GameSir - Pocket Taco - Bluetooth Wireless Retro Mobile Gaming Controller for iOS & Android - Turn your SmartPhone into a GameBoy - White

I was skeptical at first. When I opened the product it felt sturdy, buttons and all. It did take me some time to figure how to set it up with my iPhone, but once I managed to do so everything worked fantastic! So far, my only complaint is figuring out how to set up the home button. All in time.

The Pocket Taco by GameSir is such a fun accessory to throw into your bag and be able to relive your Game Boy days whenever you want. I love the design on this thing, familiar button layout, color scheme, and even the crispness of each button press is a nod to a past of gaming glory. We all carry our phone in our pocket, this Pocket Taco now makes gaming really easy for you. It is lightweight and includes a pretty solid carry case. It is smart enough to power on or off depending on if you clip it to your phone on or off. It connects via bluetooth pretty easily. Solid battery life, rated at 30 hours, plenty for on the go gaming. If you run out of battery juice, you can easily connect your USBC cable to charge it up. On that same charging note, there is a convenient cut out on the bottom of the device that allows pass through charging for your phone so that you can continue to play even if your phone needs to be charged. I love to rave just on the design alone but they thought of everything with protecting your phone screen with soft touch pads on the inner clamp. It fits great even with my phone protector. As for game play, it is ready to go out of the box if you want to with the Game Sir Boy app. It has games you can play from there or bring your own to pull off local storage. If you want further button customization, you can remap button values, enable D-pad diagonal lock. You have access to full G-Touch and V-Touch support. I want to deduct just one star, this may just be my own user experience but sometimes if I start up the Pocket Taco it syncs to my phone's bluetooth but it doesn't get registered in the Game Sir Boy app and I have to manually click the device to connect from the app. It is just a little bit annoying to do so but I hope it is just a app update down the road that fixes it.

PROS: price ($35) battery life size & portability can charge while you play if necessary SO-SO: The setup wasn't the easiest due to the hit-or-miss Bluetooth. difficult to know what games work and which ones don't only works in vertical orientation (I wish the device would allow both vertical and landscape due to most games using landscape) CONS: It isn't a plug-and-play device, making it hard for kids to use freely doesn't work well with modern games (even classic remakes) You need an emulator for it to be worth using covers the screen of your phone If you grew up an 80s or 90s kid, nostalgia is just part of life now that you're older. We yearn for those days of lounging around the house on our dad's recliners, playing Gameboy until our friends came knocking on the door to play. That's what I remember most about it, and it's only natural to miss it. What about now, though? Sure, you can buy a Game Boy at a retro store, but what if you could make your phone into one? Is it as easy as buying this GameSir Pocket Taco? Yes and no. The design duplicates the minimal Gameboy buttons, but adds necessary additional ones to keep up with newer onesgen versions of classics. The physical D-pad and ABXY buttons replicate the exact arrangement you'd expect from older handheld gaming devices. It also has back buttons, which is a nice touch. However, there are no joysticks, which can make it harder for younger generations to learn. As cool as this idea is, and as well as the Gameboy feel is replicated, sadly, most of today's games are made for landscape mode, which hinders my experience using this one. I was hoping to play classics like NBA Jam or RBI Baseball, but the games available on the Play Store are all landscape-oriented. In fact, I didn't find many vertical games, aside from a few. To truly make this Pocket Taco look like a Game Boy, you'll have to dig into emulators, which can be a difficult task for those not technologically advanced. Once you get an emulator on your phone, though, it's a lot easier to dig into the settings because they're not locked down like a lot of Android/iPhone games are - especially regarding screen orientation. This device feels more like a beta device than a "plug and play" device you can use right out of the box. Bluetooth connectivity is hit-or-miss for me, but once it's working, it can work well. It's not as easy to use as I'd like. It is super lightweight and holds a charge well, which is perfect for long car rides or waiting rooms. The device doesn't take up much space and can literally fit in a coat pocket. The buttons are responsive and aren't too mushy. And the price is the true value. If you can get it to work consistently and have a good source of retro games, $35 is a steal. It's so much better playing with this than using the touchscreen controllers that games generally come with on your phone.

First Impressions: Instant Nostalgia Hit The moment I saw the GameSir Pocket Taco, it hit me with a wave of nostalgia. The Gameboy/SNES inspired color scheme is ridiculously charming - the kind of design that makes you stop, stare, and think, “Okay… I probably need this.” I’m usually the first person to roll my eyes at phone accessories that feel gimmicky, but GameSir really made it hard to walk away. The retro look alone had me excited before I even touched the thing. Setting it up was refreshingly simple. Pair it over Bluetooth, give it a quick charge, and you’re basically ready to go. I appreciate that it has its own battery so it’s not draining your phone during long sessions. Installing the companion app only takes a minute, and it doubles as both a Gameboy emulator and a controller-customization hub. It’s clear GameSir wanted this to be as painless as possible, and honestly, they nailed it. Performance & Design: Tiny Controller, Big Fun The Pocket Taco is small - intentionally so - which is great for fitting most phones but might feel cramped if you have larger hands. Still, once it’s clipped onto the bottom of your phone, the whole setup suddenly feels like a legit handheld console. It’s surprisingly sturdy and surprisingly convincing. Playing my favorite Gameboy games on it was way better than I expected. The controls feel spot-on, the buttons are responsive, and I didn’t experience a single hint of lag. Whether it was Tetris, Mario, or anything that requires quick inputs, everything registered instantly. The Bluetooth connection stayed rock-solid the entire time, which is honestly more than I can say for some full-size controllers. Build Quality & Thoughtful Touches The build quality is impressive for something this small. The clamp holds your phone securely without squeezing it or leaving marks, though I’d still recommend using a screen protector just to avoid dust rubbing between the two surfaces. The included carrying case is a nice bonus - it makes tossing the Taco into a bag feel safe and effortless. Charging the internal battery is quick, so you’re not stuck waiting around when you’re in the mood to play. GameSir even throws in a handful of “homebrew” games. They’re not masterpieces, but they’re fun little extras and show that the company wanted to add value beyond just the hardware. And honestly, for the price, the whole package feels like a steal. You’re getting solid build quality, great performance, and a genuinely nostalgic experience without spending much at all. Final Thoughts: A Must-Have for Retro Fans The GameSir Pocket Taco is one of those rare accessories that blends nostalgia with modern convenience in a way that just works. Whether you’re reliving your old Gameboy library or exploring emulated classics for the first time, it turns your phone into a surprisingly capable retro handheld. Between the zero input lag, the great build quality, the easy setup, and the budget-friendly price, it’s hard not to recommend this thing. If you love retro gaming - even casually - the Pocket Taco is absolutely worth picking up. It brings those classic adventures back to life in a way that feels fun, authentic, and incredibly accessible. I can wholeheartedly say: if you’re a nostalgic gamer, this little device will make you smile.

I’ve had some fun and frustration with the Gamesir Pocket Taco. I loved my Gameboy back in the day and it was great to play some Tetris again. The controller felt familiar, like a smaller version of the Gameboy. Frustration came in at the beginning and throughout my gaming sessions however. Pros: -It was easy to connect via Bluetooth -Pocket Taco fits phones without taking (most) cases off -There is a hole in the bottom so you can charge your phone while you play -It comes with a sturdy case which also has a charging hole -Nostalgia unleashed when I hear the 8-bit Tetris theme song - you can probably hear it now Cons: -I want an On/Off switch. The auto power really hasn’t been working for me. I put it in the case and my son grabbed it and started pressing buttons and my phone started going crazy since it was still connected -For the most part, you need to use the Gamesir app which I did not have luck loading games on there with the iOS app. I kept getting errors. These are the same files that worked fine on Delta, but you can’t use the Delta app by default because if you connect a controller then the screen goes to the middle of your phone and the Pocket Taco covers the game screen. Hopefully Gamesir works on the compatibility of the app and this gets better. It could be great if they can improve the iOS app to be more stable. The material even feels like my old Gameboy! For now I’m using it like any other controller and setting my phone up on my lap or a table so I can still play the games on other emulator apps. The buttons are responsive and have worked well so far. There are a lot of features like button mapping that you can use to customize your experience, but right now it’s just okay for me.