Xiaomi releases affordable Redmi GamePad with Hall effect joysticks and highly customisable design
An increasing number of Android OEMs have started offering telescopic controllers as accessories for their smartphones and tablets. For instance, RedMagic introduced the Shadow Blade 3 Controller alongside the Gaming Tablet 3 Pro last month. Meanwhile, Lenovo created G9 and G9 Pro for its latest Legion Y700, which do their best to transform the tablet into an Android gaming handheld to varying degrees.
Now, Xiaomi has released the Redmi GamePad to complement the Redmi K Pad and Redmi K80 Ultra that debuted yesterday. As the images below show, the Redmi GamePad is closer in design to the 8BitDo Ultimate Mobile Gaming Controller (curr. $49.99 on Amazon) and equivalents than Lenovo or RedMagic's examples. With that being said, Xiaomi's controller has a few tricks up its sleeve.
For example, the Redmi GamePad contains four extendable grips for attaching it securely to a tablet or a large smartphone. Moreover, its left and right sides can be used together or in split modes, which should overcome the difficulties associated with attaching telescoping controllers to wider devices.
On top of that, Xiaomi claims that the controller's default Hall effect joysticks can be swapped out for a choice of three stick heights. The Redmi GamePad offers RGB lighting, micro switches and a replaceable d-pad too, as well as up to 10 hours of battery life from its 600 mAh combined battery capacity. The Redmi GamePad can currently be picked up on Xiaomi's website or the Youpin store for CNY 499 (~$70). Unfortunately, there is no word on an international release date yet.
