Coco Controller

Milkshake Labs, Inc. launched Coco Controller as a Kickstarter project in 2012, aiming to enhance the mobile gaming experience. The company was part of the Y Combinator Summer 2012 batch. The Coco Controller was founded by two Harvard drop-outs, Colton Gyulay and Connor Zwick. Gyulay served as CEO.

The Coco Controller is a smartphone case designed to add physical gaming controls to mobile phones, including iPhones and Android devices. The hardware features a directional D-pad, an analog stick, four action buttons, and two triggers, offering a more traditional and tactile gaming interface. A key design feature was its ability to connect and draw power through the phone's audio jack, which eliminated the need for a separate battery or a Bluetooth connection, making it lighter and more reliable. The product was developed to be compatible with a range of popular smartphones at the time, such as the iPhone 4/4S, Samsung Galaxy S III, and the fourth-generation iPod touch.

The business model was centered around a Kickstarter campaign to fund manufacturing and distribution. The project sought $175,000 in funding, offering the controllers to backers at a price point of $42 to $50. Milkshake Labs aimed to collaborate with game developers to ensure a wide range of compatible games, having already secured compatibility with over 30 titles at the time of the launch. The company is now listed as inactive.

Keywords: mobile gaming, phone controller, gaming accessory, smartphone case, Kickstarter project, Y Combinator, tactile controls, analog stick, gaming hardware, inactive company