There has been some exciting tech being revealed at CES 2015. Samsung, Sony, and LG have introduced their new line of TVs, and we have seen some pretty amazing self-driving cars. While that head-turning tech has really excited a lot of techies out there, Mad Catz turned the heads of those in the mobile gaming world.
This year Mad Catz displayed the L.Y.N.X 9 Hybrid Controller for Android, which is unlike anything else on the market today. While the L.Y.N.X 9 looks like something you would see in transformers, it will change the way you play mobile games forever.
With its skeletal design, the L.Y.N.X 9 is a modular transforming controller that allows you to transform the controller to fit your tablet or phone. L.Y.N.X 9 can attach to a full QWETRY keyboard, allowing you to type in-game messages, control music, and respond to texts. The controller is completely customizable; you can set the sensitivity of the sticks, and save different profiles based on the user or game you are playing.
The L.Y.N.X 9 folds up for travel and lasts up to 30 hours on one charge. It should outlast any device you connect it to. To save battery, the L.Y.N.X. automatically goes to sleep after a period of inactivity which you can adjust within the app.
While you have the ability to attach your smartphone or tablet directly to the controller, the L.Y.N.X 9 provides PlayBig cables which allow you to connect your phone or tablet to your TV. Finally, I can play Clash of Clans on my 70in TV (as long as it is compatible)! To add further to the sweetness, by using OnLive and Steam, you can play CloudLift-enabled PC games on your TV. For those of you who travel, you can play those games without having to take your gaming PC with you.
While I am not one who games a lot of my phone or tablet, this controller makes me want to take break from my PlayStation%204 White Console Destiny BundlePS4 or put down my Borderlands%202 – Limited Edition – PlayStation Vita BundleVita for a bit. However, the $299.99 pre-order price tag is hard to get around. While there are a ton of features available, the price might haunt my dreams (or my wife will).
Mad Catz makes other mobile controllers like the Mad%20Catz C.T.R.L.R Mobile Gamepad for Android, Amazon Fire TV, Smart Devices, PC, Mac, and M.O.J.O. Micro-ConsoleC.T.R.L.R and Mad%20Catz C.T.R.L.i Mobile Gamepad Made for Apple iPod, iPhone, and iPad – BlackC.T.R.L.i for under $60. These controllers do not have nearly the functionality as the L.Y.N.X 9, nor do they look nearly as cool.
What are your thoughts; is $300 too high of a price for a mobile controller? For those of you who do game a lot on your mobile device, are these features really needed? Let us know in the comment section below.