CES 2026: Gaming Controllers Are Going Modular This Year

Gaming controllers are just one of those things that I love to collect, but living in a small New York apartment, eventually enough is enough. At CES this year, I saw three new controllers that are all trying to be the last ones I'll ever need to buy (for specific systems, at least). It seems like modularity is in, and all three of these devices want to meet all of your needs. However, they're not settled on what the best approach is.

GameSir x Hyperkin X5 Alteron

The GameSir x Hyperkin X5 Alteron is probably the cutest controller on this list, especially if you grew up playing GameCube or Nintendo 64. Essentially, it's a telescopic mobile controller that stretches to fit around your phone or small tablet, but the gimmick is that all of the face buttons and sticks come in hot swappable modules, and can be freely mixed-and-matched for multiple configurations.

You could do a standard Xbox style layout. You could opt for a layout with symmetrical, PlayStation style thumbsticks instead. You could use GameCube or Nintendo 64 style face button configurations, which is a unique touch. There are even options for a 6-button arcade style layout or a Steam Deck style trackpad.

Essentially, play your cards right, and this thing could fit any need you might possibly have, so long as you're playing on mobile. You could even get weird and slot in a GameCube layout for your left hand and a Nintendo 64 layout for your right hand.

The different configurations all pop in and out easily, but don't feel loose when you're using the controller. And there are also bells and whistles like back paddles and trigger stops, for extra buttons and quicker reaction times. The sticks are also capacitive, which essentially means they shouldn't drift, but also won't cause magnetic interference like Hall Effect or TMR sticks (other popular anti-drift technology) can.

The catch? While this isn't a concept, pricing and availability aren't set in stone yet. GameSir also told me it's still figuring out distribution, so it's unclear how many control modules will come with the controller, if you'll be able to buy them separately, and how much they'll cost if you do. The company did say it's targeting a $100 release, but that could change, and it's still figuring out how to make that a reality.

The other issue, of course, is that this is mobile only, although GameSir said it might make a more traditional version in the future. This isn't the first controller with hot swappable modules, but others are usually pro-level and don't have nearly as many options as the X5 Alteron does.

8BitDo Ultimate 3e

8BitDo is one of my favorite controller companies, especially for retro style controllers. Last year, it already dipped its toes into modularity with the 8BitDo Pro 3. That was a PlayStation style controller that allowed you to individually swap out any of the main four face buttons to place them in whatever order you wanted, which made it easier to swap between Xbox (ABXY) and Nintendo (BAYX) style layouts. Now, the 8BitDo Ultimate 3e is taking that concept and really running with it.

Officially licensed by Xbox but also compatible with PC and mobile devices, the 8BitDo Ultimate 3e looks like a standard Xbox controller at first, but has a removable face plate that gives you access to a bunch of options. Take it off, and you can lift out the sticks, D-Pad, or face buttons to swap them for ones with a different feel.

Your overall control layout will still be the same—there's no mimicking the GameCube, swapping the order of the ABXY buttons, or changing your stick position here. But you could opt for either a four-way or circular D-Pad or sticks with different lengths or grips, for instance. The ABXY button modules also come in both quiet silicone versions or clicky, micro-switch versions.

That's a lot of control, and it comes on top of 8BitDo's standard Ultimate controller features, like the included charging dock, extra macro buttons, trigger stops, a gyroscope, and 1,000hz polling.

8BitDo says the Ultimate 3e controller will cost $150 and will come with all your control options. It's set to ship later this year.

New models for the MCON

When I reviewed the MCON magnetic gaming controller late last year, I wanted to love it. It was my favorite product from last CES, but when it came to market, I had a few issues with it that made me feel like it wasn't quite complete. Well, they're still in the prototype phase, but MCON makers OhSnap are now working on two new MCON models that are looking to fix pretty much all of my problems with the original device.

Called the MCON Slim and the MCON Lite, these versions of the device are much smaller and should be much cheaper than the version that's on the market now, but retain almost all of its features. There are a few compromises to make that happen, but ultimately, they look like moves in the right direction.

First, both the MCON Slim and the MCON Lite have manual sliding mechanisms for their controls. That means the controls normally slip tucked away behind your phone, but can be pulled out like an old-school Android keyboard. I actually prefer this. The original MCON instead uses a spring-loaded sliding mechanism, and it's pretty violent, and can send your phone flying if you're not careful.

Second, when I say these are smaller, I mean it. If the original MCON felt like attaching a MagSafe battery bank to your phone, these feel a lot more like using a MagSafe wallet. I didn't mind the size of the original too much, but it really is impressive how much the new models have slimmed down.

Finally, while pricing isn't finalized yet, MCON told me to expect the new models to be somewhere between 1/3rd to half the price of the current one. That's a huge markdown on the pricey $150 original, even as these fix some of my problems with it.

To be fair, you do lose out on a little bit here, but not much. The MCON Slim and MCON Lite still have a kickstand mode, and still feature a full set of buttons, but they handle their shoulder buttons and thumbsticks differently. Both the Slim and Lite have "inline" shoulder buttons, which means the L1/R1 and L2/R2 buttons are next to each other horizontally rather than stacked. Not a big deal for me, but some people may prefer a console-like layout. The bigger differences come in the thumbsticks.

The MCON Slim uses 3DS-style circle pads instead of Switch-style thumbsticks, which is how it's able to save so much space. They aren't my favorite, but I've never had any problems making them work. The MCON Lite, then, uses dual-trackpads instead of thumbsticks. That makes it even smaller than the Slim, but I've never had great luck using trackpads for analog style inputs. It could be useful for games that need a mouse, though.

So, what makes these modular? Well, aside from giving you more model options and carrying forward the removable kickstand mode from the original MCON, part of what allows these models to be so thin is that they use custom backplates designed for certain phones, whereas the original model used a bulkier solution that fits all phones.

The MCON Slim and MCON Lite are the most conceptual of the devices on this list, but OhSnap assured me that at least one will make its way to market, hopefully this year. Apparently, there are still internal debates about whether the model with trackpads is worth releasing or not.