You may (or may not) have heard of the MOGA Bluetooth-powered gaming controller. The device has been available for Android hardware for a few months, but the team behind it has opened up platform limitations by releasing the SDK for developers to implement support in Windows Phone 8 games. The controller is on show at this year's GDC.

While no games are available yet to that take full advantage of the controller on Windows Phone, we can expect to see some titles announced soon enough. PowerA has stated that the SDK for Windows Phone will be available soon. Microsoft has published a short demonstration of the controller in action:

Looks pretty neat, right? With all the titles and Xbox Live games coming to Windows Phone, it'll take the gaming experience that step further with the Bluetooth controller. For more information, head on over to the Windows Phone Developer Blog.

One of the biggest surprises coming out of GDC 2013 for me was undoubtedly PowerA’s announcement that its MOGA Bluetooth controller SDK would be coming to Windows Phone. On iOS and Android, videogame controller accessories are becoming increasingly popular with core gaming fans. Such peripherals can add more precise control and a console-like experience to smartphones. Sure, they can impact portability but they’re great at home and other places where you’d be playing for an extended length of time.

Windows Phone has always been a bit behind on peripheral support. We don’t have a Bluetooth keyboard, for instance. But Windows Phone 8 does add the ability for apps to communicate with Bluetooth. That ability now makes it possible for hardware add-ons like the MOGA Pro Controller to work with Windows Phone 8 games!

Head past the break for full details on the MOGA Pro Controller and a hands-on video.

From MOGA to MOGA Pro

Note: You'll see someone else's hands in the video as I was on camera duty.

The original MOGA Pocket Controller is a tiny and highly portable controller designed specifically to work with Android games. The peripheral is fairly well reviewed, but some of the concessions made to portability also result in a less-than perfectly comfortable controller. For instance, the face buttons are too tiny (similar to those on modern Nintendo systems), the analog sticks are nubs instead of real sticks, and the triggers are slightly hard to reach. Also, the Pocket Controller requires two AAA batteries, so power becomes a concern too.

Thankfully the MOGA Pro Controller fixes everything I disliked about the previous model. For one, it’s almost exactly the same size and shape as an Xbox 360 controller. The layout of the dual analog sticks (proper sticks this time), d-pad, face buttons, shoulder buttons, and triggers perfectly matches the one that 360 users have grown to love over the years. And the d-pad is actually more precise than the standard 360 controller’s!

To use the MOGA Pro Controller with a Windows Phone or Android device, you’ll simply flip out the MOGA Arm that holds the phone in place. You then plug the controller’s USB charging port into your phone’s power jack or another USB power source – no need for separate batteries here. Then just boot up a game that supports the controller and you’re ready to game on!

Windows Phone specifics

The MOGA Pro Controller hasn’t actually been released yet, but already one game supports it: Drift Mania Championship 2. You’ll remember that title as the first Windows Phone game to utilize the Unity Engine, so clearly the Drift Mania developers love being the first at things. The game works great with the Pro Controller; steering with the analog stick and accelerating and braking with the analog triggers feels very much like playing a real console game. None of that imprecise tilting business!

During the conference, Microsoft stressed what an easy time the Drift Mania developers had incorporating MOGA support into their game. The entire process took them less than a day. Games must specifically support the controller, but the ease of implementing that functionality certainly bodes well for future support. (Developers interested in adding MOGA support to their games should visit the MOGA website.)

Now, docking a phone into a real controller and playing games on it won’t be for everybody. But for people who love platformers and other core games that use virtual sticks and buttons, the MOGA Pro Controller will feel like a godsend. Emulators like SNES8X and VBA8 will especially benefit from MOGA support (assuming the emulator developer implements it, which is very likely) since classic games were designed to be used with physical controllers in the first place. Let’s hope Gameloft will support MOGA in their Windows Phone games as they do on Android!

Almost in your hands

The MOGA Pro Controller will launch on April 15 (tax day!) for $49.99. Look forward to our full review shortly thereafter. In the meantime, you can learn more about MOGA’s Android support from Crackberry’s hands-on.

When Microsoft and Power A announced that the MOGA Pro Controller gaming accessory would support Windows Phone during GDC 2013 back in March, serious gamers were understandably excited by the news. Windows Phone 8’s improved Bluetooth accessory support was finally going to receive some of the accessory love that Windows Phone 7 always lacked.

To show off that support during GDC, Microsoft and its partners already had the indie game Drift Mania Championship 2 up and running on the show floor. Apparently it took Ratrod Studio less than a day to integrate that support into their game. But when the MOGA Pro Controller actually launched at the end of April, the game’s controller support was nowhere to be found. Windows Phone gamers who bought the controller had nothing to play it with.

Well, almost two months after the MOGA Pro Controller launched (and three months since GDC), Drift Mania Championship 2 has finally received the controller compatibility update!

 Connection pains

I haven’t actually received a MOGA Pro Controller for review just yet; it would have been pointless before Windows Phone software started to support it. As such, I can’t post my own impressions of the connection process. But tipster/Achievement hunter TNTJudbud has filled me in on his own experience with the controller. On Android the device connects easily and works with a variety of games.

On Windows Phone, however, connecting wasn’t so easy. The controller’s printed instructions make no mention of Windows Phone, nor does the MOGA website itself (ouch). The controller has two separate Bluetooth modes: A and B. Which should it be set to in order to work with Windows Phone? Well, when the switch is set to B, it connects to the phone but quickly drops the connection, so it looks like A is the way to go.

When the controller is searching for a device to connect with, its LED light blinks blue. Once you’ve launched the game and tap the screen, the controller light apparently turns green and then goes off. That’s how you’ll know it’s connected.

More MOGA support to come?

VBA8, the GameBoy Advance emulator for Windows Phone 8

Now the question remains whether more Windows Phone games will support the MOGA Pro Controller in the future. Keep in mind that games have to be Windows Phone 8 native – not Windows Phone 7 games running on Windows Phone 8 via compatibility mode – in order for their developers to add controller support.

We know that emulator developer M.K intends to support the Pro Controller in his SNES8X, VBA8, and VGBC8 emulators, but the last time we spoke with him, Power A hadn’t provided him with the MOGA SDK yet. Hopefully they’ve gotten that squared away and that support will soon be forthcoming.

Getting Gameloft onboard

Modern Combat 4

The next company we’d like to toss their hat in with the MOGA Pro Controller is undoubtedly Gameloft. After all, the big G already supports MOGA controllers on Android. How hard would it be to add that support to their Windows Phone 8 games?

Unfortunately, Xbox certification complicates things. Any game currently undergoing certification (such as Six Guns) can’t have controller support added in as that would restart the certification process. And once a game is actually published, like say Modern Combat 4 and N.O.V.A. 3, it would need to go through the costly and time consuming certification process in order to be updated.

We already know Gameloft (like many Xbox Live developers) isn’t crazy about updating their games. Remember, the blame for that falls on Microsoft before anybody else. There are platforms like say Android and Steam in which developers can update their games whenever they want at no charge. Xbox platforms sadly do charge hefty fees and add other hurdles towards software updates. But Gameloft did at least fix Ice Age Village up a bit post-release, so adding controller support isn’t flat out impossible.

The best thing gamers can do is tweet @gameloft and tell them you want MOGA support in their Windows Phone 8 games. Also tell them in their forums. Even if we don’t convince Gameloft to add controller support to their existing games, it’s very possible that the NEXT batch of games (unannounced) could receive the support before they go into Xbox certification.

Purchase details

Get the MOGA Pro Controller for $49.99 from PowerA.com or online retailers like Amazon.

Drift Mania Championship 2 - Windows Phone 8 - $1.99 - 215 MB - Store Link

Thanks to Ahmed Jan and TNTJudbud for the tips!

Over the weekend, we wrapped up our ‘How Microsoft can save Xbox games on Windows Phone’ series with a Microsoft video interview that we’d been saving for just such an occasion. That video focused exclusively on the Xbox Windows Phone issues raised in our editorial series, but it didn't exactly put our concerns to rest. All we Xbox enthusiasts can do is keep pushing the editorials and issues with Microsoft until finally the right people realize the need for improvement and start effecting changes.

And while many of those issues have yet to be resolved, I’d be hard-pressed to claim that Windows Phone gaming has not improved since the debut of Windows Phone 8. Game development is easier than ever, and many companies who ignored Windows Phone 8 are now onboard for 8. When we sat down to talk with Microsoft's Larry Lieberman, Senior Product Manager and Casey McGee, Senior Marketing Manager, our first subject of business was all those recent advances that make Windows Phone gaming better than ever.

Head past the break to learn just how things are looking up and see the second part of our video interview!

Native code and Game engines

A huge obstacle to Windows Phone 7 development was the platform’s lack of native code support. This made porting from other platforms to Windows Phone incredibly difficult because games and apps had to be rewritten from their original code languages into C# and XAML. The lack of native code support also made multiplatform game engines incompatible with Windows Phone. Since the vast majority of mobile games are built with multiplatform game engines (especially Unity), a number of games never migrated to Windows Phone 7.

The major theme that Microsoft touted during our meeting was that Windows Phone 8 has removed obstacles like the lack of multiplatform game engine support. They touted support from Unity, Marmalade, and Havok, three of the most important engines in the business.

• Unity: The most popular mobile gaming engine by far, the Unity SDK for Windows Phone 8 has been in beta for several months now. As a result, a handful of Unity games have recently made it out of the gate: Temple Run, Fling Theory, Orcs Must Survive, and Drift Mania Championship 2. Unity also announced Unity 4 beta support for Windows Phone 8, so developers can begin working with the latest version of the engine and its advanced features.
• Marmalade: A versatile engine that is used in a variety of popular games on other platforms such as Plants vs. Zombies and Cut the Rope has just advanced to its second beta version for Windows Phone 8. Two Marmalade games are already available on the platform: 6^th Planet and Propel Man. Learn more about the beta program at Marmalade’s website.
• Havok: A huge player in the console field, Havok also has a number of tools in beta status for Windows Phone 8, including the Havok Physics Engine (seen in Modern Combat 4), the Havok Game Engine, and the Project Anarchy suite of tools. We’ll take an in-depth look at Havok’s offerings soon!

Microsoft’s focus on helping to deliver these engines to Windows Phone 8 is definitely great news. In fact, I’d say it’s the only issue we touched on in the ‘How Microsoft can save Xbox games on Windows Phone’ series that has actually been fixed so far. That’s not to say all the important gaming engines have signed on for Windows Phone 8 yet; Epic’s Unreal Engine remains noticeably absent. Hopefully we’ll see Epic come onboard this year as well.

MOGA Pro Controller

Windows Phone 8 also offers developers increased access to the hardware, including better Bluetooth support. This in turn has allowed accessory manufacturer Power A to add Windows Phone 8 support to its MOGA Pro Controller. The controller just launched last week and games have to be updated to work with it, so it’ll be a month or two before we start reaping its benefits. But like the game engines mentioned earlier, the MOGA Pro Controller is another component that brings Windows Phone 8 closer to competing with other mobile platforms on the gaming front.

The story of MOGA Pro Controller support for Windows Phone 8 has consisted of little else other than disappointment in the months following its March announcement. Microsoft touted Windows Phone 8’s support for the peripheral at the Game Developer Conference, where we actually played Drift Mania Championship 2 using the controller.

Somehow, the MOGA-enabled version of the game didn’t become available until June, several months after the controller arrived in stores. And since then, exactly zero Windows Phone games and emulators have included MOGA support. It’s like the March announcement was just a cruel joke.

The cruelty of that joke has just diminished, because a second game now supports the controller! Spectral Souls, the massive strategy RPG from HyperDevBox has been updated to work with the MOGA Pro Controller. We also know of at least one other app that will definitely support it upon release. Details after the break!

Spectral Souls

HyperDevBox’s sole Windows Phone 8/Windows 8 release actually started its life as a Playstation 2 game. As such, the developer chose to implement console-style virtual controls when porting it to touch screen devices. A more mobile-specific control scheme would have felt more natural, but it got the job done.

Those console-style controls are a blessing now that Spectral Souls supports the MOGA Pro Controller, however. Sync the game with the controller and you’ll be able to move characters and navigate menus with ease. The game uses four main buttons, and they map perfectly to the face buttons of the controller.

Spectral Souls is the only Japanese-style strategy RPG for Windows Phone 8. The detailed story revolves around a three-sided conflict between the established human army, a new rebel army, and an invading force of demons. As the tale unfolds, players will be thrust into battles against both humans and monsters alike.

The combat takes place on small battlefield maps. Each character has a certain range of movement and a unique assortment of attacks and skills they can draw upon in battle. It feels very much like Final Fantasy Tactics. The intricacies of combat can get pretty complex, but thankfully the game has both a tutorial and an extensive built-in manual.

Check out our original article for a more expansive analysis.

• Spectral Souls– Windows Phone 8 – 575 MB - $12.99 – Store Link

MOGA Pro Controller certification issues

Neither Microsoft nor MOGA’s producer Power A have explained why so few Windows Phone 8 games support the controller just yet. Based on what we heard at GDC, you’d think that adding support would be quick and easy. And if that was truly the case, we’d see more than two controller-enabled games five months after the peripheral’s release. In fact, Power A tells us the controller doesn’t officially support Windows Phone 8 yet!

Spectral Souls’ recent MOGA-enhanced update does at least provide a clue into the quagmire. According to HyperDevBox:

“The MOGA controller coding was very easy to add and accomplished inside of two hours. However, Microsoft's review process [took] very long with little or no information returned, [delaying] this release over one month.

I'm not [exactly] sure where the fault lies. It has to do with the MOGA and/or Microsoft documentation on Bluetooth being incorrect. I do not know if Microsoft's documentation was incorrect [and caused] MOGA to generate incorrect documentation. [Our update with MOGA Pro Controller support] almost did not get released due to this documentation bug.”

If HyperDevBox is correct, a Bluetooth issue of some sort seems to be the root of the MOGA support problem. Perhaps the issue came to light after GDC and neither Microsoft nor Power A is willing to open up about it.

We’ve reached out to Power A for comment and will update if they reply.

EmiPSX

Vagrant Story running on EmiPSX

We recently wrote about EmiGens Plus, a Sega Genesis emulator from Andre Botelho. It turns out that Andre’s upcoming Playstation One emulator EmiPSX could be the third Windows Phone 8 game/app to support the MOGA Pro Controller! The private beta version already supports it, in fact. Unless the emulator runs into certification issues like Spectral Souls did, you can count on EmiPSX debuting with controller support when it launches.

Update: EMU7800, the Atari 7800 emulator, supports MOGA too. That makes three games/apps at present!

Thanks to Mark “Tippy” Tepper for the Spectral Souls tip!

Not long ago, Spectral Souls became the second Windows Phone 8 game with MOGA Pro Controller support. More games will surely follow, though not at the pace gamers would probably like. MOGA manufacturer Power A’s reluctance to officially acknowledge Windows Phone 8 in product packaging and marketing materials has naturally led to a tepid response from Windows Phone developers, including the all-important Gameloft.

I’ve always maintained that emulators are where the MOGA Pro Controller has the most potential on Windows Phone 8. Sadly, none of the Nintendo or Sega emulators support it just yet. But we recently learned about one that does: EMU7800 from Mike Murphy. An Atari 7800 and 2600 emulator isn’t the most exciting use for a $50 controller add-on, but it’s a start!

EMU7800 itself is a promising emulator for both Windows Phone 7 and 8, though its respect for copyright law and several rough edges need improvement. Head past the break for our full impressions!

Blast from the past

Since many of you guys are too young to remember Atari consoles, I’ll give you a fast history lesson. The Atari 2600 was released way back in 1977 (even before I was born) and amazingly remained in production all the way until 1992. A highly underpowered machine that was easy to develop for, its shovelware-heavy library was partially responsible for the videogame crash of 1983.  

Left: Atari 2600 Pac-Man was pretty awful.

The Atari 7800 was designed in 1984. As you’d expect, it boasted significantly beefier hardware and graphics capabilities compared to the 2600. The controllers (while hideous) featured two action buttons instead of one, further enhancing its gameplay capabilities. The 7800 also played Atari 2600 cartridges – if only the next generation of consoles provided similar backwards compatibility! The 7800 couldn’t quite compete with the NES graphically, but it was a respectable system nonetheless.

Controls and options

Unfortunately I don’t have a MOGA Pro Controller on hand to test EMU7800 with, but we’ll assume the controller can handle easily the two Atari systems’ 8-directional input and single- or double-action buttons.

The touch screen controls however, leave something to be desired. Unlike every other gaming emulator we’ve covered, EMU7800 lacks on-screen controls. Swiping the left side of the screen ACTS as a virtual d-pad, and the right side of the screen handles button presses. Players have to press back and use a menu option to switch between the two buttons, which is ridiculous and not in keeping with mobile gaming standards.

The controls ARE enough for games that don’t use action buttons like Pac-Man, and single-button games can be playable. Invisible buttons and stick just aren’t very intuitive though. Even figuring out how to start a game can be tough – tapping the right side of the screen doesn’t do it in some titles.

The Back button brings up a menu in which users can toggle between the A and B buttons for gameplay (ack). More logically, the Back menu also hides the Atari 7800’s four hardware buttons: Power, Pause, Select, and Reset. Users can even toggle sound, color or black and white display, and switch to second player controls.

To switch games, you have to press the Back button again while viewing the Back button menu. I’d prefer an onscreen button to return to the main menu. There is no built-in screenshot functionality.

Games Menu

EMU7800’s game selection menu uses a portrait orientation even though the games are played exclusively in landscape. When playing with a MOGA Pro Controller, it would certainly be awkward to have to flip the device back and forth. The games menu does not display screenshots; all games are represented by Play or Pause icons.

My main problem with EMU7800 isn’t the awkward user interface. It’s that the emulator can’t import user ROMs. What? That’s the only legal way to play ROMs on an emulator, by importing ROMs you supposedly created yourself. Impossible to do that here.

Instead, EMU7800 comes bundles with something like 50 Atari 2600 and 7800 ROMs. They’re automatically sorted into several categories: 2600, 7800, Atari, Imagic (a short-lived Atari 2600 game developer), and Other (homebrew). There’s a strange lack of Activision titles among the 2600 games – they were only one of the most important publishers of the Atari 2600 era.

Legality

Can you believe Nintendo used to license out its games to non-Nintendo consoles?

Problem is the emulator developer clearly doesn’t have license to distribute these games. Whether it’s commercial releases like Pac-Man and Warlords or homebrew releases like Pac-Man Collection (an awesome collection of Pac-Man variants for the 7800), it’s not legal to just throw those ROMs in with an emulator distribution. The screenshots on the Store even depict commercial games – how could Microsoft not pick up on all that?

Emulation is a grey area to begin with. Most people playing emulators don’t really rip ROMs from games that they legally own, I know. But with other emulators like EmiGens Plus, at least the onus to bend or break copyright law is on the end user. The emulator itself is legally distributed. But EMU7800’s illegal distribution is on the heads of both the developer and Microsoft. That’s not cool, especially given how common knowledge the legalities of distribution are within the emulation community.

Verdict

EMU7800 is a product we needed to cover because of its MOGA Pro Controller support. It’s awesome that an emulator finally works with the MOGA accessory. And the developer seems like a nice guy from my email communication with him. He describes the distribution of these ROMs as lacking commercial value. Maybe that’s true, though older Atari games do still get bundled now and then or sold individually such as with Pitfall on Windows Phone.

It’s really the concept of an emulator that explicitly prevents users from playing their own games in favor of bundling games (without permission) that bothers me. The Atari 2600 and 7800 both have interesting (though not great) ports of Double Dragon that I would love to try out on EMU7800, but that’s currently impossible due to the lack of ROM importing and those games not being included.

Divorcing all legal and moral concerns, EMU7800 offers a nice way for mobile gamers to get a quick jolt of gaming history. It offers a wide variety of titles, even if the selection is kind of scattershot. There are lots of high quality ports of classic arcade games included, such as Arkanoid, Donkey Kong, Donkey Kong Junior, Frogger, Mario Bros., Space Invaders, and more.

As an emulator, EMU7800 shows promise.  All of the games I tested ran perfectly except for Kung Fu Master, which didn’t look or play right. But the controls and UI have a lot of room for improvement. If the developer gets those aspects up to the standards created by other emulator developers like M.k, Samuel Blanchard, and Andre Botelho, AND adds the all-important ROM importing feature, EMU7800 will be a must-download for Atari fans.

• EMU7800– Windows Phone 7 and 8 – 2 MB – Free – Store Link
• EMU7800– Windows 8 and RT – 3 MB – Free – Store Link

Street Outlaws has arrived in the Windows Phone 8 store with fantastic graphics, challenging game play and MOGA Pro support.

Drift Mania: Street Outlaws, the official gaming title, is a racing game focused on the art of drifting. You race across a wide variety of venues ranging from the Swiss Alps to the streets of San Francisco.  Thirteen tracks in all to master, sixty achievements to conquer, and forty performance upgrades to unlock gives Street Outlaws plenty of gaming to keep you busy.

Street Outlaws features twenty one vehicles that can be customized and upgraded with paint jobs, body kits, custom wheels, tints and spoilers. You can adjust suspension, steering sensitivity, gear ratio and other performance aspects as well.

There is a multi-player, online line mode where you can compete against friends in a drift battle tournament with the ability to share results on Facebook or Twitter.

Street Outlaws makes an impression entrance into the Windows Phone 8 gaming arena.  Controls seem to be a little on the sensitive side but outstanding 3D graphics really gives the gaming experience a little punch.   The only downside we can see right off the bat is the lack of a trial version.

Street Outlaws is currently running $.99 and is available for Windows Phone 8 devices. You can find Street Outlaws here in the Windows Phone Store.

Not long ago, we covered a Sega Genesis emulator for Windows Phone 8 called EmiGens Plus. The Sega Genesis/Mega Drive was a terrific console, but many gamers would still love to play newer console games on their phones. Thanks to EmiGens’ developer Andre Botelho, now they can!

After months in beta, Andre’s Playstation One emulator EmiPSX is now live on the Windows Phone Store. The emulator has fairly limited compatibility and can’t run games at full speed on current Windows Phone 8 hardware, but it’s still a very promising release for Playstation emulation fans. Head past the break for full review with video!

The first Sony console

The original Playstation debuted in 1994. First planned as a CD-ROM add-on for the Super NES, Nintendo made the biggest blunder in gaming history and broke ties with Sony. Thus Sony chose to release the Playstation as their first videogame console, starting down the road that leads to this week’s launch of the Playstation 4.

Display modes

Portrait display modes - Image at right is set to "Stretch."

EmiPSX supports both portrait and landscape configurations. As you’d expect, landscape is far more ideal because of the larger view it offers.

The only real video option to note is a choice between “Stretch” and “FullScreen” modes. In this case, Stretch actually runs games in their original 1:33 aspect ratio (or as close to it as possible), which video enthusiasts would usually refer to as full screen or pillarboxed.

The “FullScreen” option is the one that actually stretches the image to fit the entire phone’s display. This can look okay in landscape, but certainly not in portrait orientation. Since this mode is stretches the display and not the other way around, it would be more accurate for “FullScreen” to be called “Stretch.”

Controls

Like EmiGens Plus, EmiPSX allows users to reposition every single button anywhere on-screen in either orientation. That should make it easy to get them in a comfortable spot.

Beyond that, the controls show a marked improvement compared to Andre’s previous emulator. For one, the default buttons and d-pad actually look like those of a Playstation controller. Players can also toggle to a “Simple Skin” in which the on-screen controls become simple white outlines (pictured above). Either way, they just look so much better than EmiGens’ rough controls.

I haven’t played enough games to properly test this, but it even looks like EmiPSX’s d-pad is more responsive. In my short playtime with Castlevania: Symphony of the Night, I didn’t notice the problem of the d-pad ceasing to work when my thumb exceeded the button graphic. Indeed, the Simple Skin shows a circular pattern around the directions, seemingly indicating that EmiPSX watches that entire space for input instead of just the main directions.

EmiPSX’s other big control improvement is MOGA Pro Controller Support! That makes this the fifth Windows Phone 8 game/app to work with the accessory, and the second emulator to do so (EMU7800 is the first). Again, we don’t have a controller to test the support, but it should make for a superior play experience compared to touch screen controls.

Game selection and in-game menu

EmiPSX’s game selection menu falls a few notches short of other developers’ emulators. Every time you launch the app you’ll have to select between SD Card and Internal storage before your Roms will actually show up. Really it should default to Internal storage (which everyone has) and just let users toggle to SD Card if they like.

The list itself does not support screenshots, which is a shame. It also clutters things up with letters used for alphabetical selection, so that you can only see two or three games at one time. Jumping to letters of the alphabet isn’t bad, but a little reorganizing could allow for 4-5 games to fit onscreen.

Pressing the Back button during a game brings up the in-game menu. From here, players can jump to the “Configure” menu (now listed in English!), save their current state, and load save states. Notably missing is the ability to take screenshots via the menu. Yeah, you can do that with the Windows Phone hardware buttons, but most emulators also let users take pictures using menu controls.

Unfortunately, it’s far too easy to exit the game you’re playing after viewing the menu. Should you back out of the game by mistake, there doesn’t seem to be any way to resume from exactly where you off. That can be a big deal when you’re 15 minutes into Symphony of the Night, haven’t saved yet, and press the wrong thing by mistake. Frankly, the only way to exit out of a game should be by choosing to do so from a menu.

Adding a game to your phone

EmiPSX supports two types of “Roms” - .BIN and .ISO files. Some sites store Playstation game images in another format, in which case you’d need to convert it to the proper format before the emulator could read it. Of course, you can’t legally play game images that you didn’t create yourself, so quit using them pesky websites, sonny.

You can put games on your phone via SkyDrive or SD Card. Note that adding large games via SkyDrive can be a hassle. In my experience, if my screen timed out while downloading a game then the download would fail. I had to turn off the screen time out via my phone’s settings before I could successfully import a game. If the same experience holds true for others, the app should mention the screen issue within its Help menu. (By the way, it has a pretty good Help menu.)

To BIOS or not BIOS?

The emulator supports playing games with or without a BIOS file. The BIOS is the core program of the Playstation and can’t be legally distributed with the app. If you do use a BIOS, it has to be named SCPH1001.BIN specifically, so don’t grab the wrong one.

As with EmiGens, the installed BIOS file shows up on the regular ROMs list. That’s a waste of space; its presence should be displayed in the settings menu and nowhere else.

The settings menu does allow users to enable or disable the BIOS file. You’d want to do this because some games aren’t compatible with the BIOS for whatever reason. In my own experience, Castlevania: Symphony of the Night simply wouldn’t accept button presses with the BIOS enabled. That probably shouldn’t happen.

Performance and compatibility

Ordinarily I would test several games when evaluating an emulator. Sadly, my phone is all but full so I had to settle for adding a single game: the aforementioned Symphony of the Night. Xbox Windows Phone gamers might remember that the underrated and overpriced Castlevania Puzzle is closely based on Symphony of the Night.

The Playstation is a relatively powerful 32-bit console and first-generation Windows Phone 8 devices aren’t all that beefy, so it might take a while for the developer to achieve perfect emulation. As it stands, Castlevania runs at a lower-than-normal but still playable frame rate. The sub-par FPS count would be less noticeable in Japanese Role-Playing Games, which is the genre that people tend to prefer when playing emulators on touch screens anyway.

Speaking of which, EmiPSX doesn’t have compatibility with all Playstation games yet. It does support a handful of big titles though, such as Final Fantasy VII and VIII and Gran Turismo 2. To view the full list and discuss compatibility findings, head to the official EmiPSX thread in our forums.

Promise for the future

EmiPSX has some rough UI edges, but it’s great to see improved touch screen controls and MOGA Pro Controller support in the emulator. Hopefully those improvements make it to EmiGens Plus soon as well.

The most important things with an emulator are accuracy and compatibility. I doubt that EmiPSX will reach 100 percent performance on current Windows Phone 8 hardware. But the Nokia Lumia 1520 (with a woeful 16 GB of internal storage) will soon debut, touting the much stronger Snapdragon 800 processor. Emulators like this one should run much better on Snapdragon 800 devices, so we can look forward to that.

As for increased compatibility, that can only come from extensive user testing and continued developer support. Let’s do our best to help and encourage Andre to keep getting more games running on the emulator!

• EmiPSX– Windows Phone 8 – 2 MB – $2.49 – Store Link

As November and American Thanksgiving drew to a close, Windows Phone classic gaming fans experienced a bit of a shock. Indie developer M.k’s three Nintendo console emulators SNES8x, VBA8, and VGBC8 all disappeared from the Store. Naturally Windows Phone Central stepped in to reveal why the emulators had been delisted. It turns out that M.k had passed development duties on to a new programmer, who would soon be relisting the emulators.

Less than two weeks later, all three emulators are now back on the Store (yes, we’re a tad late on this). The new developer has big plans for these Nintendo emulators. Learn about them (and a competing GameBoy Advance emulator called GBA8) after the break!

A new developer enters the fray

SNES8x

SNES8x, VBA8, and VGBC8 all return to Windows Phone 8 under the care of an individual named Duc Le. Duc (who goes by illidanx in our forums) appears to be relatively new to Windows Phone development. He first published a financial management app called Loan Book+  last month.

The three emulators, which previously existed as paid apps with free trials, now come only as free versions. In order to support development, the apps display advertisements during menu screens. Luckily the ads don’t appear during gameplay. Paid versions of the emulators will also come in the future.

Emulators evolved

Turtles in Time on SNES8x

Duc hasn’t just brought the popular emulators back from the grave; he also plans to continue advancing their development. Besides the introduction of banner ads, here are the changes he’s made to all three apps so far:

• No more oversized header.
• No more rotation anywhere except inside the game.
• Add tilt effect when taping and holding a ROM

The reduction in header size is a welcome change. The emulator UIs can now display more games on-screen than they did during M.k’s run. And they especially show way more game titles than Andre Botelho’s emulators. Hopefully Andre follows Duc’s example and makes some UI improvements to EmiPSX and EmiGens Plus in the near future.

What advancements can we expect from Duc in the future? Why, MOGA Pro Controller support of course! He actually bought a MOGA controller for testing, which is more than any other emulator developer for Windows Phone has done. Someday soon we’ll be able to enjoy Super Nintendo, GameBoy Advance, and GameBoy Color games on our phones with the comfort of physical buttons!

Other planned improvements include proper support for importing ROMs from email attachments and support for importing ROMs from SD cards. I'm crossing my fingers for prettier and more authentic on-screen controls, too.

• SNES8x– Windows Phone 8 – 1 MB – Free – Store Link
• VBA8– Windows Phone 8 – 1 MB – Free – Store Link
• VGBC8– Windows Phone 8 – 1 MB – Free – Store Link

Competing emulators

Curiously, when M.k stepped away from Windows Phone development for good he also released the source code for his emulators. That means other enterprising Windows Phone developers can step in and release competing versions of SNES8x, VBA8, and VGBC8 as well.

Another developer named MobWi (who has published a couple of little aquarium apps) has done just that, releasing a new version of VBA8 called GBA8. MobWi’s version comes in paid and ad-supported varieties. Other than that (and the too-high $2.99 price), it’s identical to M.k’s final VBA8 release and lacks Duc Le’s improvements.

On the other hand, MobWi has some improvement plans of his own (text and errors quoted from Store page):

• Re-layout the UI
• Fix the bug that games in non-English language crash when catching pets.
• Disable the lock screen when downloading games
• Add in-app searching for games to download game from web(granted that you already purchased the game before)

Disabling the lock screen is something Andre Botelho needs to work into his emulators. But what’s this crashing when catching pets nonsense?

• GBA8– Windows Phone 8 – 1 MB – $2.99 – Store Link
• Free GBA8– Windows Phone 8 – 1 MB – Free – Store Link

Windows Phone has been slow to pick up some of mobile gaming’s heavy hitters – though the promise of Rockstar’s Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas coming next week is certainly a big step in the right direction. Still, many of the most unique and interesting mobile games come from smaller developers instead of the big guys. Windows Phone is making great progress with indie game makers, as evidenced by the developers we interviewed at Casual Connect who are preparing to dip their toes into Microsoft’s mobile waters.

Yesterday we reviewed BigBot Audio Drop, and today we bring news of another just-released indie game for Windows Phone 8: Aztec Antics from Bouncing Ball Limited. Not only does Aztec Antics sport some terrific retro-style pixel art, it also features MOGA controller support! That makes six MOGA-enhanced games on Windows Phone 8 and counting.

Head past the break for our Aztec Antics hands-on video and the developer’s video guide for setting up a MOGA controller with Windows Phone 8!

We’re looking for treasure

Aztec Antics is a classic arcade-style game in which players control a treasure hunter as he grabs coins and avoids danger. The levels are basically single-screen, but they scroll vertically a bit on Windows Phone. It reminds me a lot of the original arcade Mario Bros, except you don’t attack enemies from below in this one.

Enemies constantly spawn from the top of the screen and descend toward the bottom. Our hero can jump on their heads to defeat them and score some points, but it’s tough because they move so quickly. At first you’ll only have to fight off enraged boars, but other types appear as the level goes on: the Aztec mummy, Nagual the jaguar, and Quetzalcoatl the god of death.

The main goal other than staying alive is to grab as much treasure as possible. Coins randomly appear throughout the level, but only one coin at a time. Thus you’ll grab a coin and then scramble to get the next one, and so on, until an enemy catches you or you fall into the pit at the bottom of the screen. Aztec Antics only gives players one life to work with.

Other than hunting high scores, collecting coins plays another important purpose. At the start of the game, only one level is unlocked. To gain access to the remaining four levels, you’ll need lots of coins. Every fifty coins collected will open up a new level. You can’t track how many coins you have from the main menu, and the level select doesn’t have a visual indicator of which levels are locked or not. But when the game ends, it at least displays how many coins the player needs to get a new level.

The Windows Phone version currently lacks online leaderboards – an important component for any score-based game. Thankfully Bouncing Ball plans to add them very soon in an update.

Controlling the antics

To move around in Aztec Antics, players can swipe left or right (basically an invisible virtual d-pad) on the left side of the screen. Tapping the right side of the screen jumps.

Gamers who don’t like virtual controls have another option as well: MOGA controller support! What better way to recreate the classic gaming experience than with a physical control pad and buttons? Developer Gary Ritches has even made a video demonstrating how to set up your controller to work with the game.

On iOS, Aztec Antics supports 4-person competitive multiplayer by using allowing each individual to control a character with an extra iPhone or physical controller. Bouncing Ball really wants to bring the same support to Windows Phone.

Unfortunately, MOGA controllers don’t support the simultaneous use of two controllers with the same device. As such, the game’s substantial local multiplayer component can’t work with Windows Phone just yet. If MOGA ever updates their software to support multiple controllers, the game will be updated to take advantage of that.

Future expeditions

Aztec Antics IIfeatures a new art style reminiscent of Another World/Out of this World

Luckily, Aztec Antics is coming to Windows 8 and RT within the next week or two. Windows 8 supports the use of multiple controllers, so crowding around a PC or Surface (along with a USB hub) and a few controllers will allow for a great multiplayer experience. We’ll be sure to let you know when the Windows 8 version arrives.

Bouncing Ball is also hard at work on a sequel: Aztec Antics II that will come to mobile Windows platforms and even consoles like the Wii U! Hopefully that includes the Xbox One as well.

Enter the jungle

Aztec Antics works with all Windows Phone 8 devices. It even runs at 60 frames per second on the Lumia 520. If you enjoy classic arcade games and/or retro graphics, give these antics a shot.

• Aztec Antics– Windows Phone 8 – 9 MB – $1.29 – Store Link

There's never a quiet day in the Windows Phone community when we're talking about app updates. Developers enjoy submitting regular releases to the store, introducing new features and functionality, as well as fixing a bug here and there. Today we're covering Snes8x and Freddy. Head on past the break to see what's new in each app.

Snes8x

First up is Snes8x, which now has MOGA controller support - both Pocket and Pro versions are compatible. The popular Super Nintendo emulator for Windows Phone is packed full of features for those who enjoy some retro gaming here and there. The only requirement for the new MOGA controller support is GDR3 (or Update 3 as it's now known).

The controller can be enabled in Settings > Input and you're good to go. Version 1.4 also includes a possible fix for the virtual controller freezing issue, which has caused problems for users.

You can download version 1.4 of Snes8x from the Windows Phone Store for free. It's worth noting that Windows Phone Central does not support the illegal acquisition of video games, including ROMs.

Freddy

Next up is Freddy, a physics-based arcade game, where players are tasked with preventing Freddy the Frog from eating the poisonous balls, which fall from above. It may sound like a super easy game, but don't be fooled and head in blindly, this game gets more difficult as you progress.

Version 1.1.0 brings bug fixes, general improvements and special Christmas themed levels. We can tease that more levels, language support, achievements and more improvements will be coming in future updates. Be sure to grab this challenging, cute little game over the festive period to appreciate the latest update.

Grab Freddy from the Windows Phone Store for $0.99 - Windows Phone 8 only and free trial available. 

Thanks to everyone who tipped us!

Love skateboarding? Even if you don't (or are unable to) participate in the sport, you can enjoy yourself on your Windows Phone with Skateboard Party 2 from Ratrod Studio. This is a brand new skateboarding game with gorgeous graphics, addictive gameplay and a lot to offer those who skate for real. Even better? It's co-launching on iOS, Android and Windows Phone.

If you find yourself sat in the daily commute (or anywhere else for that matter) with a handful of minutes to spare, you'll want to grind on past the break to see what this new, hip game is all about. 

Enabling players to skate in eight unique locations, Skateboard Party 2 brings variety to the table, whether it be customising the boards, trucks or even wheels with real and trusted brands. You'll find yourself practicing some sick moves and landing those awe-inspiring combos that you could only dream of completing on a real skateboard - unless you're a professional skateboard with a Windows Phone, of course.

There are 9 characters to choose from, each can be customised to your heart's content with the above board options and favourite gear. A free skate mode is present just in case you wish to remove the time constraints and just enjoy the air flow through your hands as you ride along the environment pulling off new stunts and mastering your skills.

Don't worry if you prefer skateboarding with others as this game will also enable you to go up against mates in the new multiplayer mode, but you can also challenge skaters from all over the world using online leaderboards - who doesn't want to be at the top? Although this isn't an Xbox Live title, there are achievements included, as well as the ability to gain experience and upgrade your favourite character.

The controls are fairly easy to get used to and Skateboard Party 2 lets you customise the controls to best fit your playstyle. With over 40 unique tricks that can be worked into hundreds of combinations, there are many hours to be poured into this game. Experience gained from play can be used to upgrade your skater's attributes and you won't mind any grinding with the selection of music available.

You can download Skateboard Party 2 from the Windows Phone Store for $1.99 (Windows Phone 8 only - 343MB - no free trial, but we highly recommend the download). There are optional in-app purchases available for you to increase your level of experience points. Thanks to everyone who tipped us!

It’s not uncommon for Windows Phone 8 games to require 1 GB of RAM at launch, only to later be updated to run on devices with 512 MB of RAM. This happens because optimizing a game to work with less RAM takes extra time. Games don’t have the phone’s full bank of RAM to work with. On a 512 MB device, they can only access 150 MB. Sometimes a game can be crammed into that space, sometimes not.

Gameloft’s Dungeon Hunter 4 launched without 512 MB RAM support back in December. Yesterday’s update added that support, allowing the game to run on low-memory phones like the Nokia Lumia 520. The update also brought another benefit we didn’t expect: MOGA controller support! It even turns out that the most recent Asphalt 7 (a game that already worked with 512 MB phones) update added MOGA support as well. Exclusive screenshots, hands-on video, and impressions after the break.

Dungeon Hunter 4

Like nearly all of Gameloft’s games, Dungeon Hunter 4 uses a virtual analog stick and buttons for its touch screen controls. The publisher has made a name for itself by bringing console-style experiences to mobile, after all. But some gamers crave a physical stick and buttons, hence the MOGA controller support.

The MOGA experience in Dungeon Hunter 4 closely resembles that of playing the Windows 8 version with an Xbox 360 controller (and probably Dungeon Hunter: Alliance for Playstation 3 and Vita too). Players can move their warrior of choice with either the left analog stick or d-pad. Pressing the right analog stick in any direction will attack in that direction, not unlike a twin-stick shooter.

The A, B, and Y buttons perform the same functions as the three virtual buttons on the right side of the screen. Players can assign various skills and abilities to those buttons including attacks and dodge maneuvers. The L1 button (left bumper) uses healing potions, whereas the R1 (right bumper) button performs a special move.

Both the Select and Start buttons go to the menu, normally accessed by pressing the phone’s Back button or tapping the player’s character portrait. From here, the cursor controls are mostly natural. The left and right triggers (L2 and R2) move through the top-most options/pages, while the d-pad or analog stick select individual choices within those pages.          

Things get slightly more confusing on the World Map, where players can select levels to play as well as exit the game. On the world map, the Left and Right triggers still scroll through the top-most options. Moving the left stick or d-pad will select options from the left and right side of the map screen, such as Multiplayer, Challenges, Social, and Gameloft Live. To actually select levels, you’ll need to use the right analog stick.

Playing Dungeon Hunter 4 with a controller feels very much like the console version of Diablo III. You can’t hotkey quite as many attacks and abilities, but the combat is just as fast and fluid as you’d want from an action-RPG. I’m a sucker for twin-stick controls.

It’s a shame that the Windows Phone and Windows 8 versions of Dungeon Hunter 4 apparently don’t share save data, but at least you can play on the go without a touch screen and then plug in to the MOGA controller when you’re at home for an even better experience. And thanks to the version 1.01 update, all Windows Phone 8 users can now get in on the fun.

• Dungeon Hunter 4– Windows Phone 8 – 958 MB – Free – Store Link
• Dungeon Hunter 4– Windows 8 and RT – 1,066 MB – Free – Store Link

Asphalt 7: Heat

Asphalt 8 (which launched in November) supported MOGA from the get-go, as I understand it. Its predecessor Asphalt 7 actually picked up controller support later that same month in the version 1.1 update. Gameloft didn’t advertise that support, and I only recently picked up a MOGA Pro Controller, otherwise we’d have noticed sooner.

On top of the new control option, the version 1.1 update brings a couple more new features. On the main menu, you’ll find two new options: Special Events and Lottery. Special Events are basically themed races for players to participate in. Not bad if you’re looking for a break from Career, though I can’t say whether Gameloft actually updates the Special Events with any regularity.

The Lottery is just what you’d expect: a daily lottery to keep players coming back to the game. This Lottery actually has some cool visual flair, as it involves a car driving around a circle full of prizes. Players can swipe left or right to determine which way the car spins. My first spin got me 50,000 game dollars. Not that much, but it would probably help a lot when you’re just starting out.

Speaking of which, I am unfortunately just starting out again. The update actually wiped out my save file. Asphalt 7 supports cloud saves (and even sharing progress between the Windows Phone and Windows 8 versions). But the phone game won’t find my Windows 8 save; it just pulls up the fresh save that replaced my original, nearly complete save.

And now for the controls. Surprisingly, Asphalt 7’s menus actually work better with the MOGA controller than the Windows 8 version did with an Xbox controller. On Windows 8, the controller emulates a mouse for some reason during menus. On Windows Phone, the d-pad and analog stick simply jump between menu selections as you’d expect. Much better.

The racing controls also work great, for the most part. Steering with either the d-pad or left analog stick feels quite natural.

Curiously, the left and right triggers do not controls acceleration and braking as they do on Windows 8. Instead, players can either use the A button or Up on the right analog stick to accelerate.  X, L1, and down on the right stick handle braking. B switches camera angles, R1 activates Nitro, and both Start and Y pause the game.

Races get pretty hard later in Asphalt 7’s career, so the extra precision afforded by the MOGA controller will come in handy. I won’t be playing through Career another time, but anybody with a MOGA who still has a save file or has yet to start the game will want to take this game for a drive.

• Asphalt 7– Windows Phone 8 – 911 MB – Store Link
• Asphalt 7– Windows 8 and RT – 0.99 GB - $1.99 – Store Link

More MOGA from Gameloft?

N.O.V.A. 3

Now that three Gameloft titles support MOGA controllers on Windows Phone 8, the natural question is whether Gameloft will go back and add support to previous releases. Modern Combat 4, N.O.V.A. 3, Six-Guns, Amazing Spider-Man, Dark Knight Rises, and (to a lesser extent) Order & Chaos Online all practically beg for controller.

Windows Phone Central asked the publisher about the possibility of future support. According to a Gameloft representative, the addition of MOGA controls in Asphalt 7, Asphalt 8, and Dungeon Hunter 4 was not completely intentional. The Android versions of those games support MOGA, and somehow that code made its way into the Windows Phone 8 versions as well.

That’s a curious explanation, considering that the Android versions of Asphalt 7 and Dungeon Hunter 4 worked with MOGA long before the games were even ported to Windows Phone. Why would the controller start working after an update instead of when the games launched? That’s a mystery… Unless reader reports that neither game initially worked with MOGA were erroneous. I couldn’t get Dungeon Hunter 4 to recognize the controller a few days ago, but I’m still kind of new to the accessory.

The best case scenario would be for Gameloft to start wearing MOGA support in its Windows Phone 8 games loud and proud. MOGA controllers may be a niche accessory, but anybody who invests in one is going to want more games to play. Gameloft only wins by adding MOGA support to these games’ store descriptions.

MOGA updates for the other games I mentioned are probably a pipe dream, but everyone should take to Twitter and let Gameloft know we want the feature anyway.

The history of MOGA controller support on Windows Phone has been tumultuous. Microsoft and MOGA manufacturer Power A first announced that the then-upcoming MOGA Pro Controller would be Windows Phone 8 compatible during last year’s GDC. Games would need to specifically support the controller, and only one did at the time: Drift Mania Championship 2. We even played it during the show.

Since then, Power A has mysteriously and illogically refused to acknowledge Windows Phone support on the MOGA packaging and website. But the MOGA Pro Controller does work with Windows Phone, and new MOGA-enabled games continue to trickle out. So here we are at last with our full review, which also includes a tutorial and compatibility guide!

Connecting to Windows Phone

Before you can use a MOGA controller, you’ll first need to connect it to your Windows Phone 8 device. Make sure the controller is charged and then turn it on by moving the switch at the bottom to position A. If the controller is already on A but has fallen asleep, switch it off and then back to A again.

• Launch your phone’s Bluetooth menu from Settings or using a handy app like Network Switcher.
• Make sure Bluetooth is turned on.
• You should see Moga Pro (or another MOGA name) on the list of devices with a description of “not connected.”
• Tap the controller name. The description should go from “connecting” to “connected” after a few seconds. If it fails to connect, verify the controller is still on, tap the name and try again. Some devices will only allow the MOGA to connect after removing other Bluetooth profiles from the device.
• Once the controller’s status reads “connected” in green letters, you’re ready to play!

Note that the controller status will revert to “not connected” if you remain on the Bluetooth screen. It’s still paired to your device and will reconnect as long as you launch a MOGA compatible game before the controller enters sleep mode and powers off.

Now launch your MOGA compatible game! Don’t resume an already-running game; relaunch it. Some games or apps like SNES8X will require users to enable MOGA controls in their settings menus before the controller starts to function. Other games like Gameloft’s titles recognize the controller by default.

Power Pro Controller design

Now then, let’s talk about the Pro Controller itself! Inside the packaging, you’ll find the controller, a stand for tablets, a micro-USB cable for charging the controller, and a download code for a MOGA-compatible Android game. I’d bemoan the lack of a Windows Phone code, but Windows Phone doesn’t support download codes yet anyway.

The Pro Controller’s shape closely resembles that of an official Xbox 360 controller. In fact, they’re practically identical in size. Like the 360 pad, the Pro has two analog sticks, a digital d-pad, four primary buttons, and two secondary face buttons (Select and Start) on its face. Instead of a guide button, this one has a MOGA button – but I don’t believe Windows Phone games use it.

The Pro Controller’s d-pad is actually superior to that the 360’s famously poor d-pad. It has four distinct directions, much like a traditional Nintendo-style pad. The inner section of the d-pad curves inward, allowing a thumb to rest comfortably between the directions. I won’t say the Pro's d-pad feels quite as good as that of an Xbox One controller, but it’s close.

The top of the controller has left and right bumpers and analog sticks, just like the Xbox 360 controller. Only here they're called L1 and L2 and R1 and R2 – a strange combination of Playstation nomenclature with an otherwise Xbox-inspired design. The bumpers actually feel better and more responsive than the shoddy Xbox One bumpers, and the triggers feel great as well.

The top of the controller also holds a micro-USB port. The Pro Controller requires its internal battery to be charged in order to function. The battery should last 12-15 hours between charges – quite a fair length of time. The controller can be used while connected to a power source as well. Should you forget to switch the controller off manually, it will shut itself down after five minutes of disuse.

Tucked away on the back of the controller, you’ll find a single button. This toggles a blue light behind the four primary face buttons on or off. Pretty, but a waste of battery power.

Kung fu grip

The Pro Controller has an extensible flip-out controller grip that can comfortably hold most phones – even the huge Lumia 1520. The popular 920’s power button sits right under the grip, but the button won’t press on its own unless you squeeze down on the grip.

With a phone inserted in the Pro, the whole thing weighs slightly more than a typical console controller. It also balances awkwardly and will fall over if set down. But I still found the Pro Controller/Lumia 920 combo comfortable to hold while playing – the excellent ergonomics and ridged grips certainly help.

If you don’t care to hold the controller and phone at the same time, the included tablet stand can hold a Windows Phone with ease. The stand folds out into a tripod while in use, and then compacts into a small rectangle when you’re done.

Overall Impression

The Pro Controller is a joy to use, though sometimes less so during menu navigation. It took me a few minutes to figure out the interface for Dungeon Hunter 4’s world map, which spreads controls across both analog sticks and the triggers. The popular Nintendo emulators don’t even support the controller during menu navigation, though developer Illidanx says he might fix that in the future. But Aztec Antics and Asphalt 7 have great menu navigation, so it just depends on the game.

Once you start playing a game and learn its controls, the Pro Controller really shines. Virtual analog sticks are fine, but any hardcore gamer would opt for physical controls if given the choice. And even though the list of supported titles is still kind of small, it feels much greater when you factor in emulators. Combine a MOGA controller with SNES8X and you literally get the experience of a portable Super Nintendo with very little trade-off.

Of course, the Pro Controller isn’t the most portable accessory ever. It can fit in a pants pocket, but will bulge and you risk damaging the analog sticks. I transport mine in one of my laptop bag’s pockets. Still, I expect many users will stick to using MOGA controllers at home. Yeah, you could be playing an Xbox One or 360 instead. But sometimes you want to play away from the TV, in bed or wherever. Most of us probably don’t have access to emulators on our consoles, either.

If playing games on your phone with a controller sounds good to you, look at the supported games list and then decide whether to purchase. Gamers with both Windows Phone and Android devices should just buy right away – Android has great MOGA support. And let’s all tell Power A we want official, non-secret Windows Phone support for MOGA by tweeting @MOGAanywhere.

Compatible games and emulators

Games must specifically support the MOGA controller in order to work with it. As of this writing, a total of 13 games and emulators offer such support. That number will surely grow over time. For the most up-to-date list, visit Windows Phone Central’s MOGA compatibility thread in the forums. Developers can grab the SDK from the MOGA website.

• Asphalt 7: Heat
• Asphalt 8: Airborne
• Aztec Antics
• Drift Mania Championship 2
• Drift Mania: Street Outlaws
• Dungeon Hunter 4.
• Skateboard Party 2
• Spectral Souls
• EmiPSX
• EMU7800
• SNES8X
• VBA8
• VGBC8

Controller compatibility guide

When I discussed MOGA with Microsoft at GDC, I was told that only the MOGA Pro Controller would work with Windows Phone 8. The previously released and more affordable MOGA Pocket Controller was incompatible, they said. Months later, we learned that the original MOGA does indeed work with Windows Phone 8. Chalk the incompatibility report up to a misunderstanding from the event staff; it happens.

In fact, it turns out that all Android-compatible MOGA controllers released so far are compatible with Windows Phone 8: not just last year’s Pocket ($29.99) and Pro ($49.99) models, but also this year’s Hero Power ($59.99) and Pro Power ($79.99) controllers. The cheapest Pocket model lacks Left and Right triggers, limiting its ability to perform functions in games that use those buttons such as Dungeon Hunter 4. Otherwise, buy the one whose features and price is right for you.

That wealth of options is important because Power A is actually phasing out the MOGA Pro Controller featured in this review. In its place, they’re now offering the Power Pro Controller. The Power Pro shares the same ergonomic design and adds a few new features like vibration and an improved phone mount. Most importantly, it can charge your phone with its internal battery via USB output.

MOGA controllers do not work with Windows 8 and RT at present, nor will they ever be Windows Phone 7 compatible.

• MOGA Pocket Controller – Windows Phone 8 and Android – $29.99 – Amazon
• MOGA Pro Controller – Windows Phone 8 and Android – $37.49 at Computech (supplies are limited)
• MOGA Hero Power Controller – Windows Phone 8 and Android – $59.99 – Amazon
• MOGA Power Pro Controller – Windows Phone 8 and Android – $79.99 – Amazon

Last November, gaming giant Rockstar Games surprised us all by announcing that their mobile pot of Playstation 2/Xbox hit Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas would be coming to Windows Phone 8 alongside the iOS and Android versions. A lot of the larger console publishers end up skipping Windows Phone with their mobile ports, so the announcement of a Windows Phone version seemed to prove that our platform has reached a new level of market penetration and acceptance.

On December 11, Rockstar announced that San Andreas would release the following week. But then the release date rolled around for iOS and Android with no Windows Phone version in sight. Rockstar went on to belatedly explain that our version would be coming soon. How soon? Here we are a month later, and San Andreas has arrived at last! But exactly which Windows Phone devices will it run on, and does it support MOGA controllers? And why doesn't it have Xbox features? Find out after the break!

Supported devices?

Displayed prominently at the top of the game’s Store page is this ominous warning:

“PLEASE NOTE: Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas is only supported on the following devices: Nokia Lumia: 1520, 1320, 822, 820, 810, HTC: 8XT.”

Nobody with any sense expected San Andreas to run on 512 MB RAM devices like the Nokia Lumia 520 - developers often struggle to get technically demanding games running on low memory devices. So the exclusion of the 520 and its brethren comes as no surprise.

What is strange is the exclusion of several devices with at least 1 GB of RAM, starting with the Lumia 920. Considering that the 920 was Nokia’s flagship phone in 2012, San Andreas’ failure to run on it would come as a blow. Nor is the Lumia 1020 (which bears twice the RAM: 2 GB) on the supported devices list. Does that mean that two of Nokia’s most popular and powerful phones can’t play this Grand Theft Auto?

Luckily, that’s not the case. As you can tell from the photograph and video in this very article, San Andreas downloads and runs just fine on the Lumia 920. We can only assume the 1020 plays the game as well. Perhaps these devices (and their variants) have compatibility issues later in the game. Either that, or Rockstar’s team simply left out a few compatible Windows Phones by mistake.

Other reader-confirmed compatible devices include: HTC 8X, Lumia 925, 928, and 1020, Samsung ATIV S.

Note that when you first download the game, you’re just downloading a 20 MB installer. The installer than downloads the rest of the 2.5 GB game. The advantage of this approach is that it appears to circumvent the need for 4x the extra space that Windows Phone 8 usually requires for game and installations. You should be able to install San Andreas with as little as 3 GB of free storage. Let us know your experience in the comments!

Screen time-outs will interrupt the download process, but thankfully the installer supports resuming. Still, I recommend turning off screen time-outs while downloading (if your phone supports it) to make things go smoother.

Controls and MOGA support (or lack thereof)

San Andreas offers several control options, such as a traditional classic control scheme and an adapted one. Either way, players control protagonist CJ’s movement with a virtual thumbstick n the left side of the screen. Action buttons such as attack and “take vehicle” appear on the right side of the screen. Button positions can even be customized to your liking. After securing a vehicle, you can choose between three control methods for steering.

The touch controls work very well, and anyone who plays console-style titles like those produced by Gameloft will feel right at home with them. But no touch scheme can ever match the responsiveness of a physical controller – not when the game was originally designed for controllers. Hence many of us hoped for MOGA controller support, especially since the Android version of the game supports it.

Sadly, the Windows Phone version of San Andreas does not work with MOGA controls at present. Developers tell us that adding MOGA controls is fairly easy and painless, so we can only assume that Rockstar’s Windows Phone team did not know about MOGA’s Windows Phone support. The MOGA website’s product pages and packaging make absolutely no mention of Windows Phone, after all – something I lamented in my MOGA Pro Controller review.

San Andreas is a massive game, and thus will likely require a few title updates for bug fixes and optimizations. There’s still a chance of Rockstar adding MOGA support in a title update. Whether or not you own a MOGA controller yet, please email mouthoff@rockstargames.com and tweet @MOGAanywhere and @RockstarSupport to let them know we want MOGA support in San Andreas for Windows Phone!

No Xbox Live, no cloud

Woe to Achievement hunters: the Windows Phone version of San Andreas does not support Xbox Live features. The original Xbox version of the game didn’t offer Achievements either, so it’s not like we’re losing out on something that people got on other platforms. But Grand Theft Auto IV and V on Xbox 360 do both take full advantage of Xbox Live, so it’s a shame that Rockstar chose to skip out on Xbox Live features for the Windows Phone version.

The decision to publish San Andreas as an indie title is emblematic of the problems Xbox Live on Windows Phone has faced for the last couple of years. Because Xbox Live certification is more time consuming and costly than iOS's Game Center and Android's Google Play, many publishers - even those with strong relationships with Microsoft - choose to forego Xbox Live on Windows Phone. Microsoft still seems to be securing a few Xbox Live releases here and there, but those releases are few and far between. Nor does the big MS make any real efforts to promote the few Xbox Live games that do sneak onto their mobile platform.

The lack of Achievements is one thing... After all, iOS and Android don't get Xbox Live Achievements either. But the Windows Phone version of the game lacks the cloud save support that the other versions offer. Save data seems to be stored solely on the phone, which means you'll lose it if you switch devices (as I'm about to do) or have to reinstall the game for any reason. Combined with the lack of MOGA support, it feels like we got slightly short shrift on this one. Not that we shouldn't be grateful for Rockstar's support! But Windows Phone users do need to tweet and email Rockstar to ask for those missing features.

Get your grand theft on

Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas is a massive open-world game that takes place in a fictional California setting in the year 1992. The game tells a thrilling crime story, filled with violence, betrayal, drug use, and harsh language. The story will take dozens of hours to complete, and with optional side missions and races you could easily get a hundred hours of gameplay from this one.

The game offers a number of graphical settings that allow players to tweak the game’s appearance to their tastes. Want a huge draw distance? You can do that, if you turn the detail down a little. At default settings on a Lumia 920, the frame rate is smoother than any of Gameloft’s 3D Windows Phone 8 games. The beefier Lumia 1520 should be able to display even more detail without losing too many frames.

If you crave console-style games on the go or just love Grand Theft Auto (and your phone can handle it), don’t miss San Andreas on Windows Phone. You'll live without the Achievements, I promise.

Thanks to SlimAndShady, TNTJudbud, and everyone else who tipped us about the game's release!

• Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas – Windows Phone 8 (1 GB of RAM or more) – 2.5 GB – $6.99 – Store Link

A while back, French developer M.k created a trio of well-loved emulators for Windows Phone 8 based on classic Nintendo platforms: SNES8x, VBA8, and VGBC8. Eventually M.k grew tired of Windows Phone development and surrendered his emulators to a new developer: Duc Le. And since then, Duc has worked tirelessly to add new features to all three emulators such as the much-requested MOGA controller support.

All three of Duc’s emulators have received significant updates recently, enhancing the appearance of their user interfaces, improving menu support while using MOGA controllers, and more. Head past the break for full details!

SNES8x version 2.5 release notes:

• **FIX**: app crashes when returning to main screen and switching between games.
• Go to Settings directly from game screen.
• More realistic virtual buttons.
• Customize background color in portrait mode.
• Fix L2 and R2 button on Moga Pro controller.
• Customize button mapping for MOGA controller.
• Add landscape support in most frequently used pages.
• Increase maximum frameskip to 9.
• More meaningful progress messages when exporting saves.
• Increase the recent ROM list to 5 items.
• New app logo (thanks Eddi Bento).

Note that SNES8x is due to get a version 2.6 update soon that will bring it in-line with its sister emulators.

VBA8 version 2.6 release notes:

• New design
• Switch between dark and light theme in Settings -> General
• Tap on the right side of a rom entry for context menu (the three-dot hint can be turned off in Settings)

VBGC8version release notes:

• New design
• Switch between dark and light theme in Settings -> General
• Tap on the right side of a rom entry for context menu (the three-dot hint can be turned off in Settings)

Keeping old games alive

All three emulators have advanced a great deal since Duc Le took them over. Not only do they support MOGA controllers, but the recent addition of landscape support for menus really makes them much easier to use with a controller. And the light theme looks great on VBA8 and VGBC8.

To learn about future enhancements to these emulators before they go live, check out our official forum thread. Duc posts as “illidanx” and always provides a heads up about upcoming features and changes.

• SNES8x– Windows Phone 8 – 2 MB – Free – Store Link
• VBA8– Windows Phone 8 – 3 MB – Free – Store Link
• VGBC8– Windows Phone 8 – 3 MB – Free – Store Link

A few days ago, we highlighted three children’s games for Windows Phone that two-man indie developer TegTap brought along to Apps World. All great games for kids, but older gamers in our audience will naturally crave a more substantial gameplay experience. Luckily TegTap is poised to bring just such a game to Windows Phone 8 in the next few weeks…

We’re pleased to bring you this exclusive first look at the Windows Phone version of Solar Warfare (not to be confused with Star Warfare!) from TegTap. A 3D sci-fi shooter with expansive levels, gigantic bosses, and lots of ship upgrades to unlock, Solar Warfare is poised to take shoot-em-up fans by storm. It will even feature MOGA controller support shortly after launch. Head past the break for our hands-on video and preview!

Solar avenger

In Solar Warfare, players must pilot a lone ship against the alien armada that destroyed their homeworld. Like most shoot-em-ups, the focus is more on action than story – but it’s always good to know why you’re blowing everybody up.

The controls for your ship are fluid and easy to grasp. Tilt the device in any direction to aim, and then hold anywhere on the right side of the screen to fire rapid shots. A button at the bottom-right corner fires powerful homing missiles that must be purchased from the shop.

The ship automatically flies forward by default. You can also speed it up by holding the thruster button at the bottom-left corner of the screen, hopefully zooming past incoming fire, and even stop the ship’s forward momentum by pressing and holding anywhere else on the left side of the screen. The ability to stop in place provides a greater degree of control than you’d usually get in games like this, and makes aiming easier too.

After scouring a planet’s surface of enemies, players will complete a level and receive ratings for their performance. You can also visit the shop then and spend the currency collected during the level. The shop sells weapon and shield upgrades, plus missiles and extra lives that will make it easier to complete future missions.

Sights set on Windows Phone

We saw Solar Warfare running on a Nokia Lumia 810, where it generally maintained 60 frames per second during gameplay. TegTap has also tested the game on the entry-level Lumia 520 handset, on which it performed very well. Devices with 512 MB of RAM don’t usually get a lot of 3D games, so it’s cool that Solar Warfare will run on them at launch.

The Android version of Solar Warfare is MOGA controller compatible, so naturally we wondered if that would apply to the Windows phone game as well. Troy Tegeder, studio president does plan to add MOGA support to our game, though not until the first title update. Still, it’s always great to see more games supporting physical controllers!

Solar Warfare should arrive on Windows Phone in late February or early March. The Windows Phone version will not be free to play, which should be good news to gamers who dislike In-App Purchases. We’ll let you know as soon as it’s available. As for the Windows 8 version promised a while back, that should still arrive later in the year.

We reviewed Purple Cherry X for Windows Phone nearly a month ago. It’s a relatively new GameBoy Advance emulator for Windows Phone that promised to bring support for MOGA controllers in a future update. That future update is now here and we’re sure there are a handful of you looking forward to it. Let’s check out the latest version of Purple Cherry X.

Head into the Windows Phone Store and you’ll see Purple Cherry X sitting at version 1.1 with more than just MOGA support. Here’s all that’s new:

• MOGA controller support
• Logout menu on OneDrive page
• Best GBA performance
• Best landscape view in game menu

MOGA controller support is by far the biggest addition to Purple Cherry X. We originally complained about the emulator’s overall lack of control options. We’re happy to get to try it out now with our MOGA controller. Pokemon on Windows Phone? Yes please.

Download Purple Cherry X from the Windows Phone Store. It’s a free app, but an in-app purchase is required for the quick download option.

Thanks for the tip Nick P!

Last year, Windows Phone Central broke the news of a 3D space shooter called Solar Warfare coming to Windows Phone and Windows 8. The game impressed us with its Starfox-like gameplay – we don't really see a lot of games of this type on Windows Phone. We followed up earlier this year with the first look at the actual Windows Phone version of the game.

It has been a long time coming, but Solar Warfare from TegTap is finally available on Windows Phone! The Windows 8 version should follow later this year. The game looks just as sharp as promised, with smooth 3D graphics and vibrant colors. It controls quite smoothly with tilt controls, which is good because the promised MOGA controls don't work yet. It does support 512 MB devices right out of the gate though! See Solar Warfare in action on the Lumia 1520 in our exclusive hands-on video.

Fight the sun

In Solar Warfare, players must pilot a lone ship against an evil alien armada. The story is told through a text crawl that unfortunately can't be sped up, only skipped. But it's really just an excuse to get into the ship and start blasting.

The controls for your ship are fluid and easy to grasp. Tilt the device in any direction to aim, and then hold anywhere on the right side of the screen to fire rapid shots. A button at the bottom-right corner fires powerful homing missiles that must be purchased from the shop.

The ship automatically flies forward by default. You can also speed it up by holding the thruster button at the bottom-left corner of the screen, hopefully zooming past incoming fire, and even stop the ship's forward momentum by pressing and holding anywhere else on the left side of the screen. The ability to stop in place provides a greater degree of control than you'd usually get in games like this, and makes aiming easier too.

The goal in each level is to hunt down every single enemy. A radar and enemy counter at the top of the screen helps with the process. After destroying all of the planet's forces, you'll have to deal with a giant boss. The first boss is a bipedal mech straight out of Mechwarrior. With eight worlds to explore, it will be interesting to see how challenging the bosses get.

After scouring a planet's surface of enemies, players will complete a level and receive ratings for their performance. You can then visit the shop and spend the coins collected during the level. The shop sells weapon and shield upgrades, plus missiles and extra lives that will make it easier to complete future missions.

MOGA denied

We seldom learn that games will support MOGA controllers before they release. Usually, somebody just comes across the game in the wild and reports its status in our MOGA compatibility forum thread. In this case, developer TegTap gave us the heads up that Solar Warfare would work with MOGA. And it should; the Store page even says so.

Unfortunately, I haven't been able to get the game to work with my MOGA Pro Controller. The game just doesn't recognize it. A user review on the Store page reports a similar experience, so the game's MOGA support seems to be broken at launch. But I know that MOGA support is important to the developer, so I'm sure the issue will be fixed soon with an update.

To infinity and beyond

Even without MOGA support at the moment, Solar Warfare is a fun game. It has a definite indie vibe, with relatively simplistic ship and enemy designs. But the 3D engine is good and the game plays really well. If you enjoy 3D shooters that take place in actual land-based environments, such as Starfox and Total Eclipse (anybody remember that hard-ass console game?), you'll have a blast with Solar Warfare. It has a demo, so give it a shot!

• Solar Warfare – Windows Phone 8 – 81 MB – $1.99 – Store Link

Thanks to Mark "Tappy" Tepper for the tip!