For how popular the Backbone controller has been over the years, it sure is pricey for a portable controller. Thankfully, budget brands like GameSir are here to the rescue, and the manufacturer's most recent outing feels like a real statement. The new GameSir X5s has launched, and it's going to give the best mobile controllers and the best Nintendo Switch controllers a run for their money.
Costing just $49/£49 at Amazon, the latest gamepad from one of the most prolific names in the market connects via Bluetooth to a mobile device, but there's also the capability for wiring up to a USB-C connection, or a wireless dongle, which is sold separately. The X5s brandishes cushioned membrane buttons and Hall Effect thumbsticks.
One look at the new X5s is enough to give you deja vu. It looks strikingly similar to the Backbone, with a spine that borders the bottom of the grips as opposed to the middle, giving it another resemblance to the Scuf Nomad. GameSir has padded out the bottom of the grips on the X5s, though, which looks like it'll provide a similar feel to the brand's flagship mobile controller, the GameSir G8 Galileo.
Just like the Plus model of that gamepad, the X5s will also connect to your Nintendo Switch 2, just in case you're in need of an additional handheld-style controller for your new console. While there's a bit more girth here than with the Joy-Con 2 controllers, the smaller form factor might not help it to be the comfiest way to play the new console. Then again, the approach with controllers like this is more about portability than anything else.
The X5s is actually a follow-up to the X5 Lite, a portable, lightweight controller which came out in April, earlier this year. That controller features a physical USB-C connector that limits it to use with Android phones or newer iPhones that use the USB-C standard. The X5s is a tad heavier than the X5 Lite, but it actually offers more. It has physical button switching for the ABXY configuration that suits you and your platform, whereas the Lite could only do this on the software side.
It has dual HD rumble motors and a built-in 840mAh battery, plus a gyroscope for motion controls, and the X5 Lite has none of those. At 174g, it's hardly going to weigh down your backpack, and it's still reasonably priced versus the $34.99 X5 Lite.
In a day and age where mobile controllers from Backbone and Razer are costing around $150, I'm glad a brand like GameSir is still capable of making options that offer plenty of features while staying a sickening $100 less than that. If anything, it really shows you how much these big brands are overcharging for similar products.
- View all mobile controllers at Amazon
- Backbone One: $99 at Amazon
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Scuf Nomad:
$99$69 at Amazon - GameSir G8 Plus: $79 at Amazon
There are more controllers out there than you might realise. Check out the best PC controllers, the best PS5 controllers, and the best Xbox Series X controllers.
