GameSir X5s Review: A Great Mobile Controller On A Budget

Mobile gaming has become much more viable over the past few years. There have always been handheld gaming devices, but thanks to handheld gaming PCs like the Steam Deck and services that can stream games straight to your phone, even AAA games can be played on a device the size of a smartphone. Because of that, we've seen plenty of new game controllers for smartphones, like the new GameSir X5s, which is available now for $49.99.

The controller is designed to be wireless only, connecting to your gaming devices through wireless connections instead of a USB-C connector. At $49.99, it's also a whole lot cheaper than controllers like the Backbone One and Backbone Pro, which is the controller I've been using for my mobile gaming needs. But how well does it actually perform? I've been using the GameSir X5s to find out.

At its core, the GameSir X5s is similar in design to other mobile controllers for a smartphone or small tablet. It has a split design with space in the middle for your device along with an ABXY button layout. One neat touch is that you can actually swap those buttons out to create a different layout.

The buttons generally feel high quality and tactile, which is nice to see on a controller at this price point. The D-pad perhaps is the worst of the controls, but it's still clicky enough to not be overly distracting. All the other buttons and controls felt good though, including the Hall effect triggers and joysticks. Speaking of the joysticks, they are on the small side and definitely smaller than those on the Backbone Pro. I found that they still felt fine, but slightly larger joysticks might have been helpful.

One of the controller's big selling points is the fact that it can stretch pretty wide. It even has enough room for a Nintendo Switch if you want to ditch the Joy-Con controllers, though I'm not quite sure why you would. Perhaps even cooler is the fact that you can fit an iPad mini, making for a larger-screen gaming experience than you would get if you were just using a phone. The GameSir X5s has a USB-C port on the bottom of the left side to keep the controller powered up. Notably missing is a headphone jack, so you won't be able to use wired headphones when you're gaming with this controller.

As mentioned, the GameSir X5s is designed to be used with a wireless connection instead of USB-C in its typical handheld mode. Unlike controllers like the Backbone Pro, it doesn't have a USB-C connector that plugs into a device like a smartphone. Out of the box, it works over Bluetooth, but you can also use it through a more stable 2.4GHz connection if you buy a dongle that's sold separately.

You can actually use the controller through a wired USB-C connection too, by plugging a USB-C cable into the port on the bottom left of the controller and into your phone. Obviously, you can't have your phone slotted into the controller when you do so, as your phone's USB-C port will be blocked. The wired connectivity could be useful for other devices, though, like laptops or larger tablets.

In fact, with both wireless and wired connectivity, the GameSir X5s is positioning itself as a controller that replaces many of your other controllers -– though, of course, it won't replace your PS5's controller. This is an approach we've seen from others, but I still appreciate the versatility, especially at this price point. The controller is compatible with iOS, Android, and Windows devices, along with the Switch and Switch 2.

Because it's mostly wireless, the controller also has a battery built into it -– or rather, two batteries, with one in each side. According to GameSir, you'll get between eight and 12 hours of gaming time on a single charge, which is fine but not amazing. There are some other handy touches, too, like the fact that the controller automatically turns on when you extend it to put a phone in and turns off when you take your phone out, snapping back to its default position. You can also manually turn it on and off, of course, in case you want to use the controller without your phone inserted.

The controller also supports the GameSir FX5 cooler, which is also sold separately and frankly kind of silly, but it's an interesting concept for those who have a device that heats up. I find that the cooler adds a fair bit of bulk, especially if you use it with its battery module, but again, it's kind of a neat concept.

As you would expect, the X5s works with the GameSir app, which allows you to tweak settings including joystick and trigger dead zones, as well as perform firmware updates. Frankly, the app is bare bones at best. It's kind of poorly designed, especially for an app that you will likely be navigating with one of the brand's gaming controllers.

That said, I've been a little spoiled by the Backbone app, which is much better in terms of design, and clearly built to be actually used with a controller rather than touch. All that said, it's not really that big of a deal that the app isn't that great. You'll only use it to change the settings you need to change every now and then. It's not going to serve as a game launcher or anything like that, like Backbone tries to do with its app.

The GameSir X5s has a lot going for it. It's well-built with a solid feel and versatile connectivity. There might not be much that separates it from the growing pack of other mobile gaming controllers, but what does make it unique is the fact that it offers versatile connectivity and a high-end feel at this particular price point. Other options at $50 aren't really all that great, so if you're looking for a high-quality mobile controller on a budget, the GameSir X5s is worth considering.

The competition

Much of the competition at this price point comes from GameSir itself. For starters, there's the GameSir X5, which is the last generation model and has a USB-C connector. It's a solid controller, but you won't get the wireless connectivity that you get with the X5s. There are plenty of others that offer more for a higher price, but those...cost more.

Should I buy the GameSir X5s?

Yes. It's an excellent game controller in its price bracket.