Big Hands Need Not Apply

GameSir offers a well-rounded selection of mobile game controllers, ranging from premium, higher-cost models to cheaper, simpler alternatives. The GameSir X2s Type-C is more in the second category, favoring a lower price at the sacrifice of a more comfortable and sturdier build.

GameSir X2s Type-C Controller

The GameSir X2s Type-C Mobile Gaming controller works with most USB-C-compatible smartphones, allowing you to stream and remote-play games on modern consoles and cloud services.

Pros

• Works with most cloud-based gaming services
• Charge passthrough via USB-C port
• Clicky, responsive buttons

Cons

• No audio passthrough options
• Square, uncomfortable design
• G-Touch can be finicky

Pricing and Availability

The GameSir X2s Type-C mobile gaming controller retails for $44.99 directly from GameSir and is available at Amazon too.

Retro-Inspired for an Awkward, Lacking Design

If you’re familiar with the Nintendo Switch, then GameSir’s X2s Type-C will look especially familiar. Though GameSir advertises the mobile controller as a call-back to the Nintendo 2DS, it’s definitely a Switch layout, complete with one of my biggest issues with Nintendo’s hybrid handheld.

The X2s Type-C is a very square device, offering very little contouring to the player’s hand. After about 30 minutes of use, my hands started to cramp. It’s the same reason why I barely used the Switch in handheld mode. On a typical controller, like the DualSense, I can get a good few hours in before the same aching sets in.

The real issue is less about the shape and more about the size. The X2s feels very small, and my fingers crowd its already busy face. I had to check the marketing to ensure it wasn’t specifically a child’s mobile control. To my surprise, it wasn’t. I wish the unit were even just a fraction bigger because I’d see immense value in a sub-$50 GameSir mobile gaming controller that has most of the features of its higher-priced brethren.

Unfortunately, I think GameSir got caught up with making a budget-friendly option without considering what that entails. There’s still no USB-C audio passthrough or 3.5mm jack, a carryover issue from the X2 controller. You’ll either need a wireless headset or restrict playing in public to avoid annoying all around you. Even when playing in private, mobile phones, like the Google Pixel 8 Pro I tested the X2s with, have decent speakers, but they don’t replace the quality and clarity of a headset.

Flimsy Build with Sturdy, Responsive Inputs

Size aside, the control is a simple, flimsy, lightweight piece of plastic that doesn’t do its buttons any justice. I really expected that the face buttons, triggers, or joysticks would feel loose or wouldn’t register inputs properly, as it felt like GameSir really went low-budget. But they didn’t.

On the contrary, the shell is not indicative of the care that went into the actual controller portion of the mobile unit. Hall effect analog triggers and anti-drift thumbsticks, which use sensors and magnets to gauge how far a button’s pressed, ensure every action and movement is smooth and accurate. Players can swap triggers between analog and hair-triggers for personalized playing styles, and as much as I love the resistance of DualSense’s triggers, I found hair-triggers to be better for mobile gaming.

I tested games like “Call of Duty Mobile,” “Brawlhalla,” “Gears 5,” and “Forza Horizon 5,” and I felt the X2s worked well for each of the varying gameplay. The automatic button-mapping for “Call of Duty Mobile” was flawless, and the responsiveness during the chaotic fights of “Brawlhalla” didn’t disappoint. I also didn’t notice any glaring issues with how the controller worked with streaming “Gears 5” and “Forza.”

Simplicity With Plenty to Offer

The overall design of the X2s is simple. There are no bells and whistles, and it really relies on that “retro” styling to appeal to players. I wish it appealed more to me. It’s just not something I can game on for long. It’s a shame, too, because GameSir didn’t skimp on some of its staple features carried over from premium mobile controllers.

I noted briefly that the X2s automatically mapped “Call of Duty Mobile” so that every gameplay-critical touchscreen prompt matched with a button (or buttons) input. Known as G-Touch, this feature makes playing games like “Call of Duty Mobile” more natural and closer to their console counterparts. While I didn’t have to customize the assigned prompts, I could have. In fact, I could create several profiles with entirely different buttons assigned to the touchscreen inputs for unique playstyles.

As much as I liked G-Touch, it’s also where the X2s’ hardware issues are most notable. Bringing up the menu, which entails clicking a “GameSir” overlay logo that hovers half off the screen at all times, isn’t always responsive. You can also only activate G-Touch through the GameSir app. So, if you accidentally deactivate it (done via a two-button prompt), you have to back out of the game to the GameSir app and start over.

There are two additional controller modes—DS5 and HiD—but neither seemed to change much, save, maybe, for compatibility. GameSir’s manuals aren’t clear, but both seem to exist to allow the X2s to run games that already have native controller support, with DS5 mode made specifically for the PS5. In future models, I’d like to see a mobile controller that mimics DualSense’s haptic feedback trigger so you can get the full experience of playing on the console.

Limited Only By Your Gaming Library

GameSir constantly provides an impressive level of support. On my X2s, I could run Xbox Cloud Gaming, Steam Link, PS Remote Play, and dedicated mobile games seamlessly through the GameSir app. If I had accounts with GeForce NOW and any other cloud streaming service that works with Android devices, I’d have also been able to access them. (This controller works for iPhone emulator apps like Delta too!)

The limitations begin and end with your gaming library. If I want to boot up “Returnal” on my PS5 for a spell and then jump into “Halo Infinite’s” campaign, I can do so without looking at either console or touching their controllers. GameSir’s dedicated app simplifies loading games from each service and brings together streaming services, remote play apps, and all of the mobile games installed on your phone into one place.

That doesn’t even touch on the app’s backend features, like adjusting trigger sensitivity, calibrating the thumbsticks, swapping between an Xbox and Switch face button layout, and testing that all buttons are functional.

Should You Buy GameSir X2s Type-C

When I recommended GameSir’s G8 Galileo mobile controller, it was pretty cut and dry. Unfortunately, the GameSir X2s Type-C has a few fatal flaws that I fear would make it quite difficult for everyone to enjoy. I don’t have big hands, but they are arthritic, and the lack of any real contouring hurts after a very short time. I suspect anyone with bigger hands will also have an issue with the X2s overall and button sizes.

If you’ve never had problems with your hands and don’t consider them big, then the X2s Type-C may be a fantastic budget mobile controller. It’s certainly a fine entry-level option around the house or for travel. It has all the quality features and compatibility I’ve come to expect from GameSir, and though no audio options certainly sting, their absence is far from a dealbreaker when you consider the budget price.

GameSir X2s Type-C Controller

The GameSir X2s Type-C Mobile Gaming controller works with most USB-C-compatible smartphones, allowing you to stream and remote-play games on modern consoles and cloud services.