GameSir G8 Galileo review: Excellent mobile gaming

The GameSir G8 Galileo is the accessory maker’s latest attempt at a telescopic controller with numerous customization options and Hall effect joysticks, promising a premium gaming experience for your smartphone, rivaling full mobile consoles and handhelds. With the launch of the Nintendo Switch, we’ve seen a shift towards much more ergonomic and functional gaming accessories instead of clunky plastic clips and off-brand controllers, and GameSir has taken advantage of that market shift.

Many of these controllers borrowed a little too much from the Switch design, but now there’s a full market of excellent controllers to fit your smartphone. But is it enough to distract you from a Nintendo Switch or Steam Deck?

Premium design

The big selling point of the G8 Galileo is its very nice build quality. This isn’t a cheap-feeling controller, and at $80, it shouldn’t be. The ergonomics are excellent, the joysticks are smooth and precise, the buttons have satisfying tactility, and the laser-etched grips are very comfortable. It’s bulky and might not fit into your bag like other controllers, but the trade-off is an excellent feeling controller. It’s a noted improvement over the Nintendo Switch JoyCons, and approaches design more like Valve’s Steam Deck.

You get a full suite of buttons to play anything, including a decently clicked d-pad, a capture button, a macro button, and two customizable back paddles. Want to assign your jump button to the back right paddle so you don’t have to take your finger off the joystick? Easy.

The G8 features passthrough USB-C charging, and there’s also a headphone jack on the bottom. Your smartphone probably doesn’t even have that anymore.

Extra software

The G8’s hardware is excellent; GameSir’s software is just okay. The GameSir app does everything you’d expect from this companion app, like making game recommendations, updating firmware, and allowing some customization and touch-screen remapping for games that don’t support controller input.

It can be a little quirky, though. The app itself doesn’t work well with controller navigation, which is odd considering the next closest competitor, Backbone, absolutely does turn your phone into a controller-navigated interface. It also doesn’t actively track anything you’re playing, so the “recommended” sections are little more than just featured, popular games. It does have some category filters, so if you’re itching for an RPG, you have an easily accessible list with Google Play links, at least.

Fortunately, the app seems to stay out of the way if you’re not interested in it. The capture button on the controller uses Android’s native screenshot functionality, and you can download a third-party launcher to create a more joystick-friendly interface.

Worth it?

As a controller, the G8 is fantastic. It’s a little bulky, but the ergonomics are some of the best we’ve tested on any controller. I’d easily rank this close to a first-party Xbox controller, and you’ll comfortably play for long sessions with it.

The software is just fine, though, and that’s where something like the Backbone might be a better sell. There’s still the conversation about whether or not Android games are good enough to need a controller. Still, with heavy hitters like Call of Duty, Apex: Legends, and Diablo all being readily available in the Play Store, I definitely think there’s an argument to be made about the quality of mobile/handheld gaming without a Switch.

The G8 makes an excellent gaming accessory for your smartphone, and even if it falls short in trying to be the foundation of a modern mobile gaming platform, it delivers what it promises.

You can pick up the GameSir G8 Galileo directly from the brand’s website or Amazon for $80.