The controller was a sleek plastic case with a hard rubber back. It was small and the hands would be getting cramped easily, but the mini design played to its portability. Two mini discs made up the thumb sticks and the face buttons made a plastic click when pressed. Two AAA batteries were inserted into the back of the set and the Bluetooth was turned on. The controller synced up immediately with the Galaxy S II. It looked like the controller was going to work out quite well. After 3 hours I had played NOVA 3, Modern Combat 4, Dead Trigger, Pac-Man and Dungeon Hunter 4 like a normal human being would play a PSP.
I felt like I had accomplished something. The game library has over 60 games and growing. It is one of the easiest libraries to access with a controller without having to root the phone or do any special customizations. This all seemed to be going quite well.
And then I tried again.
I tried syncing with the Galaxy S II a second time within the next two days. The MOGA paired up with my phone immediately, but then lost the connection immediately. I tried pairing it multiple times and finally it stuck after a good five minutes. In the next week the MOGA was absolutely useless to Bluetooth scanners. It would not show up on the tablet, the Bluetooth had a horrible time syncing up and confirming a connection.
The most probable cause is the batteries dying. If 2 fresh AAA batteries promises 3 hours of gameplay than this controller has a major hassle. Even the 6 AA battery Game Gear had a longer lifespan. What was once a cheap and competent and alternative to a Sony PSP became the most difficult peripheral to manage.
It is tools like this that make me believe the Android is not ready to be taken seriously as a game alternative.
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