Never mind that fancy new motion controller that’s being bundled with Gear VR; accessory company Nyko thinks it has the definitive new controller for Samsung’s mobile headset. Meet the PlayPlad VR.
No, that wasn’t a typo.
As goofy as a name that may be, the PlayPlad VR actually has a pretty neat gimmick to it. When you’re not using your headset, this slate-like controller slots into the front of your Gear VR, just as your phone does. That way you can carry both around without forgetting about one or the other. This is an officially licensed product for the device that will let you play any of the gamepad compatible games that have come to the platform over the past few years.
Elsewhere, the PlayPlad (nope, still not a typo) features the usual array of face and directional buttons, as well as four buttons on the shoulders and two on the back of the device. Two sliders give you analogue stick-like control. It connects to any Samsung phone as well as previous versions of the Gear VR and uses the Android HID controller protocol so you don’t need to map any buttons.
Nyko will be showing the controlled at E3 next week, and it’ll go on sale later this year for $49.99.
While Gear VR content will likely skew towards the new motion controller in the future, there are still games like Dreadhalls and Herobound that are worth seeking out with a gamepad.
