In another move towards its cloud gaming ambitions, Microsoft has partnered once again with a variety of third party partners to make mobile gaming easier. While many Xbox Cloud games come with customized touch controls, nothing can replace the sensation of a physical controller. Its good news then, that we have such a variety to choose from.
It should be noted that while these are designed for cloud gaming, they do not connect directly to the cloud like the Stadia and Luna controllers do. These controllers will still use Bluetooth like a traditional Xbox or PlayStation controller. Still, for casual mobile gaming these should handle the job just fine. We will list the controllers below and give some quick details on the features.
GameSir X2
The Gamesir X2 comes with additional mappable buttons on the backside, and also has interchangeable face buttons and thumbstick caps. Comes bundled with a carrying case for 79.99 USD
RiotPWR
The RiotPWR is a giant controller for your giant iPad (7th gen or newer), also has a share button and an Xbox button to get you access to the menu on Xbox Cloud. Since this is designed specifically for Apple devices it has a lightning connector to plug directly into the device. Be wary though, most new iPads come with a USB-C charging port rather than the Lightning that comes with iPhones. Preorder for 79.99 USD
Turtle Beach Atom
The Turtle Beach Atom is the smallest of the new controllers. The two sides of the controller are independent pieces that talk with each other through a 2.4 GHz frequency. It will accommodate almost any sized Android phone and has a decent 20 hours of battery life. When storing, the two pieces magnetize together to fit neatly into the included carrying case. All yours for $99.99
Turtle Beach Recon Cloud Hybrid Controller
The Recon has 30 hours of battery life, mappable back buttons, and can swap easily between Android devices and Xbox/PC hardware for an all-in-one solution. It comes with a detachable phone clip and the audio port allows access to exclusive Turtle Beach audio controllers on a compatible headset. Pretty decent for $99.99
Gamevice Flex for Android or iOS
Gamevice Flex claims to work with most phone cases, has a built in 3.5mm jack for those using old-school headphones and features full size thumbsticks. This may be the most comfortable-looking of the lot. There are two SKU’s. $99.95 for Android and $109.95 for iOS.
More details can be found on the official Xbox website. In other news, Age of Empires has been announced for Xbox Cloud as well.
