New Android Controller Available in Google Play Store

After acquiring Ouya and all of its assets, Razer is once again showing its interest in mobile gaming with an Android gaming controller. Razer’s new venture into mobile gaming comes in the form of the Razer Serval, which is now available for purchase in the Google Play Store.

Razer didn’t purchase all of Ouya, as it left behind the latter's microconsole and controller. This is primarily because Razer has its own Android gamepad and console that function well with the Forge TV. With Serval available in the Play Store for $80 (AU $109), Razer now has high hopes that it’ll be a greater success than the Ouya gamepad.

Razer provides a description of the Serval over at the official site Razerzone, stating that Serval is a full-fledged console controller. The controller is Bluetooth-enabled and is compatible with the Forge TV. Despite being made solely for Android gaming, the controller is built with the same technology used in Razer’s high-end PC controllers. The controller looks similar to other Razer controllers, sporting the similar black paint job with green decals.

Techtimes reported that the Serval is compatible with third-party Android consoles as long as they are running on Android 4.2 and above. It also supports smartphones via an adjustable clip that can accommodate an array of smartphones, so players can still play even without owning an Android console.

Ouya was a hit on Kickstarter in its early days. The support it generated made it one of the top Kickstarter projects. Despite attracting about $15 million (AU $20.5 million) in backer funding, its Android console was poorly received upon release. Upon acquiring Ouya, Razer’s CEO and co-founder, Min-Liang Tan, said that the company will handle things differently when it comes to Android gaming. According to him, Razer will focus on publishing games to third party-consoles and releasing more games to the Google Play Store instead of Ouya’s app store, Cortex.

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