This is my second attempt at trying to get a control pad for my Samsung galaxy Y android phone, the previous controller was an ipega controller which didn’t work because my phone was running android firmware 2.3 and the controller was running off android 4.0. Thankfully after a bit more research and perseverance I found the Gametel controller, which was the same price as the Ipega controller and according to the Gametel website supported android firmware 2.1 and above.
Upon receiving the controller and consulting the instructions manual I was instructed to download the Gametel app from “play store”, after a quick installation and following the instructions to hold start on my controller for 3 seconds the controller appeared in the Gametel app’s device list, much to my relief.
As I mentioned in my Ipega review I had bought this controller to play emulated games on an app called Happy Chic, if you haven’t got this app on your phone and you’re on this page looking for a controller for your phone then I highly recommend you download happy chic as it comprehensively collates all the good emulators available to android phones into one easy to use free app, and also has a fantastic selection of free games which are compiled into a easy to use and access data base, of all the games I searched for on happy chic I found all but two games!
Happy chic works perfectly with this controller and I didn’t have any problems setting up the button configuration for each console, I was even able to save a profile for different play styles, for example I’ve got a button layout for Street fighter on the mega drive which uses a 6 button layout and has heavy kick and heavy punch on the two bottom buttons of my controller, but I can load another profile which has a button layout for streets of rage 2.
If you’re getting one of these pads then be aware that they are designed with retro gaming in mind as it only has a D pad and 6 buttons and wouldn’t really work that well with a modern game, but it is perfect for nes and mega drive games as the D-pad was used on the original controllers for these consoles.
Overall I say the battery life is really good but when the battery is getting low I did notice that the controller was disconnected from my phone every 10 seconds, but it does re-charge quite quickly. One negative thing I would say about this controller is that it should have come with its own charging cable or plug, wouldn’t have cost much to include one, luckily it is the same charger for my phone as it is for my controller.
Another thing worth mentioning is how easy it is to pair and unpair this device, you hold down start for 3 seconds let go and the phone will prompt you to pair the controller, then when you are done simply press and hold start again for 3 seconds and the device will turn off, this is essential especially when you realise that by pairing this device to your phone it temporarily de-activates/replaces the virtual keyboard on your phone, so you have to disconnected the controller to send a text or look on the internet basically.
Aesthetically the controller isn’t much to look at and the buttons do feels a bit weird at first, but I don’t even think about it anymore, as it’s all about the games. Also the part that clips your phone into the controller is a brilliant idea really, as it fits my phone perfectly and makes mobile gaming easier when out and about.
In conclusion this is defiantly worth buying if you want to play some retro gaming, and the added bonus of happy chic means you have a almost limitless supply of free games on the mega drive, Snes, nes, master system, gameboy, n64, playstation, Nds and even arcade titles, in essence for £13 your turning your phone into a micro console with hundreds of free games on it.
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