Razer Kishi for Android – Smartphone Gaming Controller
Razer Kishi for Android – Smartphone Gaming Controller (USB-C Connection, Ergonomic Design, Individual Fit for Mobile Phones, Analog Stick, Ultra Low Latency) Black
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Game Discovery, Organization, & Rewards
Razer Cortex Mobile
The Razer Cortex Mobile app lets you discover new and popular mobile games, and utilize the Game Booster for game and device optimization. With Paid to Play, you can earn Razer Silver just by launching games and playing via the app.
| Weight: | 134 g |
| Dimensions: | 9.43 x 13.41 x 3.73 cm; 134 Grams |
| Brand: | Razer |
| Model: | RZ06-02900100-R3M1 |
| Colour: | Black |
| Batteries Included: | Yes |
| Manufacture: | Razer Inc. |
| Dimensions: | 9.43 x 13.41 x 3.73 cm; 134 Grams |
Very comfortable to hold. The buttons feel great. Very responsive and well-built.
Only two things to consider.
1. Your phone case might make your phone a bit too thick to fit properly with the controller.
2. It does not work with Call of Duty Mobile (last time I checked).
Otherwise, perfect if you’re looking into emulation with android phones.
Works really well with my s23, responsive and has made playing games on my phone more enjoyable.
Just a note, but tried this on my daughters oppo, and it doesn’t work on this.
The most excellent bit of tech kit I own next to my phone. Easy to set up and works with most things you need on phone with gaming in mind. Retro gaming it makes usable on the go.
Love this product. Have a Samsung galaxy A14 (5g) and if fits like a charm. Absolute perfect for playing xbox cloud games. Very responsive and intuitive. I feel like a kid with my first ever game boy again. Such good value.
Fits the note 20 ultra with a screen size of 6.9 it’s surprises me but you just have to take the cases of your phone and your good to go I would highly recommend it to any after a controller for there phone. You can charge your phone will you game. Comfortable to hold. Hint if you look at refurbished like new you can get a deal. Ps might come with a small rattle if you get it refurbished but work like new and not noticeable 10/10 would recommend.
It still works, its not at risk at Snapping off at that angle or anything, but aesthetically it may be a deal breaker for some. Either way, at that price i cant complain.
This thing is just really good. Much better than alternatives. You need a central USB c. Just works. Should be higher reviewed because a lot of people moaning about small things and wanting perfection. This is the best sort of phone controller. Downsides are that it’s expensive, but it does turn your phone into an emulation machine.
I’ve been using it with Dolphin emulator as well as Amazon Luna and Xbox game streaming and it works perfectly.
If you’re planning to use it with a game from the play store then I would check compatibility first.
Only small issue was that my camera bump interfered with the fit so I had to cut down the rubber slightly, but that’s more an issue with my phone than the controller.
Highly recommend.
I bought it second hand. It’s sturdy enough, it is fairly easy to set up and it gets recognised by most games and emulators.
Most of issues I’ve found with games that don’t allow you to use a gamepad, like Genshin Impact (we’re talking android here) and there’s no perfect remapping app either. I dropped it a few times by mistake with the phone on, no issues afterwards. For big hands it might be uncomfortable on long runs so you could spend for some third party mods. I heard people complaining about the d-pad, I found it acceptable. The android app for the kishi is down on Google play for modern phones but it doesn’t make much difference anyway. I removed the internal rubber and added some thin padding so that I can use my s10 with its phone case. No issues there either.
A solid product from Razer and great for mobile gaming. This controller was released at an excessive 100 barrier, which only the hardcore mobile gamers would access. The price point slightly lowered but it remained excessive, even more expensive than a PS5 DualSense without the abilities and capabilities to justify the price point, the price point was “jumping on a fad”.
Now with the recent release of the second version, this is dropping in price to become much more accessible for the masses. I jumped on board and see that this is a solid product from Razer.
My old Huawei Mate 20 Pro is packed full of emulation from DuckStation (PS1) and AetherSX2 (PS2) to Mupen64 (Nintendo 64) and Dolphin (Gamecube and Wii), it plays most games very well. Before I purchased this product I was using an Xbox One controller connected to the phone via BlueTooth to play games, but it was a cumbersome and heavy set up, and the Xbox One controller relied on AA batteries to power the controller. I tried using a DualShock 4 controller but set up was a pita, and I had the same issues again (heavy and cumbersome set up, poor battery life of the controller etc). This Razer controller solves the issues that I had with the console controllers.
The Razer Kishi controller is light and sturdy. Releasing two clips on the back of the controller releases the mechanism to fit your phone. Using the USBC port it removes the need for BlueTooth, and the Razer Kishi is set as an Xbox One controller making it very easy to set up, set your controls and play games on the phone. The controller is comfortable to hold on my palms, I used to have a PSVita and used to hold it the same way that I hold the Kishi once set up.
One downside I can see is specific to my Huawei Mate 20 Pro. I noticed that the left side of the Kishi controller is not clamped flush with the phone, meaning that when I play games with the set up I need to be careful to avoid flexing the left side upwards. There is enough flexibility on the Kishi to prevent it from tearing but it’s a reflex I need to get used to. I am considering using double sided sticky tape to secure the phone in place during play and using IPA to remove any residue when not playing with the Kishi.
Overall this is a good low cost solution and I specifically recommend it to anyone using emulation.
Edit (April 2023) – I noticed two more downsides to this.
The first is the abhorrently slow charging ability of the Kishi when connecting the charger in it’s designated charging port, on the base of the right side of the Kishi. No fast charging whatsoever, in fact the charging reminds me of the old generic 5W chargers ever-present up to 5 years ago, and what was available on iPhones before they adopted the faster 20W standard.
The second is the D-Pad is terrible and borderline useless for fighting games. I was playing Street Fighter Alpha 3 using the Kishi and performing combos with the mushy D-Pad is like wading through a sea of treacle. Just don’t bother with fighting games using the Kishi.
Charging pass through doesn’t always work and doesn’t support fast charging. Recommended sized phones are a too tight fit. Joypad itself is well built and responsive.
I’ve been using this controller for cloud gaming outside the house via Steam Link and it’s great. It feels sturdy, works well with Steam Input, is surprisingly comfortable, and even has a handy USB-C charging passthrough so you can charge your phone while using the controller.
In-terms of complaints, a headphone jack pass-through would be nice, and it could do with being a little bigger so that the phone doesn’t need to be removed from any protective cases before use.
Despite that, it’s a good choice if you essentially want to turn your phone into a handheld gaming system.
First off this is not a controller. Quality is good the buttons and thumbsticks feel well made. Initially I was concerned how flimsy it felt off the phone, however once on the phone those concerns disappear.
Perfect for xbox remote play!
I did see one review stating that it had to be plugged in to work. That’s not strictly true but does depend on the power settings on the phone itself. If you find it only works with the power cable plugged in check the phone settings for OTG – this it what allows your phone to power other devices. If you can not enable OTG power supplies (or cannot disable OTG bring disabled if not used for a period of time) or your phone does not support OTG then yes you are likely to need the power lead connecting for the device to work. It works fine from my Oppo find X3 lite – but I did have to change the OTG setting to allow it to. Great controller – really happy with it!
Great idea bought for my son. Works as expected only downfall limited to number of games you can play with it. Hopefully it will improve over time.
I recently purchased the Razer Kishi for Android and it is easily one of the best purchases I have ever made. It has an ergonomic design that is perfect for long gaming sessions, plus the multi-function buttons can be individually remapped to my preferences, allowing me to customize the controller exactly how I like it. The hair trigger mode allows for ultra-fast responses and there are two additional switches on the underside of the controller for this feature.
The adjustable phone mount lets me adjust the angle of my phone up to 60 degrees, which gives me an optimal gaming experience. Furthermore, the Mecha-Tactile action buttons provide a unique combination of a soft cushioned touch with crisp tactile feedback, making every game even more enjoyable. Finally, the mobile app configuration allows me to create profiles for each game and remap all my buttons with ease, allowing me to personalize my in-game experience wherever I go.
Overall, I am incredibly pleased with this purchase. The Razer Kishi offers an ergonomic design, fast response times and great customization options that make gaming a whole lot more fun. Highly recommend!
Oppo find X5 lite, but I have to plug it into mains port for it to work. Kind of defeats the point of it being portable. Think I’ll be getting a refund on that, unless someone can explain why I have to plug a charger into the controller every time I use it?
No doubt it is a perfect game pad for mobile, quite comfortable after long play sessions, no lagging and responses very well, I think that for the price should include a bluetooth functionality either only you can connect through the usb type C, not every mobile phone got the imput at the same place but eitherway does the job
Great for games on my phone, so far I’ve not been able to play my xbox games as it just freezes, maybe it’s my phone or Internet connection but I can stream films no problem.
Fits well onto my phone though I do have to remove my phone cover, great to have while you have some time on you hands.
Haven’t actually used the item yet as it’s bought as a gift, however, looks exactly how I expected and I’m sure my daughter will be really happy
Sooo this is quite good and i use it to play xbox ultimate with our actual xbox with my kid we play multiplayer together this way without needing second xbox etc.
The issue is that if you are playing the grips start to get loose eventually and the phone falls off … check youtube and you will see what i mean…
Otherwise its a good product and i quite like playing on it… Beware no battery of its own so drains phone battery …
The passthrough charging is great, but theres no fast charging so I could potentially lose battery with intense usage, such as doing GameCube/Wii emulation or playing Genshin Impact. It’s still a nice touch. Additionally, the port doesn’t pass through data, so you can’t use a USB-C dongle, and there’s no headphone jack either. To be fair, there’s clever holes on the end you plug your phone into which passes through the speakers very clearly. Additionally, if you have top-mounted speakers those also won’t be muffled, as the rubber has ridges that prevent it from fully covering the speaker, so it sounds unmuffled too. Lastly on the USB port, because of course it’s a physical connection the latency is simply brilliant.
The buttons are okay. ABXY are soft and appear to have a linier press to them. As those sorts of buttons should, they appear to be rubber domes. Weirdly enough though, as someone who uses an Xbox controller a lot, seeing the A button be red, and the B button being green threw me off initially. It appeared to have reversed the traditional colours for A and B, as well as X and Y, but like, why would you do that? Anyway, the triggers are anolog, which makes them better for driving games as you can depress the trigger half way and drive slower to drift and such. What makes them slightly bothersome is how they are just short, my small index fingers are thicker than the triggers and could slip off if I’m not careful. The joycons are simply good, they’re more like Xbox joycons than those low-profile Nintendo joycons, but it does compromise how slim the controller is, if you care. Lastly there’s the D-pad, which isn’t my favourite but it’s passable. It’s not clickly as how I prefer them, they appear to also be rubbery domes like ABXY, but that’s fine. The issue is in classic games such as NES or GameBoy titles where you need precise movement. I can click the two adjacent directions to the one I’m pressing if I shift the weight slightly… Often resulting in me moving left and up, instead of simply up. It’s a shame, I thought D-pad are supposed to be precise where you can only move in one direction at a time, but you can press more than one so it feels more like a gimped thumbstick. Put a pivot in next time.
As one last point, this device sips power, as it’s very hard to decern the power draw with or without it on; which is great. it leaves that precious battery for actual gaming, or just longer general usage. It’s likely to do with the fact it has no rumble motors, but most phones have them so I don’t put it against the controller. With it’s mostly good ergonomics, the low power consumption and low latency, I really can just game playing classic titles all day, and while it’s got a lot of concessions, I honestly think this is the best controller if you’re into these telescopic phone controllers.
Here’s to hoping this inspires competition in this niche market. The Kishi definitely is hard to beat.
It is also not immediately clear which games support the controller or not, for that you need to download an Kishi app (which once again isn’t mentioned in the manual at all). I was able to use the controller in Diablo: Immortal but both League of Legends: Wild Rift and Mobile Legends: Bang Bang didn’t work with Kishi. Given the latter two are competitive multiplayer games I am not sure if this is by design to stop people with controllers getting an unfair advantage.
Basing my experience on Diablo: Immortal, the device itself is really well made. The controller feels good to hold, buttons and shifts are easy to click. D-pad and sticks have nice movement. The controller is very responsive and I certainly felt less fatigued playing for a longer period than just using the touchscreen on the phone.
Verdict: At a discounted price, Kishi is a good piece of hardware which will surely benefit an active mobile gamer. The main issues are on the software side, as not all games support the controller and phone navigation between apps is not very comfortable. Also, they could have done a better job on the manual.
Comfort 8/10
Power drain 8/10
Game Support 7/10
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Overall 8/10
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The device itself is well designed and quite ergonomic. It feel nice, but in prolonged gaming sessions can cause discomfort and “pins and needles” due to how you grasp it.
The app from razor is very poor, it lists games that aren’t supported and doesn’t include ones that are! As usual from razor it’s post launch is neglected.
Device works great on latest version of Android, BUT I’ve already had a replacement because of a “short” after gaming my phone warned about problems with charger (charger wasn’t plugged in) and the controller stopped working. Amazon were quick to replace and no long term damage to my phone luckily!
Overall I’ve given 8/10 because it’s rekindled mobile gaming for me. I’ve had dozens of hours out of it. Works great with xbox cloud, stadia and steam remote play!
Some game suggestions:
Terraria
Niffelhem
KOTOR
Event horizon
Don’t Starve
9th dawn 3
Dead cells.
Xbox cloud gaming
Terraia
I have a new Pixel 6 Pro after moving over from iPhone. Previously I used a bluetooth controller with a clip on it to hold my phone in place. But after seeing this drop in price it was too good not to try!
I’d read in numerous reddit threads that the Kishi would fit the Pixel 6 Pro if I took the rubber inserts out, so when it arrived that’s exactly what I did.
I have the Google case on my phone and jeez, it was a tight fit but it did fit, my only problem is the back part rested on the camera bump of the case, I say rested, more like squeezed to death. It also made the left hand slightly wonky feeling.
I couldn’t get past that and so I’ve decided to return it. For some it might not be an issue, but for me I didn’t want to take my case off, I didn’t want to start chopping bits of rubber off. I just wanted it to work.
However, I would say that the controller is still an excellent bit of kit for gaming on the go, the layout was comfortable and it worked well on Game pass. I played Forza 5 for a bit and didn’t notice any controller lag or anything like that so I was thoroughly impressed.
This is a good controller that easily beats using Bluetooth as it doesn’t have the same latency so play is much smoother. I only really have a few minor gripes:
1. The triggers are too small and feel a bit cheap, like they’re on little springs
2. You can’t fit some of the larger phones like the S21 Ultra; my S9 Plus barely fits and even then I have to remove the case first.
3. It would be nice for the USB-C port (for charging your phone; the controller itself does not use a battery) to use Fast Charging.
4. It would be nice to have a 3.5mm headphone jack.
5. The phone’s Home button is mapped to the Android Xbox Game Pass app but cannot be customised or changed at all, even to be able to map to the main Xbox app for Remote Console Play would be useful.
6. Sadly, some high profile games such as Call of Duty Mobile are not natively compatible – you have to find fiddly workarounds on YouTube.
Those issues aside, this is the best phone controller I have used and I do still recommend it.
Bought to pair up with my Galaxy S21 Ultra. I had assumed, based on the fact that EE were offering a deal where the Kishi was included for free, that it would fit correctly and that it was merely the fact that the listing at the time had not been updated to include the S21 Ultra as a compatible device. However, in normal configuration without a case on the phone, it doesn’t fit correctly and I had it slip a few times while playing an emulated PS1 game (I.e. one with a lot of button bashing and where you end up putting a lot of pressure on the analog sticks). After a look online, I found that the trick was to remove the rubber inserts and the phone will fit nicely with most cases on.
So, I’m reviewing it with a quadlock case on my phone and, while it is a tight fit, it makes for a solid controller with minimal lag (I couldn’t tell if there was any). It also looks good. I’m sure there will be games that expose the “mushyness” of the buttons, as I’ve seen it described, but I’d go by a console if that mattered to me so much.
I bought a replacement and have had no issues so far. I have tried joypad phone holders and they felt really unbalanced. They also covered some of the controls if the phone was placed nearest a even weight distribution spot. It was not an experience I would be able to game on for long. I have tried a nintendo switch. It makes my hand cramp and I cannot use it for long.
The USB C port on my phone is aging and is becoming less reliable. The controller cradles the phone well so the USB connection can still handle some movement. I am ordering a replacement part for my phone but it is good to know that the connection is a solid one. Charging passed through the controller worked well. The phone didn’t heat up any more than usual charging and gaming as the controller back is suspended away from the phone on little prongs. I played a few hours on AC Odyssey on Stadia and a few hours on the Shadow of the Tomb Raider on Ge Force Now and all was great. No discomfort. No muffling of the speakers. Responsive gaming. I cannot help but feel it costs more than it should, but there is very little competition in the quality controller market and (2nd time around) it does the job well.