(Image credit: John Velasco / Tom's Guide)
Call me old school, but I much prefer playing retro games from classic consoles like the Genesis, SNES, PlayStation 1, and Neo Geo. That’s the main reason I bought a power bank that doubles as a retro handheld over the holidays, but now I’m back to gaming on my phone thanks to MCON.The company behind it makes some sweet iPhone accessories, like the Snap Grip Wallet, but the MCON Bluetooth Controller is truly in a league of its own compared to other mobile gamepads. Not only does it sport an ingenious, ultra-compact design, but it also differentiates itself by leveraging MagSafe to keep my phone securely mounted. Best of all, it packs all the buttons, triggers, joysticks, and grips needed to feel remarkably like a standard console controller — and you can snag one for $20 off today.Compact design, easy to stow away
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(Image credit: John Velasco / Tom's Guide)
One of my biggest gripes with many Bluetooth gamepads is that they simply aren't designed with mobile in mind. Most look a lot like standard console controllers with clunky phone clips tacked onto them. The MCON Bluetooth Controller, on the other hand, is built from the ground up for on-the-go gaming.Portability has always been the main bottleneck for mobile setups, but the MCON solves this by folding down into a sleek, self-contained rectangular slab that effortlessly slips into a pocket or the sleeve of a backpack. Looking at the photo above with my iPhone 17 Pro beside it, it shares a nearly identical footprint, just with a slightly thicker chassis.What makes the design truly clever is its versatility. Rather than locking you into a single configuration, the magnetic MagSafe holder slides out and fully detaches to double as an adjustable kickstand for tabletop play. This magnetic system eliminates the constraints of rigid clamp widths, pairing just as seamlessly with my iPhone 17 Pro as it does with wider, notebook-style foldables like the Pixel 11 Pro Fold.Small details go a long way
