Ion Mobile Controller is a mini Bluetooth gamepad for your Android device

As portable devices become more sophisticated, we're starting to play hardcore games like GTA III on our mobiles and tablets alongside the casual fun of flinging irate avians at primary-coloured pigs.

And let's be brutally honest, the touchscreen doesn't cut it as a gaming input device – so gaming peripheral manufacturer Steelseries is throwing its hat into the ring with the Ion Mobile Controller, a mini gamepad that has all the buttons and joysticks you'd expect from a full-size controller. That means you get a pair of thumbsticks, a D-pad, four face buttons, and two shoulder buttons.

The Ion Mobile Controller connects to your Android mobile or tablet (or PC) over Bluetooth and can be customised using a free app. Battery life is advertised as 20 hours. 

Yes, hooking up Bluetooth controllers to your Android phone is nothing new – but the Ion Mobile Controller's small size (108 x 55 x 18mm) should make it a lot more useful for gaming on the move.

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