GameSir has announced a new ‘pro’ version of its X5 Lite mobile controller, called the X5s. The new controller is a big upgrade over its budget sibling, featuring more connectivity options and features that make it sound a lot like a cheaper Scuf Nomad with more than just iPhone support. Smartphone gamers can pick it up for $49.99 at Amazon, Best Buy, and GameSir’s website.
The big change is that the X5s works wirelessly, where its predecessor was wired-only, designed to be compatible primarily with smartphones. The new controller works over Bluetooth and 2.4GHz wireless, although you’ll have to buy the dongle for that separately. GameSir promises the X5s will work with both Nintendo Switch consoles, Android, iOS, and PC.
But connectivity isn’t all that’s being upgraded – the X5s also gets a bit bigger, and is able to straddle devices between 105mm and 213mm, or wide enough to fit the Switch 2 if you ditch its Joy-Con controllers. (I don’t know why you’d want to, but hey, it’s nice to have options, right?) It’s also a bit heavier, probably in large part because of new hardware inside, with dual HD rumble motors and Nintendo Switch-native 6-axis motion control. It still has hall effects sticks like its predecessor, but like the $39.99 GameSir X2s – a solid budget phone controller – the X5s also features hall effects triggers with a dedicated hair-trigger mode, so you don’t have to squeeze them so dang much to get off a shot in an FPS or whatever. Yet with its larger grips and wireless connectivity, it also one-ups the X2s and only costs $10 more.
There’s some customization here as well, like the ability to swap the ABXY configuration so Nintendo gamers aren’t stuck with the A button in the wrong spot. And via GameSir’s app, you can adjust things like the trigger and analog stick dead zone or the strength of the rumble motors. It probably doesn’t have the build quality of the $129.99 Razer Kishi Ultra or the slick software integration of the $99.99 Backbone One, but not everyone needs or cares about that stuff if they’re just looking for an affordable way to play games on their phone.
Wes is a freelance writer (Freelance Wes, they call him) who has covered technology, gaming, and entertainment steadily since 2020 at Gizmodo, Tom’s Hardware, Hardcore Gamer, and most recently, The Verge. Inside of him there are two wolves: one that thinks it wouldn’t be so bad to start collecting game consoles again, and the other who also thinks this, but more strongly.
