Razer Kishi Ultra Gaming Controller for Android, iPhone 15 & 16 Series, iPad Mini A17 Pro & 6 (USB C): Pro Controls – Ergonomic Grip – Stream PC, Xbox, PS5 Games on Mobile, Phone, Tablet – Chroma RGB

The best controller for Steam Link, Game Pass and Remote Gaming
What can I say about the Razer Kishi Ultra? It feels phenomenal in hand, and the buttons feel clicky. It’s the best d-pad I’ve had in a controller, including DS and Series and Pro controllers. It fits my iPad Mini 6 perfectly and even with my Folio case on!I own 3 telescopic controllers, the Backbone, Galileo G8 and this. I’d rank them as 1) Kishi 2) Galileo G8 and 3) Backbone. Each serve their purpose. The backbone is great for small and quick gaming when you don’t have room. Middle tier is G8, works great and feels great. The top tier is the Kishi.My only complains is the programmable button next to the shoulder buttons. It would’ve been more logical to map them behind the grips! That’s a missed opportunity. Also the location of the home button and the select button, should be swapped. The Nexus app is kind of lacking for iOS/iPadOS. I don’t like that I have to manually add things to my favourites from within the app. Also game pass cloud beta could’ve been better. You should be able to add shortcuts to the Nexus app, since Microsoft doesn’t have a dedicated cloud iOS app, you have to rely on browser URL for it. These are minor complaints, I know but they do hold true.Last issue is the price, I can’t recommend if you’re on a budget. GameSir Galileo g8 does exactly what I needed sans one thing. It doesn’t fit the iPad Mini out of box. It’s half the price at 79.99, and well crafted, but the Razer has it beat for that aforementioned fact alone. Both of course lack portability of the backbone, which is normally 99.99, poorly priced for what you get. I will continue to use all three, for each specific use case.

Purchased Razer Kishi Ultra and Backbone
I was conflicted with purchasing the Backbone vs the Razer Kishi Ultra so I ended up keeping both and here’s why.Background:I have medium/small hands with a claw grip so when I end up extending my fingers beyond the resting range, depending if the controller is too large or too small, there will be some strain on my hands from extended gaming sessions.Grip:Using the Backbone felt pretty comfortable for my use and sized hands because of how smaller the controller is versus a normal sized controller. If I had to compare it to a controller, I’d say its comparable to a Nintendo switch controller. However, the Backbone buttons/layout are a bit more spaced out than the Switch controllers so it feels a bit more natural to hold. As for the Kishi, it is a bit more bulky and double the size of the backbone since it feels similar to holding a slightly thicker Xbox controller. Initially when holding the Kishi, I felt strain on my hands when using with my iPhone 15 pro max. But after trying the Kishi with my ipad mini 6, I got used to the grip after a few minutes and was able to play Zenless Zone Zero (action game) for 3 hours nonstop. I’d say it was very comfortable to hold when sitting, laying down, or resting your arms on a desk. So if you have medium to large hands, the kishi definitely feels a lot comfortable to hold once you get used to it and takes the cake over the Backbone.Portability:The Backbone is very compact/mobile for travel and I can easily fit it my pocket with or without my slim case. So if I needed to game for a few moments on the road, I can easily pull it out of my pocket and connect to my iPhone 15 pro max fairly easily. As for the Kishi, since it is a bit bulky you might need to have a small bag or carrying case to lug this around as it is much wider and thicker. So if you are a serious mobile gamer and travel, just be prepared to carry this around in a backpack as it it’ll be difficult to simply toss into your pockets.Compatibility with casesThe Backbone had updated their design from the previous version of the Backbone (1st gen) to accommodate phone cases. The latest Backbone attachments were able to hold my iphone 15 pro max with a case, so again portability and convenience was a nice factor here. Unfortunately with the Kishi, I wasn’t able to fit my iPhone 15 pro max while using the slim case nor was I able to fit my iPad mini 6 also with a slim case. I had to remove both cases in both instances to successfully align the usb-C on the Kishi controller with the devices’ ports. There is almost no room for my cases to fit without bending the controller’s usb c as I think the Kishi was designed to eliminate any leverage movement between controller and device which is totally understandable. They do provide three different fitting attachments (phone, ipad, android) with the Kishi but I might need to modify one of them to continue to keep my device’s case on without having to constantly remove it.Gaming/ConnectivityBoth controllers excel very well with responsiveness and timing for mobile/streaming/gaming type of activities. Both are very good when remote play via PS5 or Steam Link when on the same network. I didn’t counter any latency or lag issues with either controller which is a plus.Bottom lineI decided to keep both the Kishi and Backbone as they will serve different purposes. The Backbone will now be purely used for my traveling purposes as I like to travel light and can use the Backbone to attach to my phone without having to remove the case and can easily store away. I plan on keeping the Kishi for my home use (remote play via PS5/Steam, mobile gaming within home) as the grip feels a lot more comfortable for long hours and I prefer the spacing of the controls a lot more over the Backbone. Ultimately, I end up using the Kishi more than the Backbone whenever I’m at home.I’d give the Kishi a 4.5/5 (Amazon doesn’t have in between star ratings) since the only con I see is having to remove the cases to attach the Kishi to my devices. But rest assured that this is a very solid controller to have and definitely worth picking up if you plan on going on long trips, gaming conventions, or laying in bed to continue to playing via endless hours.I for sure recommend picking up the Razer Kishi Ultra.

I was on the fence about buying a backbone within the next couple weeks but, this dropped out of nowhere. I can’t begin to tell you how amazing this device is. It’s big, it’s got a nice rubber grip like the Xbox elite controllers, haptics (not on iOS YET). The backbone is good for getting the foot in the door playing around but, it was missing quality of features that I would like when I’m not at a desk or at a tv for extended periods. Like I said this thing is MASSIVE as in the photo and if you have big hands like myself this is perfect cause the backbone isn’t for you. The buttons on the controller click almost like a keyboard if that has any meaning. Games wise I played pretty much any gamepass game that’s cloud, helldivers works great with the steam link thing and yes the delta iOS emulator works like a charm with this. I’m also thinking about buying the new iPad mini and using it with this down the road. Razer really knocked it outta the park with this one. I know the price is a little much but, the features and quality of life updates that the other mobile phone controllers DONT have make this stand out. 9.5/10 *NOTE I’m using an IPhone 15 Pro Max with a dbrand ghost case* This thing is pretty much case friendly unless you got a brick protecting your phone lol

Razer operates in a world where it thinks there is no competition to their products.It couldn’t be further more from the truth, there are plenty.It’s not that it’s a bad controller, it’s actually decent but it is not twice as good as the Galileo G8, not even close. One could argue it’s 50% better than the Backbone One but that one is overpriced too.I’d say buy this specifically if you have blind appreciation for the brand but if you don’t get a Galileo G8 if you want plugged in operation, it’s better for less. Or, a Moga XP7-X Plus if you want bluetooth capabilities (and wireless charging as a bonus).P.S. Screenshot is what it looks like using a Samsung Fold phone.