Honeycomb 3.1 to include USB host support. use your Xbox 360 controller (or other ones) to play games.

Google I/O 2011 has just started and already the announcements are all over the place. Everything from movie rentals on the Android Market, Google Music beta and Ice Cream Sandwich being announced just to name a few. One great feature coming in Honeycomb 3.1 though is the ability for USB host support.

So what the hell does that mean? Well basically that means you will be able to connect extra hardware to your Honeycomb device and use it via USB slots. While this wasn't solely geared towards gaming on your Honeycomb device, gaming will see a big benefit from it. Essentially, you'll be able to connect your XBox 360 and other controllers to your device and play your games using it. Great if you don't have or don't want an Xperia Play.

This feature will be implemented in the upcoming Honeycomb 3.1 update according to Google. This will give us gamers a lot more options when it comes to playing our games and how we play them. At the opening Google I/O presentation going on right now, they were playing Cordy using an XBox 360 controller. You can download the new Open Android Accessories SDK and Tools to start supporting USB controllers and more. It also features APIs for connecting other devices to your Android devices as well. Check it out!

Photo courtesy of Android Police