Startup announces high-quality game controller and case with “by gamers, for gamers” approach.
PALO ALTO, Calif. – August 15th, 2014 – Immersa Labs, after incubating their design for over a year, released a Kickstarter campaign for their first product earlier this month. The meticulously engineered Pocket Gamer, which provides a full suite of gaming features, is designed to avoid the shortcomings of existing iPhone-compatible controllers by being more compact, comfortable, and responsive.
A small team of engineers with a passion for gaming, Immersa Labs knows what to look for in a game controller. The Pocket Gamer, currently an advanced prototype, wraps around the iPhone, providing protection while keeping the package slim and light. The joysticks, trigger buttons, and ergonomics are all designed to have just the right feel and to cause as little fatigue as possible. The controller is designed specifically for portability, founder and CEO Patrick Rundell explains, “with the end result being something you really can just stick in your pocket and never take off your phone.”
The iPhone natively supports communication with external game controllers and mobile developers are already embracing the new functionality. Rundell predicts that the Pocket Gamer will spur a new rush of game development in all genres that will leverage tactile controls and the ubiquity of smartphones.
Crowdfunding is nothing new to the gaming community. In September 2012, Long Beach startup Oculus VR, Inc. raised over $2.4 million through Kickstarter. Immersa Labs’ initial goal of seventy thousand dollars might seem small by comparison, but it’s going to take them a long way. “We want to make a controller that convinces even the most hardcore console gamer to jump into mobile gaming”, says Rundell, “and that’s going to mean a rigorous round of beta testing to get everything dialed in just right.”
Not only will backers of the Kickstarter campaign be the first to get the controller in their hands and on their phones, but they will also be invited to contribute to the design process, helping to shape the features and feel of the Pocket Gamer. With sufficient funding, Immersa Labs predicts that they will be able to get the Pocket Gamer on shelves by May of 2015. “Our foot is on the gas,” Rundell says, “but we aren’t going to sacrifice quality. The sooner the community gives us a yes, the sooner we’ll have it out the door.” Look for more info at www.immersalabs.com or on Kickstarter.
For more information, please contact:
Patrick Rundell, Founder and CEO
media@immersalabs.com
Immersa Labs
