Joystick Iphone
Penny Bozic
The Backbone One (8/10, WIRED Recommends) is a delight. Plug the Lightning connector into your iPhone (get the USB-C version if you have one of the newer iPhone 15 range or an Android phone), stretch the controller over it, and play. The buttons and bumpers feel nice and clicky, with super-fast response times, and there's broad support for PS Remote Play, Xbox Remote Play, and Steam Link, as well as Xbox Game Pass Ultimate and GeForce Now. Even if you don't love mobile gaming, this little controller can turn your phone into a console or PC. The experience might even change your mind about mobile games; I played Stardew Valley for so long I forgot I was playing on my phone. The built-in headphone jack is a nice touch.
I also tested the newer and cheaper GameSir X2s ($46). It feels very similar to the X2 Pro, but the design is inspired by the Nintendo 2 DS, the USB-C connector is on the left, and the buttons are non-swappable.
Ideal for Xbox Remote Play or Cloud Gaming, this controller will feel instantly familiar to Xbox owners, and it even has an Xbox button in the center, like the official model. It's much lighter, but there are solid standard Xbox buttons, grippy thumbsticks, and a couple of programmable pushers on the back. The only disappointment is the mushy D-pad and the absence of haptics. The clip design is smart, with two adjustable joints and a cradle that expands to accommodate most phones. It even has minimal forked prongs that avoid the power and volume buttons on the side of your phone. The phone connection is a choice between cable and Bluetooth.
The dock is a little flimsy, but it managed to hold my iPad in place, with ports in the side and back for plugging everything in. I struggled to get it all working, as the instructions are not the clearest, but once it was hooked up and configured, playing Fortnite, Call of Duty, and Minecraft was a breeze. The Keymander 2 Mobile could also work well for remote play on PlayStation or Xbox or for a streaming service like GeForce Now. Just be aware that only games with controller support work well, and you do need to tweak settings frequently for best results.
Turtle Beach Atom Controller for $80: With a clever two-piece design, this controller folds away neatly, but feels insecure without a back. The clamps on each side are awkward, particularly with phones sporting large camera modules. I had trouble connecting, and dislike that the right side has to be turned on separately (press B and menu buttons). The right side connects wirelessly (2.4 GHz), but the controller connects to your phone via Bluetooth. It mostly worked fine for me, but when I played Jydge, the movement was inverted on the left stick. You get around 20 hours of battery life. It takes about two hours to charge. If portability is your main concern, it may be worth a look.
GameSir T4 Cyclone for $40: Relatively affordable, with a grippy finish and Hall Effect joysticks, this is a solid controller. There are a couple of programmable buttons around back, rumble motors in the grips, and a handy multi-function button. It also supports Bluetooth, 2.4-GHz with an optional dongle, and USB-C connections. But the battery is only 860 mAh, the GameSir app is flaky, and the LED is annoyingly bright.
Nacon MG-X Pro for $88: It feels like Nacon cut an Xbox controller in half to insert an extendable phone cradle, but if you want this style of controller the GameSir G8 listed above is what we recommend. The MG-X Pro is slightly roomier, but the G8 is superior in every other way.
Turtle Beach Recon Cloud for $59: Here is another Xbox-branded controller that supports Xbox Cloud Gaming and Remote Play and comes with one free month of Game Pass Ultimate. It feels good in-hand, has a solid phone clip, and works with Android, Xbox, and Windows. It also features some audio enhancements (when plugged in), programmable buttons, and a handy Pro-Aim feature that reduces sensitivity on the right stick for aiming in FPS games. It's a good upgrade pick over the PowerA controller listed above, but only if you want the extra features.
GameSir X3 for $100: On paper, this is an upgrade over the X2, with refined buttons, more options for the joysticks, and a cooling fan on the back. But I recommend the cheaper X2 Pro listed above instead, because the fan adds bulk and weight and it needs power via a dedicated USB-C port. (It has a separate USB-C port for pass-through charging of your phone.)
Raspberypi which I use currently works, only after API V1 was disabled to update to V2 this is delayed. The raspberrpi is compatible with api v2 except that it is being investigated for delays and connection drops on the servers.
But rest assured that you did not buy for nothing. I use a joystick, I guarantee you will soon be back to normal.
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There's actually another post with this very same topic but no answers on that post. Back in January of 2020, the last commenter said he had sample code and then he went dark without posting the actually code. The thread is here:
My problem is the exactly the same as the original post. Amazon and Aliexpress have literally hundreds of these "media buttons" that you can buy and pair via bluetooth with your Android or iOS. You can then playback media on iOS/Android and the "media buttons" can control the playback. Pretty common controls are volume up/down, next, previous, play and pause.
I've written a lot of Arduino code for Nano, Uno and even MKR. I've written a bunch of ESP8266 and ESP32 code as well. Usually when I try and learn something, a few google searches will find an example that I can figure out. For this, I've been able to find nothing.
Every tutorial or sample code is about how to send commands to the ESP32 via Bluetooth or pair an ESP32 with a bluetooth joystick, etc. None of those examples help me understand what's needed for an ESP32 to pair with my Android and act as media buttons, sending volume up, down and play/pause commands via bluetooth.
Can anyone help with example code for doing this with an ESP32? (by the way, this forum would not let me comment on the original post or I would have. it said I didn't have enough karma points or something)
I wrote that sketch to my ESP32, paired my iPhone and it immediately starting controlling music playback on my phone. After looking at the code, it's so simple that I'm embarrassed I couldn't figure this out on my own. In case the link goes dead, I'll paste the code here:
My top pick is the 8BitDo Ultimate 2.4g, which offers convenience, comfort, and customization options that work across loads of different devices. 8BitDo also makes my favorite retro-style iOS gamepad, the 8BitDo Pro 2, which is wonderfully portable and has a classic design. And my favorite clip-style iOS controller, the PowerA MOGA XP5-i Plus, pulls triple-duty as a gamepad, an iPhone stand, and a portable power bank.
iOS controllers come in many shapes and sizes, but top gamepads let you play any game easily and comfortably. Based on a combination of hands-on testing and research, here are the five best iOS gaming controllers for iPhone and iPad that you can buy right now.
Compared to the other controllers in its price range, the 8BitDo Ultimate excels in nearly every way. It's more comfortable than the Switch Pro Controller, easier to keep charged than the Xbox Core Controller, and more customizable than the Gulikit KingKong2 Pro. There's a reason I consider it not only the best iOS controller, but also the best Nintendo Switch controller and the best PC gaming controller.
First, comfort. The 8BitDo Ultimate features grippy handles that feel wonderful against your palms, and it has textured joysticks that are hard to slip off. Like other 8BitDo controllers, it also has a D-pad that's solid and precise, especially compared to most mobile controllers. The buttons are nicely tactile, too, although the extra paddle buttons on the back are easy to hit accidentally.
If you don't care about Switch motion controls, stick with the Ultimate 2.4g. You'll save money and likely won't notice any difference in the joysticks for mobile gaming. The 2.4g Controller's face buttons are also in the more common Xbox layout (which puts the A button on the bottom and the B button on the right), which most mobile games have as the default. The Bluetooth Controller uses the Nintendo layout, which is reversed.
Due to its size, the 8BitDo Ultimate isn't the most portable controller around. It's probably better for sessions where you sit down and play for a few hours than it is to just pull out on your morning commute. But this makes it great for longer games like Genshin Impact and Resident Evil.
One of my favorite things about the 8BitDo Ultimate is that it comes with a charging dock. This gives you a convenient way to store and charge your controller at the same time. And 8BitDo also offers a free PC app called 8BitDo Ultimate Software that lets you remap any button on the controller, change the joystick dead zones, and more. If you have the Bluetooth Controller it's also available as an iPhone app.
Although 8BitDo's top controllers are the Ultimate 2.4g and Ultimate Bluetooth, the brand is best known for its smaller gamepads that look like retro console controllers. And of those classic-style gamepads, the 8BitDo Pro 2 stands out as one of the best iOS gaming controllers you can buy.
The 8BitDo Pro 2 is shaped like a Super Nintendo controller with two handles glued onto it. But despite this retro aesthetic, the Pro 2 has all the features you'd expect from a top-tier modern gamepad. That includes twin joysticks, bumper buttons, and paddle buttons (which are too easy to hit accidentally but still nice to have). And although the Pro 2's grip texture isn't as nice as the Ultimate Controller's, it still feels great on your palms.
Like 8BitDo's other retro gamepads, the Pro 2's standout feature is its D-pad, which is a clear upgrade compared to other mobile-focused controllers. It's solid, precise, and comfortable even when you're mashing. It's even better than the D-pads you'll find on the Xbox Core, Xbox Elite, and especially the Sony DualSense, which is a squishy mess.
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