I’ve been playing games more often away from my computer or consoles lately, either because someone is using the TV, or I just don’t want to spend any more time in my home office. In fact, I’ve been playing these games more on my phone, through streaming platforms like Xbox Cloud Gaming, or PlayStation remote play. On-screen controls can be fine, but these games are usually most comfortable to play with a real controller.
Both the newest Xbox and PlayStation consoles come with controllers that can connect directly to a phone or tablet over Bluetooth, and several sellers on Amazon have clips that will attach your phone to your controller, so the screen can be held above the controller while you’re playing. These work okay, but they make the controller kind of top-heavy, especially if you have a big phone, so they’re not my favorite.
My preference are controllers that flank the sides of your phone’s screen, kind of like the controllers on a Nintendo Switch. Controllers like the Razor Kishi or the Backbone One clamp onto either side of the screen, making for a much more balanced and comfortable setup. And these controllers are powered directly by your phone, instead of with a separate battery, making them more convenient, too.
Sure, playing Halo or Street Fighter on such a small screen isn’t the best experience you can have, but when you’re fitting in rounds in-between trying to keep your house from becoming a disaster zone, it’s certainly better than nothing.
