Microsoft plans to turn our smartphones into game consoles with the help of a new patent.
What is known
Just last month the company registereda device that resembles a wireless mobile gamepad. The patent is created not so much for a controller, but for a charging station with “removable input modules.” Moreover, the document itself does not say that the device does not belong to Xbox, but the designers gave themselves away by placing the console logo on the schematic images.
Judging by the patent, the controller will be attachedto a small docking station, which in turn connects via a cable to the network and charges the modules. The system is reminiscent of the Joy-Con for Nintendo Switch, where the left and right controllers are attached to a holder that creates a kind of controller with an additional battery.
According to Eurogamer, the patented gamepad is intended for Project xCloud, Microsoft's cloud gaming service, which is planned to launch for smartphones.
Designer Sarang Sheth even made a concept based on schematic images, where the modules are attached to the sides of the smartphone, turning the device into something similar to a Nintendo Switch.