GameSir - G8 Plus Officially MFi Certified Phone Controller for iPhone 15/16/17/iPad Mini & Android - USB-C - 2 Pro Back Buttons - Gray

Beats my backbone pro, and half the price. Fits in your hand better, bigger joysticks (with extras included), just feels much more sturdy, and not flimsy like the backbone. I use this with my phone and PC!

I’m not a big mobile gamer probably because touchscreen interfaces on most platformers or action games annoy me. I’ve also never had a dedicated controller for my phone but I really like the GameSir G8, as it basically turns my phone into a portable game console. The controller has a standard controller design but will stretch so that you can place your phone inside. It’s made of plastic but feels sturdy and well-built. It's a little smaller than a standard controller but wider when you put the phone inside. There is a moveable USB-C connector that can fit a variety of phone positions and cases. The controller also comes with 3 different sizes of magnetic bumper pads that provide grip for the phone. It comes with three additional sticks that are easily swapped out by popping the front faceplate off. You can even rearrange the ABXY buttons if you prefer a Switch layout. The controller is There is a USB port on the bottom of the controller that is used to charge your phone, not the controller. The controller draws power from your phone’s USB-C port and as you’ll be gaming you can expect your phone battery to drain much faster than normal so having the passthrough charging is a welcome feature. There’s also a headphone jack which is pretty cool as phones no longer come with them. I used this with my iPhone 17 Pro mostly but my son also tested it with his regular iPhone 17. Both have plastic cases on which was not a problem. However, on the Pro, the camera bump is so large that the phone does not sit parallel with the controller. Not a big deal just a minor gripe if you have OCD like me. It looks unbalanced but doesn’t affect gameplay. My wife’s larger iPhone 16 Pro had no problem and fit flush. As mentioned above, I’m not a big mobile gamer, but the fact that you can play Xbox Cloud games with Gamepass turns my phone + this controller into a mini Xbox. Everything was smooth with the controller while playing cloud games. I could not detect any latency from the controller at all as I was able to still land tricks in games like Tony Hawks Pro Skater. The Hall Effect sticks performed smoothly and will have a much lower risk of stick-drift over time. To sum it up the controller performed just as well as if I was using my ROG Xbox Ally for cloud gaming. Neither my son nor I had any problems with games recognizing the controller if they supported controllers. They all were plug and play. The fact that no Bluetooth pairing or charging is necessary makes it very easy for both him and I to share the controller and quickly get into gaming. He also did not install the GameSir app on his phone so it’s not necessary at least on iOS. The only problem I had with the controller is the passthrough charging. It is very finicky. It doesn’t work with all chargers or cables. For instance, it wouldn’t work with my iPad or Mac charger (which are PD) but would work with a basic USB-A charging block and a USB-A to USB-C cable. Pros: - Wired connection – no Bluetooth lag/interference - Xbox-like design and controller layout - Hall Effect sticks and triggers - Hair-trigger mode - Fits iPhone with USB-C, Android or even iPad Mini - Fits with most slim silicone or plastic cases. - Passthrough charging and headphone Jack - Plug and Play - MFi certified for iPhone - Easily can be thrown into a bag. - Includes a variety of sticks for customization - Also works as a wired controller for PC Cons: - Passthrough charging doesn't work with all chargers - Some phones with big camera bumps or cases may not fit. - Smaller design may feel cramped in adult hands Overall – this is an excellent controller for mobile phone gamers. I love that it’s plug and play, never has to be charged, includes a headphone jack, and can charge my iPhone at the same time.

It was confusing at first to use. I kept wondering why the phone was not detecting the game controller. Then I realized the USB-C port was not making full contact with the phone. It was the installed spacers. It was pushing the phone away. It comes with other spacers. Found the right one and now it detects it. I tried it with both iPhone 17 Pro Max and Google Pixel Fold. Both have cases and both work, just make sure you use the correct spacer with your configuration. I ended up using my Pixel Fold. I tried a few arcade games. I like retro and found many were plagued with ads. They were fine but just a bad experience. I loaded up Retroarch and a few games. First, I tried a classic fighting game. The controller feels like my old Super Nintendo. Button placement, the feel – just wider. Playing on it is comfortable. I didn’t notice any lag with inputs. It’s not wireless, all good there. Retroarch detected the controller just fine. Next, I tried a side scroller classic. This particular game I couldn’t figure out how to rotate the screen 90 degrees. I will have to play around with it more. There are some thumbsticks you can interchange if you don’t like how the ones installed feel. The ones installed have a smooth center. There is one with a textured center. Another one that’s a smaller size. You can even replace the X,Y,A,B buttons. But I didn’t see any come with any additional set. These buttons and spacers are held in place by magnets. The thumbsticks are on with a peg. Just pull up to replace. The USB-C on the controller moves up and down to support different size phones and port position. There’s even a headphone jack next to the USB-C pass-through port on the bottom. The USB-C port on the bottom is pass-through, so you can charge your phone while playing for hours. Here’s one thing to consider, the weight of your phone. Depending on your phone, the entire package can be a little heavy. Having a foldable phone, I did noticed the weight of it immediately. No problem, I ended up playing on the desk. Putting my hands on the table so I didn’t have to carry the weight when playing. I like the set up. I can bring classic games with me now without having to bring my raspberry pi. It’s portable and convenient.