Xiaomi’s Gamepad 2.0 turns the Black Shark into a mini Switch

By Steven Petite December 12, 2018

Chinese phone manufacturer Xiaomi released its Black Shark gaming phone earlier this year. Coming in at under $500, the phone offered great Android gaming performance for cheaper than most of its competitors. Now you can basically turn that phone into an Android-based Nintendo Switch thanks to the Gamepad 2.0 (via Android Authority).

The first connectable gamepad for the Black Shark simply attached to the left side of the phone and featured a thumbstick and a few buttons. The Gamepad 2.0 is eerily similar to the Switch Joy-Con, both in size and design.

Related Videos

The Gamepad 2.0 has two parts, one that attaches to the left side of the phone and another that attaches to the right. The left-side controller is basically identical to the left Joy-Con. There’s a joystick, four directional buttons below it, two trigger buttons on top, and a button below the directional keys that can take screen captures and footage. Xiaomi calls this the “multifunction gaming button.” This button lets users program control schemes to their liking.

The right controller attachment is a bit different from the right Joy-Con, but not by much. A “precision touchpad” replaces the joystick, but the face buttons below the pad are organized and named exactly like the Joy-Con (A, B, X, Y). The right half of the controller also has two trigger buttons and the multifunction gaming button as well.

The Gamepad 2.0 comes with a protective case for your phone as well, which is recommended when using the new controller setup. Xiaomi says the Gamepad 2.0 is compatible with most Android games. The controls boast more than 40 hours of battery life and connect to the Black Shark via Bluetooth. The Gamepad 2.0 can be purchased for $89 on Xiaomi’s website with free shipping (protective case included).

Though the Gamepad 2.0 is only compatible with the Black Shark, it’s neat to see a phone manufacturer so engaged in making smartphone gaming a destination platform. It’s easy to tell where Xiaomi’s inspiration for the Gamepad 2.0 came from. The Switch’s handheld controls have been largely praised since its launch last year, so it makes sense that other companies would want to try something similar with its handheld configurations.

Editors' Recommendations

Topics

Gaming

Pikmin 4: release date, trailers, news, gameplay, and more

Pikmin 4 release date

When compared to Super Mario, The Legend of Zelda, and even Metroid, the Pikmin series was never a runaway success, but that hasn't stopped Nintendo from developing new installments. And we're glad, because the Pikmin series is full of wit, charm, and originality. During the September 2022 Direct, Nintendo finally unveiled the next entry, aptly titled Pikmin 4.

This announcement came nearly a decade after the previous entry, and although we don't know much about it, we're excited it's happening. The latest installment of the oddball strategy series is bringing some new features, including a brand new Pikmin type and an adorable dog companion. Positioned as the Switch's big summer 2023 release, it has the chance to get more eyes on the series than ever before.

Gaming

PS5 themes: Can you customize your homescreen?

A person plays Crash Bandicoot using a PS5 DualSense controller.

The PS5 launched with many features we loved from the PS4 missing. Over the years, a few have come back, but one that many aren't sure about is themes. These could be earned, downloaded, purchased, or come included with certain games that gave your home screen a new look and background soundtrack related to different games or concepts. This made customizing your home screen that much more fun and personal. However, is this feature on the PS5? Here's whether or not you can put custom themes on your new console, or change the background.
Does the PS5 have themes?

No, the PS5 does not have any themes. Instead, whenever you highlight a game or app on your home screen, the background will change to art related to that game, as well as show more information on it. While far from ideal, it is the closest we are likely to get to the themes we had on our PS4.
Can you change the background on a PS5?
Again, due to the PS5 dynamically changing the background depending on what you're currently looking at, there's no way to alter your background at this time. Since the background is constantly changing, even if you had a custom image, it would always be changing as you cycled through games. There are a few other ways you can customize your PS5, however, unless Sony gives us the option with an update, there's no way to set a theme on your PS5.

Gaming

Can you use PSVR2 on PC?

The back of a man's head wearing the PSVR2.

There are now a decent number of VR headsets on the market, and the newest headset on the block, the PlayStation VR2, is one of the most powerful in terms of technology. This upgrade from the original PSVR makes many improvements over the original design, including trimming down the necessary cables to a single USB-C. Being the only headset on the market made by a console maker, many PC gamers may be wondering if the PSVR2 would be a worthy investment if they could also use it on their PCs.

If you're mainly a PC gamer, or have yet to get your hands on a PlayStation 5, and are interested in the PSVR2, here's whether or not it will work on other hardware.
Does PSVR2 work on PC?