The smartphone gaming market is growing all the time and Nintendo mentioned it as one of the their biggest concerns in the past. If you play a lot of games on your Android smartphone then the new XOPAD may be a device worthy of your attention.

The XOPAD is a USB based controller designed for Android phones – the goal is to turn your sexy smartphone into a full fledged, portable gaming console. The creators of the device are aiming to make it open source, for developers.

The XOPAD is part of a Kickstarter campaign. The device is resizable and can work with any size phone up to the Galaxy Note II, which is the largest Android phone available. The XOPAD handles data transfer and power via USB, meaning you can charge the device and the phone while you game. The XOPAD has a built in 3,000 mAh lithium battery onboard.

The controller also has audio speakers on board which is fed by the USB port. There are twin analog joysticks and twelve push buttons and triggers to deal with the most complex titles currently available on the Android store. [yframe url='http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bzs3cfMgxW0′]

The XOPAD uses Android's On-the-go (OTG) protocols for Android 3.1 or greater and the Android Open Accessory (AOA) protocol released in versions 4.1 and higher. These Human Interface Device protocols allow the Android phone to be used in host mode for other peripheral devices. The good news is that the list of game titles supporting HID protocols is expanding all the time. No rooting of the device is needed either.

The Kickstarter campaign is set to a goal of $110,000 and if you pledge $50 plus shipping then you can get a black XOPAD controller if the total is met. So far they have raised only around $3,000 so they are in dire need of more donations if this is to ever be released.

You can get more info on this over here.

Kitguru says: A nifty little device that looks to have huge potential.

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