Ludium Lab has announced Sora GamePad, a redesigned smartphone controller feature for its Sora Stream cloud gaming service. It turns your phone into a virtual gamepad so you can control a game on another screen. The company expects it to be ready this week or next, although a launch date hasn’t been confirmed.
The Sora GamePad name is new, but the idea isn’t. Sora Stream has offered smartphone controls for years. In a LinkedIn post, Ludium Lab CEO Juan José Martín said the company has reworked the feature with new technology and a new design. We reached out to Sora Stream, and the company confirmed more details about how the redesigned controller will work.
Sora GamePad Builds on Sorapad
Ludium Lab’s promotional image gives us a look at the virtual controller. There are two analog sticks, a directional pad, four face buttons, shoulder buttons, and triggers. You hold your phone horizontally and use the on-screen controls as the game appears on your TV or another display.
We covered the earlier functionality in our December 2022 Sora Stream review. Back then, the digital gamepad could already connect to another device for games played on a separate screen. Our December 2025 article about Sora Stream coming to Samsung Smart TVs identified the phone-based controller as Sorapad.
The redesigned Sora GamePad was developed with input from product and user-experience specialists. Sora Stream says it will support iOS and Android and work with all games across devices and screens. A detailed compatibility list hasn’t been released.
The older support instructions explain how Sorapad connects. Both devices need the Sora Stream app and must use the same Wi-Fi network. You select one as the screen and the other as the controller, then scan a QR code to pair them.
With Sora GamePad, connecting should be straightforward once you’ve logged in. No additional hardware purchases or installations will be required. Ludium Lab also reports reduced latency, although it hasn’t shared measurements or comparisons with the earlier controller.
Microphone and AI Features Are Planned
Martín also shared plans for the coming months. He wants Sora GamePad to let your phone act as a microphone and bring AI into gameplay. Neither capability was announced as part of the initial release.
There are still no details on how the microphone would be used, what AI would do during gameplay, or which games might support either feature.
As for when you can try Sora GamePad, there’s no confirmed date. Sora Stream expects the redesigned controller to be ready in the very near future.
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