Razer Kishi is the mobile gaming controller you've been waiting for (REVIEW) By The Daily Dot

Serious gaming on a phone? Sounds a little spicy to me. Phones don’t come with 16 button gamepads, and most Bluetooth controllers on the market have been dicey at best. But what if there was a better way? The Razer Kishi is the mobile caming answer you’ve been waiting for. If you’re familiar with other phone-friendly gamepads, it won’t look much different than what you’re used to. But it is! In the best possible way. Usually, Android and iOS controllers connect to a device via Bluetooth.

Which … OK. Sure. That works. But even with the latest operating systems, you may experience latency issues. And as anyone who's played popular mobile games like Fortnite and PUBG will tell you, a millisecond delay can be the difference between a satisfying win, or a devastating “own.

” Kishi’s approach is decidedly old school. Instead of Bluetooth, the controller slides directly into your device’s USB-C port. No syncing. No bluetooth connecting. No heartache.

Just plug and play. It fits a wide variety of popular Android phones on the market right now. If you’ve ever held a Nintendo Switch in your hands, gaming on Kishi will feel all too familiar. Dare I say, it handles a little better, thanks to the matte finish and a D-Pad t hat’s ACTUALLY a D-Pad. The Kishi brings everything you need to the table.

Two click-able control sticks? Check. Four main face buttons? Check. A satisfying D-Pad. Check. Plus, four triggers, two buttons that function as Start and Select, and even a universal home button.

Gaming on the Kishi is a blast, especially since I rarely had to reformat the button inputs game-to-game. Kishi seemed to already know which default button format was best. And on the rare occasion that it wasn’t, re-mapping them was a breeze. The controller collapses when it’s not in use, making it perfectly portable. But because there’s no Bluetooth, you won’t be able to use it as a wireless controller in its compact form.

There’s also a passthrough connection for USB-C, so you can charge your phone while you play. All of these features open up a world of portable gaming possibilities on the phone you already own: Playing mobile games with a controller is much more satisfying than using a touch-screen. Utilizing the Steam Link app and your home Wi-Fi network, you can stream your PC games to your phone. If you’re away from home, this also works surprisingly well over an Internet connection, as long as you have Steam running on your PC. Cloud gaming services like Microsoft’s xCloud and Google Stadia will lend themselves to great mobile solutions like the Kishi.

And let’s not forget the joy of emulation. With the right software in place, the Kishi turns your phone into a retro gaming powerhouse. But as with all discussions of emulation, please ROM responsibly. Even with all these features, the Kishi somehow manages to be LESS expensive than its Bluetooth predecessor, retailing for $79.99. A great build, old-school connectivity, and a killer price point might make the Razer Kishi the best Android game controller on the market.

If you’re on an Apple device, don’t despair! An iOS-friendly Kishi is on the way. You’ll just have to wait a little bit longer. The Android compatible Razer Kish is available on June 9..

Source : The Daily Dot