Razer launched today the Junglecat, the company’s own take on the smartphone gaming industry. This controller lets you use your device pretty much like Nintendo’s Joy-Con. Although it’s compatible with all Android smartphones, tablets and Windows computers, it comes at the price of $100 so it’s a tad hard to imagine someone buying the controller if they’re not gamers at their core. And if we take under consideration that the company has already an excellent portfolio of gaming smartphones it’s pretty much clear the launch of the Junglecat aims at boosting their own sales.
Additionally, it’s quite concerning that the new Junglecat controller is not compatible with iOS devices since the previous Junglecat controller that Razer launched was designed and built specifically for Apple devices.
In any case, the new controller can be connected via Bluetooth as a standalone handheld wireless controller, or it can be plugged in any or both sides (left and/or right) of your Android device for immersive gaming sessions. It comes with three custom cases and in the States, Razer announced that the Samsung Galaxy Note 9, Galaxy S10+ and Razer Phone 2 will be the only smartphones that will get any cases at all. International customers, on the other hand, will get pretty much the same deal except the Galaxy Note 9 which will be replaced by the newer Huawei P30 Pro.
If you don’t have any of the above devices, you won’t get the case included in the package, which will leave you connecting the two sides of the controller with your device and using it from a distance. In all honesty, that seems kind of a bummer, since all other similar smartphone gaming controllers have some sort of universal design to support all phones in the middle of the two pads. Having to play a MOBA on your smartphone from a distance means that you’ll be using your phone as a plain screen, which pretty much strips the phone of its nature.
According to the company, the Junglecat has a bold battery life that can get you going for a solid 100 hours with one charge - it uses a USB-C port to charge, by the way. However, that number is feasible only through the Bluetooth Low Energy connection mode.
Have you tried the new Junglecat controller? What are your thoughts? Let us know in the comments below!
Last Modified: Nov 7, 2019