Last month, Samsung unveiled the latest in its  Galaxy series, the S4. Sporting a five-inch display, the new smartphone is both thinner and lighter than its predecessor, despite the increased screen space. (What about the Samsung SIII mini?)

But the S4 isn’t the only Samsung product getting attention these days. It’s sharing the headlines with one of its add-on accessories, the Game Pad controller.

Samsung unveiled the controller during its Unpacked launch event; however, not much is known about it. It bears a striking resemblance to the Xbox—complete with two joysticks, a D-pad and four action buttons. It will reportedly be used to play at least eight games that will bundled with the controller, as well as 80 others. According to IGN, the controller will also be able to connect to your phone via Bluetooth, allowing you to play the games on a television screen.

The controller is expected to hit shelves shortly after the S4 in April. So far, neither an official release date nor a price have been announced. Seems like a smart move by Samsung, since consumers may now be inclined to purchase the phone with greater internal storage to make room for more impressive games. The company has already stated its plan to make future hardware and software releases compatible with the device.

The push to pull in gamers has also caught the attention of Samsung’s main competitor, Apple. Rumors suggest that the electronics giant is also looking into creating a handheld accessory that will allow fans to turn their cell phones into full-on mobile gaming devices.

Photo: Engadget