If yesterday’s rumors suggested that Xiaomi might have a gaming console in the works, today, the Chinese corporation launched a Bluetooth game controller, really the missing element of a complete gaming environment.
Xiaomi’s Bluetooth game controller isn’t exactly a suprise, as it has been seen in September on various sites, GizChina being one of them. However, the official launch took place today, and this is a great representation the beginning of Xiaomi’s involvement in the gaming hardware industry.
Not let me explain what I meant earlier with Xiaomi having a complete environment. Making a gaming console wouldn’t have made much sense for the Chinese company, as it already has the devices to run the games, a controller being all that was missing. Do you want to play on the go? Grab the Mi Bluetooth gaming controller and your smartphone. Want to play Android games on a slightly larger display? Grab your Mi Pad tablet. Want to game on an even larger screen? Well, if you’re in China or the surrounding countries, you could get a Mi TV. Maybe Xiaomi will also make a console in the future (even though I’d much rather prefer it sticked to mobile devices), but we’ll just have to wait and see.
The body of the controller is made from high-quality materials sourced from Samsung (Xiaomi surely likes to have its name associated with big names when it comes to the makers of its components), and while the design is not particularly revolutionary, it’s exactly what you need for gaming on the go.
However, that doesn’t mean that Xiaomi’s Bluetooth controller doesn’t bring anything new to the table. The vibration motors are not equal, so the feedback will differ, depending on what you’re doing in the game. On top of that, the buttons are aware of the pressure you apply to them, something that might come in hand while playing racing games.
Five days ago, Xiaomi launched its new flagship smartphones, the Mi Note and the Mi Note Pro. Seeing the prices of those two devices, some people (mostly Apple fanboys, I assume) started accusing Xiaomi of using a bait and switch strategy. That’s what they thought when a company known for affordable devices started launching products with a higher price tag. The way I see it, the premium features of the Mi Note Pro fully justify that price, and even if it won’t sell at that price outside of China, it will still be a whole lot cheaper than Samsung, HTC, Sony, LG and Apple’s flagships.
That being said, the Mi Bluetooth gaming controller is a very affordable device, priced at just 99 yuan, the equivalent of $16.
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