My friend Jonathan Casey posted a video a month ago about the ‘Best Gaming Controller For The Galaxy Z Fold 6,‘ the GameSir G8 Plus. Assuming he might have been hyping the accessory up for his video, I sent him a DM and asked about it.
He replied, “It’s the best controller I’ve used for mobile gaming.” With that recommendation, I had to try out the controller myself. I have been reviewing the Pixel 9 Pro Fold and wanted to test its gaming capabilities, so I thought it’d be the perfect time to take the GameSir G8 Plus for a run—and I’m happy I did.
Unlike Jonathan Casey, I can’t say that the GameSir G8 Plus is the best mobile gaming controller I’ve ever used because this is my first time using one; however, I can say that the accessory is exactly what I was looking for.
I’ve been using the GameSir G8 Plus to play many games, mostly on my Pixel 9 Pro Fold. I’ve tried playing Have a Nice Death, Death’s Door, Limbo, Hollow Knight, and Tunic; I even tried Black Myth Wukong via streaming. The buttons were responsive and quick without any lag. The controller handles have what GameSir calls an ‘Anti-slid textured surface,’ which feels great. The joysticks and trigger buttons also have a different texture, making the controller feel distinct.
The haptics aren’t as good as what’s available on Sony’s DualSense controllers, but they were good and could easily be on par with the vibrations felt playing on an Xbox controller.
I like that the GameSir pad stretches so you can quickly put it on any device of any size. Other mobile controllers, such as the ones from Backbone, also expand, but since the GameSir primarily connects via Bluetooth, you don’t have to worry about the placement of the USB-C. Yes, the GameSir G8 Plus requires charging it, but it’s incredibly infrequent. I used the device passively for about two or three weeks while travelling, but when I returned to Canada, I caught a cold. I’m a big baby when I’m sick, so I barely get out of bed or move, so the GameSir G8 Plus was the perfect little companion. After several weeks of playing it passively, like during my flights or on a long train ride and then several days of playing a lot, I finally had to charge the GameSir G8 Plus’ 1,000mAh battery.
The GameSir G8 Plus is a bit bulky, but strangely enough, it allows it to work with a Switch in case you don’t want to use the Switch’s Joy-Cons. Since I have a Switch Lite, I didn’t use the controller with it, but I did use it with the iPhone 15 Pro Max, iPad mini, and Pixel 9 Pro Fold. The GameSir G8 Plus connects via Bluetooth, and initially, I had it linked only to my iPhone 15 Pro Max and nothing else. However, I’ve had connectivity issues since connecting it to my other devices. It’s not a big deal; I have to go into the settings and connect it manually each time, but some people may find that too annoying. This could also be caused by my Pixel 9 Pro Fold running a beta version of Android 15.
Since I’ve already mentioned this issue, I should say that the GameSir G8 Plus runs better with Xbox Game Pass games than Remote Play PlayStation titles. The GameSir G8 Plus registers most inputs, but it can get annoying when you’re expected to use the DualSense’s touch bar. I had an issue where the game required me to hold down the square button, and the GameSir couldn’t register this. I haven’t had any problems like this playing a Game Pass title.
I’ve been enjoying the GameSir G8 Plus; I even walk around my house holding it and don’t bother to take my device out of the controller. It’s not perfect, and it costs $110 CAD, but it’s been great, and it’s gotten me to really play an assortment of games on my smartphones — other than Marvel Snap.
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