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Using your phone’s touchscreen for your favorite mobile games can quickly become pretty cramped. The on-screen buttons, if there are any, take up valuable space on the small display, plus your fingers end up getting in the way of your own view. Not to mention on bigger phones and tablets, it can be bulky and awkward to hold for long stretches.
In the past, only console and PC gamers had access to a real physical gaming controller, with actual directional pads, analog sticks, buttons, and triggers. Mobile gamers left users to tap out commands on their tiny screens. But the line has become increasingly blurred in the last few years, with consoles like the Switch including its own mobile screen and detachable controllers, and Xbox providing the ability to stream games onto your mobile devices.
What Are the Best Mobile Gaming Controllers?
Whether you’re using cloud-based gaming services like Google Stadia or XCloud, streaming a console to your phone, or going old-school and playing Nineties classics through emulators, a designated gaming controller for your phone or tablet can instantly improve your game.
If latency is what you’re worried about, go for a controller that plugs directly into your phone’s port. Cloud-streaming services can often lag on their own, but so can Bluetooth-based controllers if the connection isn’t strong. That’s not to say Bluetooth is bad for everyone though – games that don’t require much bandwidth usually run smooth over Bluetooth 5.0 and up. And since the controller and phone will be inches away from each other, that cuts down on lag significantly.
You’ll want to make sure your phone gaming controller is comfortable to hold too. Ergonomic layouts and cushioned backings can make a big difference a few hours into an all-night session.
These phone and tablet gaming controllers are pretty compact as-is, but If you’ll be gaming on-the-go, a controller that folds up and expands to hold your phone will fit better in your backpack — or even in your pocket.
Even if you haven’t played a game on your phone in decades, now’s a great time to grab a controller and jump back into mobile gaming. New favorites are accessible, and old classics are easily downloadable – waiting for you to go back and conquer that game from your past you were never able to beat.
Here are the best mobile gaming controllers to buy online.
