As game designers are finding new ways to cram more pixels and polygons into your mobile phone, it’s nice to see mobile phone gaming hardware trying to keep up. And “trying” is the key word.

Several attempts have been made in the past to make the ultimate phone slash game unit, but in the end, a phone is still a phone. That’s where the XEG comes in. Instead of figuring out how to configure a handset to incorporate action buttons, a D-Pad and a joystick or two, the XEG brings all the control you need to your phone.

The XEG basically works like a backpack – strap it on and go. It features the standard four keys on the right and D-pad on the left configuration as well as shoulder buttons like a Playstation or Xbox controller. A “hot key” allows you to download game titles and it looks pretty sexy too.

Major drawbacks however make the XEG fall short of practical. For starters, the unit does not conform to all phones. The umbilical connector is not universal. Also, the XEG does not fold up like some other models, making it a bit cumbersome to tote around.

No news on launch date or price.