Chinese smartphone maker Xiaomi introduces game controller

The Chinese smartphone maker Xiaomi has presented a controller for games. The Xiaomi Bluetooth Game Controller will go on sale on Thursday, but the manufacturer has not yet revealed the regular price for the product.

As a marketing stunt, Xiaomi is giving the controller to the first 300 interested parties for an amount of around 10 cents. The game controller is intended for playing games on an Android phone or tablet, preferably via a connection to the TV.

The controller has two joysticks, four shoulder buttons, xyab buttons, a d-pad and Android buttons: Back, Menu and a Mi button that presumably serves as a Home button. The design is reminiscent of console controllers. The controller runs on AA batteries.

With the controller, Xiaomi has again added a product category to its range. The Chinese manufacturer previously only made smartphones, but has now made a tablet, router, set-top box and TV.