If you spend most of your time playing Fornite, PUBG or Call of Duty on your smartphone then we've got some exciting news for you. Samsung is working on a gamepad accessory for its smartphone line-up, according to a recent patent filing.
The patent, which is dated September 2019 but has only recently been published, has been filed for an "Auxiliary control electronic device or mobile terminal." The image representation in the patent filing, which can be seen here, shows a case into which the phone can be placed with a wide range of additional buttons and triggers for gaming.
Smartphone gamepad accessory patent
According to the patent, the gamepad will also make sure your device doesn't overheat when you play for a longer duration thanks to additional cooling from an in-built fan or heatsink. The gamepad's connectivity options include direct connection via USB or you can go wireless via Bluetooth. The accessory's other features include haptic feedback, speakers and an in-built microphone.
Rise of cloud-based video game streaming services
In fact, with all the strides forward the industry has made in recent years when it comes to delivering content via the internet, video game streaming services are ushering in a new digital age for the average gaming fan.
The accessory is the need of the hour with an increase in video game streaming platforms such as Google Stadia, GeForce Now and Microsoft's Project xCloud, which allows users to stream games with high system requirements on smartphones and tablets without having to purchase a physical copy of a game or a console. With the growth in this market, it's understandable why Samsung is betting big on cloud-based streaming services.
Although a patent filing does not necessarily mean the product will see the light of day, this isn't the first time Samsung has forayed into gaming accessories for smartphones. The company has previously released gamepads for the Samsung Galaxy S4 and Note 3 and given the current situation and Samsung's close ties to Google and Microsoft, it seems highly likely that we'll see a newer version of the product soon.
