Do you play A LOT of games on your phone? If you do, this controller might just be the thing for you. This lightweight controller adapter can turn your phone into a portable console with very little latency. No, this thing doesn’t increase your performance or give you more space but it does allow you to use controls a bit more familiar to the hand.
Overview: I, like many of you, love the concept of being able to enjoy quality gaming on the go. Portable gaming has been a part of video game history since the the 1970s believe it or not, but it wasn’t until Nintendo’s Gameboy in 1989 did anything familiar exist especially something similar to a portable console. Fast forward almost three decades to the technological renaissance of today and almost everyone is walking around with a supercomputer in their pocket. So at this point, has our dream of portable gaming come true; of course, it’s in competition with our home standards though. Delivering an experience comparable to a home console or PC is still a daydream but there are very pleasant gaming options on the go. The closest being Nintendo’s Switch offering the ability to play on a TV or the portable device itself.
Gamevice is no portable console, but it can give mobile gamers a little more control and help ease video game addicts with better cell phone gaming.
The Gamevice does have some merit and prestige even being used in the creation on Star Wars: Rogue One with a special set up just for Gareth Edwards, the movie’s director, used a special combination of the Gamevice, an iPad, and an HTV Vive to move a virtual camera around with proprietary software and the brilliant minds at Industrial Lights and Magic. Tragically, this might be the Gamevice’s career highlight.
Use: Plugging it in the first time few times didn’t work for me, but once I learned that the blue light needed to light up, I kept moving my phone around until the blue light illuminated. It turns out the simple screen protector I had on my phone made it slightly too thick to easily plug into the Gamevice, this has been a consistent problem every time I’ve used it. It also bubbles up my screen protector, this really irks me. These problems may not apply to every Gamevice or user but this was my experience. The Gamevice has a pair of built in magnets to help keep it folded up, but they don’t work at all and are pretty useless. Sadly this wasn’t the only engineering short-coming on this controller – when playing I discovered more: like the joysticks that pop out of their normal position and get stuck in a direction, the awkwardly designed L2 and R2 trigger buttons, or just simply holding on tight as the box described can cause the Gamevice to pop off the phone. This became a huge concern for me especially without a case on my phone. If using a Gamevice broke my phone I would riot, unsuccessfully, and I even had a few close calls. Once the magnets stuck to a metal table. When I stood up, grabbed my phone, and started walking away the Gamevice burst apart- almost landing my cell on concrete. I don’t usually enjoy taking my phone out of its case because I don’t have a good track record with phones. These experiences led me to only using this controller adapter at home, where I could be sure not to break my phone, which really defeats the purpose of having a device for mobile gaming. This game device does work how its supposed to on all of the games I have tried so far, I even downloaded some emulators to try it out on things it didn’t specifically list as compatible. This part of it was great and had I trusted the Gamevice I would have tested it on my drone as well.
Conclusion: Works great for some things but in the end if you are looking for that dream portable console this is not it. I would recommend the Gamevice for anyone desperately looking to enhance their mobile gaming on their phone. With a fair amount of design flaws I can’t say that its a good fit for everyone, but it is better than using on screen controls.
Pros: Gives mobile games a better feel, works with many games and even some DJI drones
Cons: Poor build quality, Not compatible with a phone case, phone specific
Rating: 5/10
Watch the Gamevice Magnet Fail Video:
Gamevice’s GV 157, at $79.95, is an all-in-one entertainment hub that works as a controller for more than 1,000 mobile games, DJI’s Spark drone, and Sphero’s SPRK+ and Star Wars Droids, and is now available at Gamevice.com or select retailers.
Android Review
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Overall Score - 5/105/10
I've been a life long nerd and video game junkie known to associate with the likes of Link, Nathan Drake, Batman, and Master Chief. I'm a filmmaker by profession, but spend lots of time behind a controller escaping the real world. @GregVelde on Instagram/Twitter/YouTube
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