While we already knew that Android Honeycomb brought support for USB game controllers to Android tablets, today we are getting confirmation that ALL android users will now be able to pair their favorite USB gamepad (Xbox controller?) to any phone or tablet running Android 4.0 or higher.
Android software engineer Romain Guy made things official on Twitter earlier today with the tweet below. While he notes the HDMI out on the new Galaxy Nexus in combination with a USB gamepad will turn the device into a “video games console”, this will obviously be the case for any device with HDMI out.

If you combine all the great emulators currently available for Android, a nice 4+ inch screen smartphone with a decent processor, and perhaps an Xbox 360 controller, you’re definitely on your way to having one the better portable gaming consoles money can buy. Below you can see an image courtesy of Reddit (via Phandroid) that shows a screenshot from the Ice Cream Sandwich SDK related to pairing a USB gamepad.

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Craig Hunter – who has written 1178 posts on The Jace Hall Show.
Craig Hunter is a main contributor for the Jace Hall Show and has been an avid gamer for over 15 years. He also freelances for a number of websites and magazines covering mobile products and emerging technologies.

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