Are crappy controls keeping you from playing on your mobile device? Then Razer may have just invented the controller that will get you to play games on your phone.
It’s called the Razer Kishi. Why Kishi? We don’t know. If we had to guess, it’s named after the two-faced demon in Angolan folklore since the controller comes in two halves, much like a Joy-Con. And much like the Switch, it turns any phone into a proper mobile gaming platform.
Razer isn't entirely copying Nintendo's design language. The Razer Junglecat is a similar device that turned a Razer 2 phone into a mobile game console, but the difference here is that the Kishi will work with "most" smartphones and not just Razer's proprietary gamer phone.
Created in partnership with Gamevice, the Kishi connects via USB-C or Apple Lightning ports. It then provides a pair of analog thumbsticks and buttons in all the familiar places. This means you'll finally be able to avoid those cumbersome touchscreen controls.
But better than that, the Kishi can combine with cloud gaming services like Google Stadia or GeForce NOW to provide a true console experience no matter where you are.
Pass-through charging ports on the Kishi allow the controllers to be charged during gameplay, although this doesn't speak to the phone's battery charge during extended play sessions. We’re going to assume that your phone will also need a charging cord if you plan to game for more than a few hours.
“Razer is excited to strengthen its collaboration with NVIDIA by joining their GeForce NOW Recommended program,” said Jason Schwartz, Head of Mobile Gaming at Razer. “GeForce NOW is PC gaming in the cloud, transforming underpowered or incompatible hardware into a powerful GeForce gaming PC. Razer mobile gaming controllers are perfect complementary devices to enhance this type of gameplay which we are pleased to feature here at the Razer CES booth.”
While we don't have a full list of phones that the Kishi can connect to, Razer specifically mentions it's compatible with these devices: Samsung Galaxy S8/S8+/S9/S9+/S10e/S10/S10+, Note 8/Note 9/Note 10/Note 10+, Google Pixel 2/2XL/3/3XL/4/4XL, iPhone 11/11 Pro/11 Pro Max, iPhone XR/XS/XS Max, iPhone X, iPhone 8/8 Plus, iPhone 7/7 Plus, iPhone 6s/6s Plus, iPhone 6/6 Plus, and "other Android 7.0 Nougat or higher devices."
The Razer Kishi will be available in early 2020.
Source: Razer