Genki unveils customizable Manta controller with built-in screen
Genki has launched its Manta controller on Kickstarter, offering deep customization options alongside a large built-in display. Early backers can preorder it for $189, ahead of a planned $279 retail price.
Two years after teaming up with 8BitDo on a gamepad, Genki has released its first controller designed entirely in-house. The Manta stands out with an unusual layout, placing its thumbsticks and buttons above a large 2.9-inch LCD screen, giving it a bulkier look than rival controllers.
The device's main selling point is its unusually deep customization. Using the built-in screen, players can adjust numerous settings and tailor the buttons and thumbsticks to their preferences. This functionality is powered by a dedicated Raspberry Pi RP2350 microcontroller, which lets users switch between multiple console, game, and user profiles, adjust thumbstick sensitivity and dead zones, boost haptic feedback intensity, remap buttons, and record or combine button presses into custom macros.
Additional features
The Manta is among the first controllers to offer "tristage triggers." Beyond the usual two switchable modes suited for racing or shooter games, it adds a third, in-between setting designed for rapid repeated presses. Its face buttons are also analog, letting users set exactly how far each one must travel before registering a press.
Other features include linear magnetic haptic motors built into the grips, drift-resistant tunneling magnetoresistance (TMR) thumbsticks with adjustable tension, a 2,600mAh replaceable battery, and six extra remappable buttons on the back and shoulders. A dedicated button switches the controller into keyboard-and-mouse mode. The Manta connects wirelessly via Bluetooth or an included 2.4GHz dongle, or via a wired USB-C connection.
Genki is funding the Manta through Kickstarter, marking the company's ninth crowdfunded product. Its earliest backers can order the controller at a discounted $189, with retail pricing expected to reach $279 once it launches broadly.
