ELO Vagabond game controller review: Versatile, Pomfy, Pricey

The ELO Vagabond is a Kickstarter success story. The original campaign launched last year, and mass production finished in August 2024, about a week before writing this article. Sometimes, these crowdfunded ideas are a little sketchy, but the Vagabond seems to be a fully functional, well-designed concept that’s made its way into customer’s hands with relatively few headaches.

But is it worth buying now after the campaign has ended? We got our hands on one to find out.

Excellent Design

I’ve reviewed several mobile game controllers over the years and own even more that I’ve never fully written about. Generally, you’re getting a controller that takes inspiration from an Xbox or Playstation controller but tries to keep things compact so it’ll fit in a bag or carrying case a little easier. The Vagabond decided that having comfortable ergonomics was more important than trimming some size off for a case.

The handles on the Vagabond are built much more like those on a Sony DualSense controller, especially compared to the somewhat shallow grips of a new GameSir controller or the Backbone. But the trade-off is that the Vagabond feels extremely comfortable, especially for longer gaming sessions. There is no hand fatigue like you get from using Joy-Cons for too long. It’s also extremely lightweight, which probably contributes to the longer comfort.

This is a worthwhile trade-off, even if it’s just a bit longer than your other popular game controllers. The Vagabond is probably the most comfortable telescopic controller I’ve used, and it holds up well against industry standards like a full Xbox controller.

You’re also getting a few extra useful hardware features, like passthrough charging and a 3.5mm headphone jack, to really create that mobile console feeling that we’re all chasing.

Phone Case Compatible

Perhaps the most interesting twist of the Vagabond is its customizable ability to work with nearly any phone and any phone case.

Yep, there’s an entire system of interchangeable parts that you’ll receive with the Vagabond to allow it to fit your phone with a case on it. You’ll get a card that measures the thickness of your device, and if you do it with the case, you’ll be able to use the grips that will accommodate the extra sizing.

Those grips are pretty easy to slide in and out, and you get six pairs that should work for just about any combination you have. This is also very useful for setting up the Vagabond with a tablet, although I imagine some larger tablets and thicker cases might be pushing it. I tested it with a Galaxy S23+ with an official Samsung case, and it worked with no problem.

Hall Effect Everything

The buttons and triggers on the Vagabond range from okay to excellent. ELO has opted to use Hall effect sensors on both the joysticks and triggers of the controller, meaning you’re getting extremely sensitive tracking without big dead zones and stick drift. There’s the right amount of resistance on the joysticks, and the triggers feel great in fast-paced shooters. The bumpers are also satisfyingly clicky and might be the best I’ve used on any of these controllers. In my experience, the L1/R1 bumpers tend to be a weak spot on many controllers.

The face buttons follow Microsoft’s ABXY layout, and they feel decent. They’re extremely clicky but a loud, shallow click that almost feels like a laptop keyboard. ELO’s website says they do use mechanical switches on these buttons, but I would’ve liked to see a little more travel in line with an Xbox controller. The d-pad is probably the weakest aspect of the controller’s design, which, again, I think could’ve used a little more travel. It just feels mushy despite those loud clicks in each direction.

There are two back buttons that you can customize with the included app. They also have switches that let you turn them off completely if you’re like me and accidentally hit those rear paddles all the time. This is a useful little feature.

ELO Unleashed App

Having used many game controllers, as well as many phones with built-in game launchers, emulator frontends like RetroArch, and other game consolidation launcher-type software, this is generally the worst part of the mobile gaming experience. Phones don’t natively really let you navigate with a controller, and the mixture of navigating via touchscreen. In contrast, a controller that is awkwardly connected to your phone just isn’t a great experience. Backbone is one of the only apps that I think 90% solves the problem, but honestly, the ELO Unleashed software feels close.

The app itself is pretty basic, with a functional, if boring, UI. But the important thing is that it works with a controller, and you can navigate almost all of it without touching your screen, including changing controller settings.

The one drawback? It only works with games supported by the software itself. So it’s very cool if your library only consists of Diablo Immortal, Call of Duty: Mobile, Stardew Valley, and Minecraft, but if you want to add something else to the app, you can’t.

So close.

Worth It?

Looking at the controller from a purely functional standpoint, ELO knocked it out of the park. The Vagabond is extremely ergonomically comfortable to use, and I think you could hand someone the Vagabond and tell them it was an officially licensed accessory for Xbox remote play, and they’d fully believe you. It really does feel that good.

If you have the cash, I’d say go order one from ELO’s website right now. But the cash is the real kicker for the Vagabond’s $149 asking price.

These days, $150 controllers aren’t uncommon, with many third-party OEMs making fancy, feature-filled controllers for Xbox, Playstation, and PC gaming. But that’s a much tougher sell on mobile, where the quantity of high-quality controller-supported games is significantly lower. I think there’s a scenario where you could set up a small tablet with the Vagabond and create your own PS Portal for mobile gaming and streaming from Game Pass and GeForce Now that’s a very pleasant experience, but that’s not going to be a huge demographic.

The other niche demographic would be enthusiastic emulator players. I have no doubt this would make one of the best options on the market for playing through your PS2 backlog, but that’s still a big asking price for playing early 2000s games.

We can fully recommend the Vagabond if you don’t mind the price. It’s an excellently designed controller that you’ll love playing with for hours. If you’re trying to stretch your dollar, though, I’m pretty sure Xbox controllers still go on sale pretty regularly.