// 9TO5MAC — MOBILE & WEB

Hands-on: This modular controller slides open to transform your iPhone into a mobile game console [Video]

Published: 08/09/2026, 02:00 PM

I first saw the Ohsnap MCON controller at CES last year, and I immediately fell in love with the concept. The idea was simple: give people a full-featured mobile controller that attaches to your phone via Magsafe, slides open when ready to use, and collapses into something compact that can go with you anywhere. Over the last two weeks, I have put it through its paces. I have tossed it around, pressed the launch mechanism 100s of times, used it with emulators, Apple Arcade games, and with multiple phones. Here is how it has held up, along with everything you need to know. Be sure to check out our video to get a true hands-on look at how this works! At first glance, the MCON looks like a large MagSafe battery pack. On the front, you see the adjustable magnetic puck where you place your phone, and everything from the buttons, joysticks, and grips is neatly tucked behind that puck. Some key specs to consider are: On paper, it sounds like a great standard controller that will get the job done, but it’s the actual hardware that really impresses. The magic of this design comes from the Launch button. Pressing this button slides the phone upward to reveal the controls. Then, on the rear, two grips fold out and lock into position, giving the MCON a more traditional controller shape and much better ergonomics. I have played with this mechanism over and over and over again, and it is very well made. Even with heavier phones like the 17 Pro Max or an unfolded Fold 7, the sliding mechanism moves the phone with ease. But it does not stop there. It also has a secondary playing mode called Kickback mode. This allows you to detach the metal MagSafe plate your phone rests on, which also has a hidden kickstand. So you can place your phone on a table in kickstand mode and play with the controller wirelessly, giving you a Switch-like mobile console experience. So if you are tired of holding up the entire controller with the phone, you can reduce the weight heavily by just removing the phone and playing in this Kickback mode. The MCON controller works with any iPhone that has MagSafe and any Android phone that has a built-in magnetic ring or a case. In the packaging, they even include a magnetic ring you can attach to a non-MagSafe-ready device. MCON is compatible with controller-supported mobile games, Apple Arcade, emulators, Steam Link, PlayStation Remote Play, GeForce Now, and Xbox streaming. Now let’s talk about my experience with it. Of course, the first thing that stood out to me was how well they engineered this. They use a great combination of magnets, metal, and plastic to really give you a strong feel in the hand. Usually, something with this many moving parts has some sort of sticking point or compromise, but I experienced none of that. From using the sliding mechanism to removing and reattaching the metal plate for KickBack mode, everything felt natural. I also appreciated the physical toggle to turn the controller on and off. This makes it incredibly easy to pair with any device you use. Once paired, it will automatically connect to your most recent device every time you turn it on. I tested this controller with three main use cases. The first one was cloud gaming for Xbox. I play a lot of NCAA football on my Xbox, so I wanted to see if I could have a good experience playing NCAA on my iPhone with the MCON. The controller easily gave me a console-level playing experience in the palm of my hand, which was awesome. I then used it for Madden 27 from Apple Arcade. This game has native MFI controller support, so it also worked flawlessly. It honestly felt even better than the cloud gaming experience because there was zero latency during gameplay. The new Madden 27 game is also great for anyone wanting to scratch the Madden console-level experience itch on the go. Lastly, I used it for a more passive Game Boy emulation use case. I love playing my Pokémon games on my iPhone. Since the emulator I use fully supports external controllers