Design renders based on Google game controller patent channels the worst parts of the clunky Ouya controller

There are some expectations in regard to Google’s upcoming appearance at the Game Developers Conference in San Francisco later this month. The company is believed to be preparing some sort of gaming-related service or hardware, which could consist of a browser-based game-streaming service or even a console. A patent filing for “Notifications on game controller” by Google was published by the USPTO at the end of January, and it included technical drawings of a potential controller.

A talented industrial designer has come up with some renders of the Google game controller to give people a better idea of what could eventually be in a gamer’s hand when utilizing Google’s rumored game service. Unfortunately, even though the renders have been professionally crafted (and clearly based on the patent’s drawings and text), reception for the controller has been pretty harsh, with many on Twitter comparing the hardware accessory with the ungainly controller that came with the failed Ouya console.

Tweeters have pointed out the relative size of the small analog sticks to the rest of the game controller and the chunky-looking handles have also been criticized. It’s also been mentioned that the action buttons lack symbols or icons, which could cause some confusion. A “G” Google button and a button with a microphone icon for Google voice search can be clearly seen. Of course, the Google controller in the renders has been based on patent technical drawings that may have already been discarded by the search engine giant, so an eventual real-world Google controller may yet win gamers over.