Motorola offering exclusive gamepad mod for Verizon users

When is the ‘Handie Talkie’ making a comeback?

Are you a Motorola Moto Z smartphone user who is having trouble playing those damn video games? Well Motorola has you covered (kind of) with their brand new Moto Gamepad Moto Mod. The gamepad is available now for pre-order and will be going on sale August 25.

But here’s the catch: it’s exclusive to Verizon Wireless.

Admittedly, I forgot Motorola even existed. But this gamepad mod does looks solid — at a cost of $79.99, though, it better be solid. It is also nice you don’t have to pair it up with Bluetooth like most Android devices. The gamepad instead connects directly to the Moto Z through pins on the back of the phone, for a more analog and lag-free experience (claims Verizon).

The controller features what you’d expect: two thumbsticks, a d-pad, four primary buttons, start/select buttons, shoulder buttons, and a home button on the left side. It’ll also include a 1035mAh battery inside the controller, which according to Verizon can offer “up to 8 hours of extra charge.”

So that’s a nice little bonus, but what do you think? Would you even consider dropping $80 for extra battery life and ease of use in your mobile games?

Motorola’s gamepad Moto Mod is $80 and exclusive to Verizon [The Verge]