u/baconboi

Before you cancel me, hear me out.

I bought a OnePlus 13 for about $600 as my primary handheld gaming device. I don’t use it as a phone at all it’s entirely dedicated to gaming. Now, you’re probably thinking that for the same price I could’ve bought a dedicated Android handheld like an AYN device, or for a bit more, a full handheld PC. That’s true, and I did consider all of them. But once I broke down how I actually game, the smartphone made the most sense.

It started with couch gaming. I already have a desktop PC, so my main goal was to stream games to a handheld. I really care about display fidelity and quality so naturally that was a big factor. I wanted a high res, high refresh rate, OLED, device. In that specific category, smartphones just edged out most dedicated handhelds.

From there I looked at everything else I’d realistically use it for: gaming on the go, emulation, and native Android games. This is where the decision got harder, because every option came with trade-offs.

A Steam Deck or handheld PC is great for native AAA gaming, but I don’t really want to pull out a big device on a packed bus. Smaller Android handhelds make more sense for portability, but then you start running into compromises: lower display quality, fan noise, creaky shells, inconsistent buttons, and general QC variability. At that point I stopped asking “what’s the best device?” and started asking “what do I actually use it for 90% of the time?” That is where the smartphone won.

So I ended up with the OnePlus 13. Does it have trade-offs? Yes. It has a powerful chip, but it can get too hot for sustained AAA gaming natively. But that’s a small part of how I actually use it. Also I found the amount of telescopic controllers available to be a fun bonus.

And I think that’s the main point. People ask whats the “best” handheld? But a better question is asking what you’re actually doing most of the time. For me, I’d rather have one really well rounded device that is small, streams well, emulates well, plays Android games well, and gives the option of different form factors.

I’m curious if anyone else has made a similar decision, because I don’t see many people intentionally buying a flagship phone just to use it as a dedicated gaming handheld.

TL;DR: No single controller on the market right now has good sticks, a good d-pad, is comfortable, and can fit with your phone case. It's all trade-offs.

I was looking for a mobile controller that would fit my oneplus 13 without having to take the case on and off. I thought it would be super easy to just buy a popular controller and be done.

Boy, was I wrong. 

I already owned a Razer Kishi v2 and a Gamesir G8 but ended up buying a few others just to keep the one I like and return the rest, so I figured I might as well share my thoughts with you goof-balls.

For these tests I was using a OnePlus 13. I actually bought it to be a dedicated handheld, basically a mini Steam Deck. I also stream Moonlight from my PC. I use a wired USB-C controller for Moonlight at home, but wanted a Bluetooth option so I could easily and quickly remove the controller when I wanted to bring it with me on the bus to work. Also believed would help reduce wear and tear on the USB-C port from constant plugging and unplugging.

Before I bought anything I obviously looked at reviews but noticed a lot of "official / professional reviews" from GamesRadar or actual publications leave out a ton of glaring issues. One example was GameSir, the X5S, has COUNTLESS left trigger QC issues and none of these publications ever mention it. That's weird to me. Feels like purposeful withholding. If you do even a quick search on Best Buy / Amazon / Discord wherever they sell it, it comes up immediately.

Anyway.

The Controllers

1. Razer Kishi V2 (USB-C, Compact)
Pros: Snappy microswitches with tactile feedback on the face buttons, it is very comfortable, triggers and sticks are great.
Cons: There is zero clearance for a case. I ended up razor-blading the bottom off a case just to get it to seat. Phones with a larger camera bump also sit at an uneven tilt in the cradle.
Insights: This is what sparked the search for a controller that would work with my case.

2. GameSir G8 Galileo (USB-C, Full Size)
Pros: This has the best build quality of the five. You get full-size Xbox grips, good sticks, and a high quality d-pad.
Cons: It's big.
Insights: This is my high quality benchmark for mobile controllers, but it is strictly a stationary device. I clipped the plastic stoppers on the extension rail so it would stretch far enough to fit an 11-inch iPad.

3. ASUS ROG Tessen (USB-C, Case Friendly)
Pros: Comparable to the Razer Kishi v2. Wonderful face buttons, sticks and triggers.
Cons: The ergonomics are terrible.

From their website:

>"The Tessen has a pronounced outward-extended grip shape for more comfortable gaming, even over extended periods of time."

The grips DIG into my palms, it is the most uncomfortable shaped controller I have ever held. I'm upset becasue this thing would've been perfect for me. Additionally the grips are thin so it can fold flat, because of this the joysticks are too high and cause thumb strain. Plus it lacks hall-effect sticks despite the high price.
Insights: I picked it up open-box for $70 and returned it almost immediately. It feels like ASUS did not even test it on a human hand. Physical discomfort was an immediate disqualifier.

4. LeadJoy Blade Plus (Bluetooth, Budget)
   Pros: Light and comfortable. The long grips fit hands well, and the soft membrane face buttons and d-pad are quiet. Great software customization.
   Cons: Awful quality control. My unit had different tensions in the left and right triggers, and the d-pad down button required more force to activate than the other directions. Felt cheap, looks cheap. Big joystick outer dead zone.
   Insights: Was a tie between this controller and the X5s.

5. GameSir X5S (Bluetooth, Budget) - The one I reluctantly kept
   Pros: Better buttons than the Leadjoy, better feeling d-pad, feels slightly higher quality, and better rumble.
   Cons: The grips are short, making them less comfortable than the LeadJoy. Big joystick outer deadzone, the d-pad is very-sensitive, lots of false diagonals. There is also a known community manufacturing risk where the left trigger sensor can slide out of its plastic channel over weeks of heavy use. This is widely documented which is why im so suprised profesisonal reviews never mention it, I emailed them about this they said it was fixed but provided zero evidence.
   Insights: It was difficult to decide between this and the leadjoy. The leadjoy was more comfortable and the d-pad was less prone to accidental inputs but it is a fairly new brand, felt cheap, and my unit was already having issues so I decided to settle for the lesser of two evils and go with the X5s.

Latency Numbers

I ran back-to-back Bluetooth polling stress tests on the Controller Android app, 3 times per controller, averaged across 4 distinct runs to see how the wireless chips held up under continuous load.

GameSir X5S

• Polling Rate: 157.07 Hz
• Avg Latency: 6.38 ms
• Max Spike: 31.96 ms
• Jitter: 2.96 ms
• Outliers: 176.5

LeadJoy Blade Plus

• Polling Rate: 106.05 Hz
• Avg Latency: 10.28 ms
• Max Spike: 60.83 ms
• Jitter: 5.63 ms
• Outliers: 93.0

Apparently the X5s performs better but the leadjoy somehow had more responsive joysticks which I found to be better for micro-movements, I dont get it.

Takeaways**:**

• There is currently no "perfect" Bluetooth mobile controller on the market that successfully checks every box. If you want a wireless, telescopic gamepad that fits over a phone case, has precise sticks, a flawless D-pad, and comfortable ergonomics, you don't get an end game controller you just get to choose your preferred set of flaws. It is entirely a game of trade-offs.
• Professional ediotiral reviewers always somehow miss the glaring issues
• Gamesir has awful quality control
• ROG doesn't conduct product testing using human hands

Thinking about getting one but their QC is all over the place.

I’m concerned about the 11 air’s fan. Is it reliable long term? The OS, how bad is it really?
Does anyone have experience with either and have a preference? Keep in mind this would act as a mini steam deck, phone features are not apart of this equation such as cameras.

For context I use an iphone as my daily driver this would ONLY be used as a dedicated gaming device.

I have a oneplus 8 pro at the moment but its small battery and aging chip is making me consider the upgrade. At $599 for the 512 GB version (I have a student discount) it is appealing but I was curious how anyone who owns it like it.

A few concerns was seeing a few people that called the fan a point of mechanical failure and the short runway for OS support as well as the poor UI.

At that price point you are in steam deck and other handheld territory like the AYN Odin, the reason I want a phone is because of its modularity it affords: Can use it with a telescopic controller, without a controller at all, and there are now some vertical controllers.

So would just like thoughts of people who own the device, thank you!