Google wants to turn your smartphone into a game controller

Those of you wanting to play games on your Android TV using a traditional controller can do so with Google’s official controller, but rather than spending the money on yet another gadget, why don’t you just use your smartphone? Google is giving developers a new set of tools that will enable them to allow you to just that: transform your smartphone into a gaming controller for your Android TV.

Google sells a very traditional controller for those who want to play games on an Android TV, but soon, you may not need to buy one. Google is rolling out a new set of tools for developers that includes the ability to turn nearby Android phones into custom controllers. That’ll allow developers to customize what’s on a phone’s screen to suit the needs of their game — in a video, Google demonstrates a racing game that’s added a speedometer, a tachometer, and a dedicated boost button in addition to gas and brake pedals. Even if a joystick and physical buttons are usually a better way to game, it’s still a nice way to enhance the experience. It also makes the investment to start gaming smaller for those who already own an Android phone.