles that look better with the square aspect ratio. If you were thinking of emulating Nintendo DS games, this may also prove a great option if you don’t want to spend extra on a device like the AYN Thor or Anbernic RG DS.

In addition, if you hold the release button and a separate switch next to the main controls, you can take the plate off completely and use it like a kickstand for your phone. Sliding it back on takes little effort, too. The only consideration is lining up the small guiding thread with the middle rail. I’ve put it back wrong a few times, but after enough practice I didn’t even have to think about it.

Feels different in every way

The MCON is not going to feel like your typical Xbox gamepad. Instead, it’s a cross between an old-school, squared-off NES controller with inset thumbsticks. Unlike a device like the Nintendo 3DS, which has a “Circle Pad,” this is a full-range joystick inside a small indent so the faceplate can be flush against the controls. Both the D-pad and face buttons are also inset within a shallow cavity.

The face buttons and D-pad are both excellent. The keys have a very shallow travel, though they have a satisfying click to them without sounding loud enough to annoy other commuters on the train. I’ve played multiple games with this controller, including Dead Cells, Sonic Mania Plus, and TMNT: Shredder’s Revenge, and all of them felt easy to manipulate with MCON. There’s a vaguely nostalgic feeling to using this squared design without the foldout wings, like I’m back playing my Nintendo DS with my adult-sized hands. Things only feel a little odd once you try more complicated games that need the thumbsticks and triggers.

The sticks are high quality. Each joystick uses TMR (tunneling magnetoresistance) technology, which is a type of sensor that uses magnetic fields to gauge stick orientation. This cuts down on possible stick drift issues, where the controller would issue inputs you didn’t intend. Even though I’m used to the side-by-side stick layout akin to the PlayStation 5’s DualSense controller, the inset joysticks require you to dip your fingers into the well to get full traction. Using it is far more subtle than that, but it still takes developing new muscle memory.

The triggers are full-motion analog, and they take very little force to press. In Red Dead Redemption, this means an itchy trigger finger can fire off round after round without much fuss. The bigger issue is the miniscule LB and RB shoulder buttons. They are so small I would sometimes aim my gun by pressing the trigger instead of pulling up my weapon wheel. If you’re played Red Dead, you probably know the awkward situation where you try to put away your gun only to accidentally stick up a poor innocent bartender—resulting in an inevitable O.K. Corral-type shootout.

The MCON isn’t designed to make sure you’re at your peak playing PUBG: Mobile or Call of Duty: Mobile. You get the Bluetooth-only controller because it’s convenient, or at least a little more convenient than other options.

I only encountered one error during my time with the controller. Inexplicably, the device set itself into a supposed “gyro mode” that cut me off from using the thumbstick up or down. Thankfully, resetting the controller by holding the capture, select, and start buttons did the trick.

How long do you expect to play on your phone?

Once you enable the Bluetooth connection to your phone, the MCON controller should automatically turn on and connect once you slide it out. However, there were a few times I would press the release button and wait a few tense seconds for the battery indicator light. It sometimes required me to turn the controller on and off before it would automatically connect.

The MCON promises a long, long standby battery life. Collapsing the controller puts it into sleep, and OhSnap said that should last up to 1.8 years in that state. Sure, there’s no possible way to test that, but instead what you should care about more is its standard runtime. The stated 9-hour battery life with MCON’s 500mAh battery isn’t too long compared to other non-mobile controllers at the same price point. In my experience, this wasn’t too bad when I was limiting my gaming stints to roughly 1 hour and 40 minutes of commute time each day. After nearly four days of continuous use on the train and off, the MCON died in the middle of a Red Dead session. If I had plans to take the MCON on a cross-world flight, I’d need to make sure I brought a charging cable with me, as it may not last the entire trip.

Inevitably, with the MCON connected, you won’t be able to use any MagSafe chargers at the same time (of course, you can just use a physical cable and a battery pack). That’s the same with any other phone controller, though other devices often allow for pass-through charging.

Before you buy the controller, think about what games you actually want to play on your phone. Emulators like Delta on iPhone are a special treat with MCON. Sony’s PlayStation brand is debuting several mobile games next year, including a version of MLB The Show and Ratchet & Clank: Ranger Rumble, while NCSoft is promising a new MMO, Horizon Steel Frontiers (which looks more like Honkai: Star Rail mixed with Monster Hunter than it does Horizon Zero Dawn). Maybe these games will be worth their ticket price, maybe not.

Hell, phones today are still the largest market for games, bigger than the console and PC markets combined, and yet gaming on phones is so often terrible. The controls in most 3D games rely on players sticking their grubby fingers on the screen, covering up necessary UI elements and in-game visuals. And still, so many games I’ve tried—even other Netflix titles like Street Fighter IV CE—don’t have native controller support. Even a controller as good as this one can’t overcome all the issues present on the platform.