The biggest roadblock for most traditional gamers whenconsidering mobile gamingas a viable platform is controls. Modern phones have the technical specs to runamazing games, and even a few ports of current titles. With streaming getting pushed harder as well, phones have essentially becomea second screen for all our favorite gamesto play wherever and whenever we want. I never really took advantage of that freedom because touch controls were just too fiddly and compromised the experience by forcing me to block the screen to interact. Connecting aPS5 or other Bluetooth controllerhas always been an option, but that also introduces the problem of how you hold or mount your phone.
The cost might be a bit extreme for some, but there’s no better investment for mobile gaming on the market.
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The Backbone was the first mainstream accessory made specifically to turn your phone into theideal mobile console. The simple idea of an attachment with traditional control options to seamlessly integrate with your game, suddenly caught my eye. While I did enjoy the Backbone for what it was, it had issues that kept me from using it long-term. The Razer Kishi Ultra is the latest, and most expensive, iteration of the idea that is designed to be the answer for hardcore gamers. The cost might be a bit extreme for some, but there’s no better investment for mobile gaming on the market.
Razer Kishi Ultra
If you’re serious about playing your best on mobile, there’s no better alternative than the Razer Kishi Ultra if you’re able to afford it.
On the Razer’s edge
Top-of-the-line design
It should come as no surprise that Razer is the front-runner in mobile controllers. The company has been one of the leading brands for gaming accessories for years, and the Ultra lives up to that level of quality. From the moment I picked up the Ultra, I could feel just how much engineering and testing went into it. The handles slide comfortably into position with a nice texture on the back to prevent slipping, and my hands rested, so my fingers naturally rested on the stick, face buttons, and triggers. A small but brilliant touch I found before installing my phone was that the controller is naturally weighted heavier towards the bottom. This counterbalances your device nicely, so the weight is more evenly distributed.
A small but brilliant touch I found before installing my phone was that the controller is naturally weighted heavier towards the bottom.
The most important aspect the Ultra needed to win me over was the feel and responsiveness of its controls. In that regard, I was blown away. While the Backbone felt like a cheap toy, with mushy buttons, small sticks, and a generally flimsy build, the Ultra feels like a premium product. Comparing the two side-by-side, I end up preferring the smooth feel, textured rims, and concave design of the thumbsticks even to my DualSense. The bumpers are nice and clicky, but have a slightly shallow range. Instead of backpaddles, the Ultra opts to add two additional buttons on the inner edges of the shoulders. I personally found these to be somewhat useless and unrealistic to use since I would need to readjust my entire grip to reach them, but they are at least optional.
The Ultra packs in some other nice features that make it feel more like a true console-quality controller. HD haptics in particular, a feature no other device of this kind has, is a fantastic addition. On the other hand, I could do without the RGB lights and turned that aspect off, but it is there for those who want to have rainbow lights glowing under their palms.
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Ultra-convenient design and comfort
One size fits all for iPhone, Android, and iPad
If I could only make one selling point of the Razer Kishi Ultra, it would be convenience. With phones constantly being iterated on with new shapes and sizes, many controllers like the Ultra end up being locked to specific versions or devices. While it is impossible to say right now how future-proof the Ultra will end up being, it is by far the most versatile and easy-to-use controller on the market. A major reason I gave up on the Backbone was the simple fact that I had to pry my phone out of its case to connect it which always felt like I was on the verge of snapping my phone in half. The Ultra has no issue connecting to my phone’s port over my case once I remove some rubber stoppers.
Once connected, I was pleasantly surprised to find that I was ready to start playing. It will want you to download its Razer Nexus app, which allows you to take advantage of some handy features like full button remapping and setting up virtual controller mode to bypass games that don’t have native controller support.
While I couldn’t personally test it on any other devices, the simple fact that this one controller can adapt to any iPhone or Android device with a USB-C connector, or any tablet with a screen up to eight inches is praiseworthy. While the extra wire is not included, you can even connect it to your PC via USB-C cable. It truly feels like the jack of all trades and master of all regarding compatibility and convenience.
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The verdict: The definitive mobile controller?
A heavy price tag weighs it down
If I could only rate this product based on quality, I would struggle to find a single point worthy of serious criticism. The comfort and versatility are amazing, the features cover all the bases, and it is more convenient than I could ask for. I would be curious to see how traveling with it works since it is somewhat large, but I feel confident that even the back connector would hold up against any normal turbulence just fine. However, this is a product, and all factors have to be accounted for, including price.
At $150, I’m not sure how big of an audience is out there for this device. I could see it being a great alternative for those just getting into gaming who would rather purchase a high-quality controller to turn the phone they already have into a handheld rather than invest in a Steam Deck. If you have a use case for it and the cash to drop, you won’t be disappointed with the Razer Kish Ultra.
