The way we play games while on the go has changed dramatically in recent years with the advent of smartphones and tablet PCs. Many of us have some great games installed on our mobile devices and today we have news of the Kickstarter, which is a magical open source Bluetooth controller that has been designed to bridge the gap between the classic game controllers and touch screen devices.

It is open source so gamers can upload their own code to modify the way the controller works, and is done on the Arduino platform that many will already be familiar with. The controller uses a standard button layout while being small and portable and comfortable to use.

Construction of the device is strong to help it withstand any bumps along the way, and access to the electronics has been made simple for those that want to customize it. Currently the controller is only a working prototype, but it is planned to be manufactured in high numbers to keep the price as low as possible.

The team behind the project are looking to raise $10,000 to purchase injection moulds, and then will start manufacturing the internal electronics for the controller ahead of burning the Arduino bootloader on the chips. These will then be loaded with the factory code for the basic functionality for playing most ISOs and ROMs on all emulators.

Then the testing will begin with hours of game playing to make sure the controller has the quality that was originally intended for it. The team is looking for gamers who are interested to pledge their support behind the concept to make it a reality, and to get the product onto the shelves. Check out the video below and head over to the Kickstarter website for more information.

Do you like the look of the controller?