They’re really cheap. This one cost me only 2800 INR (~$30), but the vibrations are terrible. You can get one from a reputed brand for about 50 USD. I think Razor and Gamesir also sell these.
The only Android game I play with this is Fall Guys, that too once a week or so. But primarily I play PSP and PS2 games. Apps like Retroarch provide a really nice UI for retro games, and can make you feel like you’re using a handheld console. Here’s a screenshot of Retroarch:
NetherSX2 is also great. Here’s the screnshot:
I love this thing and would recommend such gamepads to anyone looking for a handheld console experience.
Here’s a few more photos of this.
Btw, it can also be connected to any PC with a Bluetooth connection. This one can also connect to PlayStation 4 as well. It will work on PS5 too, but only in UI and PS4 games.
PS - Sorry for the blurry pictures. i don’t have a good secondary camera.
Edit - I wanted to add a bit about Retroachievements as well. If you’re into retro gaming, and don’t use Retroachievements, WHY? Maybe because you didn’t know about it? Go to retroachievements.com and see if you can get all the achievements from your favourite childhood game. You can connect Retroachievements via only Retroarch, NetherSX2 and PPSSPP emulators only. Others are not supported yet (on Android).
I feel the same with modern games. But some of the retro achievements point you to hidden places and secrets, and challenges to complete.
So it’s a little different.
I have the Razer one. It said it was for Android, and I do have an Android phone, and it basically works, but back then, iPhones were using Lightning. For whatever reason, it does not support iPhones. My iPhone has a bigger screen (6.9" vs 5.8") and is more powerful. The Android phone is good enough for retro emulation, of course, but iOS wins Nintendo emulation with Delta, due to the Google Drive backup feature. I have a Flygrip on my iPhone, and I have an 8bitdo Bluetooth controller that can pair to the iPhone. I think Xbox controllers can, too. My old Xbox One controller pairs to my Macs just fine. Maybe it’ll pair to iPhone.
Fortunately RetroArch is on iOS as well. I don’t think it can use all the cores, but it can use the ones that count (like PS1 and prior). I know on Android you get all of them, including PS2, PSP, Wii, NGC, and so on. But my Android phone is a Galaxy S10 (2019), so I wouldn’t expect it to run the newer games. My iPhone 16 Pro Max is capable, but won’t run the actual cores due to iOS restrictions.
I wonder how hard it would be to homebrew a Raspberry Pi, a custom screen, and a custom controller. Though for what you’d spend doing it (and the value of your time!) there are existing devices (mostly from China, I think) that are meant to do exactly that. But I wouldn’t know where to start with those.
I can even play games on my Apple Watch, but you gotta think, with only one hand controlling it (assuming you’re wearing the watch), you can’t play too many games. I have Zelda, as a proof of concept, but Pokemon is far more likely.
These days, just about anything can emulate. Not too many of them can do it well. A good example is, the original Super Mario Bros… The latency is way too high to play it like you can on original hardware, and it sucks that as advanced as our tech is, the game is virtually unplayable in any emulator. It feels like you’re playing on an ice level (like in Mario 2) almost with how slow the game is to react. We didn’t have this problem in the 80s playing on an actual NES. Even the newer Nintendo consoles are just emulating, and they are subject to the same latency issue. Even first-party Nintendo games on modern consoles can’t beat the latency. For example, on Animal Crossing — fucking Animal Crossing — fishing is impossible to do if a fish has 3 (of 5) stars of rarity or higher. The fucking second it bites, you press the button, latency got ya — you were too late. But undock the Switch and I can catch 5 star sharks, whale sharks, the fucking Coelacanth — every time. It’s a game for grade school kids. It’s not hard. But latency makes it go from “tricky” to “what the fuck why is this game so hard?” real quick.
Thanks for bringing Delta to my attention! I use my Steam Deck for emulation - but now, I have another rabbit hole to go down for when I need to pack ultralight!
Any obvious iOS restrictions, assuming I’d be primarily interested in SNES gaming and have local access to any/every ROM file?
Okay, say we’re standing face to face and I’m showing you my iPhone. I swipe between library pages showing you my games. I go into Final Fantasy III and show you a 50 hour save. Then, to your astonishment, I swipe up to Home, then uninstall the app. “But your save!” you say, but I’m just smiling. I go into the App Store, re-download Delta. I show you my empty library. Then I go to sign into Google Drive, turning my back for privacy. I turn back and show you I’m hitting Enter/Submit/Log In/whatever. We watch as my games repopulate the library. I open Final Fantasy III. My save is intact.
You’re excited. You want Delta too. So you download it on yours. You have the games at home and you’ll load them up later, but you wanna get some time in on Super Metroid right now. So I scroll down to it, long press it, and tap AirDrop. You swipe down, long-press your connections widget, tap AirDrop, and change it to “Everyone for 10 minutes.” Your iPhone shows up, and I AirDrop you the game. Your iPhone receives it, and it opens in Files. You tap on it, it gives you the option to open it in Delta. It’s now in your library. And backed up to your Google Drive account, if you set that up.
Android guys have some better options than Delta, for sure, but they also kinda wish they had Delta.
Delta emulates only Nintendo and only up to the NDS. That said, as a Super NES gamer, you should be aware of better ports on later systems. Most notably IMO, Zelda 3 on Super NES vs Four Swords on GBA. Four Swords is a multiplayer thing, but it also includes Zelda 3 but with better translation, widescreen support, a better inventory, updated translations, and some other fixes. Of course, if you’re running a JP Zelda 3 1.0 for exploits and speed runs, well, that’s different. (You can do that, too.)
I highly recommend the Scuf Nomad. It’s a bit more expensive than other options. I think it’s worth it. I play a bunch of games on my phone and can’t be happier. In the past I used GameSir products and think those are pretty rad for budget options.
I do not recommend SteelSeries at fucking all. They used to ship the Stratus with known issues. Support would actively admit the problem. Sometimes you could get a replacement. Sometimes you couldn’t. I have no idea if their newer products are better; I have stopped buying them since then.
That’s what I have and I love it because it feels solid to use. I bought an expensive Backbone because it was marketed pretty well, but it just felt so flimsy that it had to be returned.
I personally use a PS4 controller with a phone mount. The weight distribution is maybe a bit less comfortable depending on what angle your hold it, but it’s pretty compact and the controller itself is great quality this way.
same setup here! only i’m using a ps5 controller. i actually swapped the clamp for a magsafe car adapter i had lying around, turned out it was the exact same thread size.
the main benefit really is that official controllers (switch pro, xbox, ps, whatever) just feel way better quality-wise. plus you can still use them on pc or the actual console. totally agree on the weight though, you definitely have to adjust the angle depending on how you’re sitting. and yeah it’s technically portable but i wouldn’t pull this out on a train lol, mostly just for the couch at home. and if you already have a controller lying around, the mount is only gonna cost a few bucks, even a used ps4 controller is super cheap.
Yup, though I want to add that SteamLink on android is a step further. I’ve exclusively been playing this way ever since.
You get the convenience of mobile with the power of your desktop, plus most phones have Oled screens these days so even better. Also why I don’t own a Steam Deck, as this is just the better option for portable gaming imo.
Any game. It’s a remote desktop app, basically. If it’s a steam game, it will come with a default phone touchscreen gamepad set up and usually there are also official and community layouts you can use. The layouts are… not as good as you might like, and I am frequently having issues with my custom ones disappearing or not loading. But it’s not the worst thing ever and I can play modded skyrim on my phone at work.
Non-steam games can be added to the steam library and you can manage their controller schemes the same way- sometimes they will even have community layouts available also. MMV with non-steam games. For example, Valorant won’t recognize my mouse click on my phone. And certain apps apparently force you into a “local input only” mode and might kinda break your setup until you play around with it a bit (don’t go into task manager lol).
But yes, you can also easily connect a bluetooth controller to your phone and any game that uses a controller works great.
If you already have a Xbox/PlayStation/Switch controller, you can also use that. There are very cheap mounts you can buy for each of these controllers for ~$10 USD that will allow you to hook up to your phone seated on top of the controller. You might even be able to 3D print a mount too.
It’s not nearly as comfortable as this is (though you could say it is because the controller, itself feels better in the hands, but I’m talking viewing angle) but it’s a lot cheaper and doesn’t require buying a new, dedicated controller.
Not knocking your suggestion, OP. Just providing a secondary alternative too.
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I don’t use retro achievements because games are supposed to be fun rather than about checking boxes.
I feel the same with modern games. But some of the retro achievements point you to hidden places and secrets, and challenges to complete.
So it’s a little different.
Some people find it fun to challenge themselves, and achievements can be fun challenges to do
OP was the one who asked why people don’t use Retroachievements.
Ah fair, snark begets snark begets snark
You’re doing it wrong then
I have the Razer one. It said it was for Android, and I do have an Android phone, and it basically works, but back then, iPhones were using Lightning. For whatever reason, it does not support iPhones. My iPhone has a bigger screen (6.9" vs 5.8") and is more powerful. The Android phone is good enough for retro emulation, of course, but iOS wins Nintendo emulation with Delta, due to the Google Drive backup feature. I have a Flygrip on my iPhone, and I have an 8bitdo Bluetooth controller that can pair to the iPhone. I think Xbox controllers can, too. My old Xbox One controller pairs to my Macs just fine. Maybe it’ll pair to iPhone.
Fortunately RetroArch is on iOS as well. I don’t think it can use all the cores, but it can use the ones that count (like PS1 and prior). I know on Android you get all of them, including PS2, PSP, Wii, NGC, and so on. But my Android phone is a Galaxy S10 (2019), so I wouldn’t expect it to run the newer games. My iPhone 16 Pro Max is capable, but won’t run the actual cores due to iOS restrictions.
I wonder how hard it would be to homebrew a Raspberry Pi, a custom screen, and a custom controller. Though for what you’d spend doing it (and the value of your time!) there are existing devices (mostly from China, I think) that are meant to do exactly that. But I wouldn’t know where to start with those.
I can even play games on my Apple Watch, but you gotta think, with only one hand controlling it (assuming you’re wearing the watch), you can’t play too many games. I have Zelda, as a proof of concept, but Pokemon is far more likely.
These days, just about anything can emulate. Not too many of them can do it well. A good example is, the original Super Mario Bros… The latency is way too high to play it like you can on original hardware, and it sucks that as advanced as our tech is, the game is virtually unplayable in any emulator. It feels like you’re playing on an ice level (like in Mario 2) almost with how slow the game is to react. We didn’t have this problem in the 80s playing on an actual NES. Even the newer Nintendo consoles are just emulating, and they are subject to the same latency issue. Even first-party Nintendo games on modern consoles can’t beat the latency. For example, on Animal Crossing — fucking Animal Crossing — fishing is impossible to do if a fish has 3 (of 5) stars of rarity or higher. The fucking second it bites, you press the button, latency got ya — you were too late. But undock the Switch and I can catch 5 star sharks, whale sharks, the fucking Coelacanth — every time. It’s a game for grade school kids. It’s not hard. But latency makes it go from “tricky” to “what the fuck why is this game so hard?” real quick.
Thanks for bringing Delta to my attention! I use my Steam Deck for emulation - but now, I have another rabbit hole to go down for when I need to pack ultralight!
Any obvious iOS restrictions, assuming I’d be primarily interested in SNES gaming and have local access to any/every ROM file?
Literally no iOS restrictions on Delta.
Okay, say we’re standing face to face and I’m showing you my iPhone. I swipe between library pages showing you my games. I go into Final Fantasy III and show you a 50 hour save. Then, to your astonishment, I swipe up to Home, then uninstall the app. “But your save!” you say, but I’m just smiling. I go into the App Store, re-download Delta. I show you my empty library. Then I go to sign into Google Drive, turning my back for privacy. I turn back and show you I’m hitting Enter/Submit/Log In/whatever. We watch as my games repopulate the library. I open Final Fantasy III. My save is intact.
You’re excited. You want Delta too. So you download it on yours. You have the games at home and you’ll load them up later, but you wanna get some time in on Super Metroid right now. So I scroll down to it, long press it, and tap AirDrop. You swipe down, long-press your connections widget, tap AirDrop, and change it to “Everyone for 10 minutes.” Your iPhone shows up, and I AirDrop you the game. Your iPhone receives it, and it opens in Files. You tap on it, it gives you the option to open it in Delta. It’s now in your library. And backed up to your Google Drive account, if you set that up.
Android guys have some better options than Delta, for sure, but they also kinda wish they had Delta.
Delta emulates only Nintendo and only up to the NDS. That said, as a Super NES gamer, you should be aware of better ports on later systems. Most notably IMO, Zelda 3 on Super NES vs Four Swords on GBA. Four Swords is a multiplayer thing, but it also includes Zelda 3 but with better translation, widescreen support, a better inventory, updated translations, and some other fixes. Of course, if you’re running a JP Zelda 3 1.0 for exploits and speed runs, well, that’s different. (You can do that, too.)
That’s awesome, didn’t even think of how useful AirDrop could be in that situation!
How’s controller support? I have a Razer Kishi V2 I bought way back when to play the Rockstar games, that’s just otherwise gathering dust.
It’s nighttime here in Australia - will load up some files and test it out tomorrow morning! 😁
I highly recommend the Scuf Nomad. It’s a bit more expensive than other options. I think it’s worth it. I play a bunch of games on my phone and can’t be happier. In the past I used GameSir products and think those are pretty rad for budget options.
I do not recommend SteelSeries at fucking all. They used to ship the Stratus with known issues. Support would actively admit the problem. Sometimes you could get a replacement. Sometimes you couldn’t. I have no idea if their newer products are better; I have stopped buying them since then.
Seconded. Have the Gamesir g8, love it.
That’s what I have and I love it because it feels solid to use. I bought an expensive Backbone because it was marketed pretty well, but it just felt so flimsy that it had to be returned.
I like mine too. It’s rather heavier than I expected, but still solid.
I mainly use it for emulating games on my phone, along with streaming games from my Xbox.
Oddly enough just like OP I use it to play fall guys.
PCSX2 supports Retroachievements.
Sorry, I meant on Android only.
I personally use a PS4 controller with a phone mount. The weight distribution is maybe a bit less comfortable depending on what angle your hold it, but it’s pretty compact and the controller itself is great quality this way.
Like this:
same setup here! only i’m using a ps5 controller. i actually swapped the clamp for a magsafe car adapter i had lying around, turned out it was the exact same thread size. the main benefit really is that official controllers (switch pro, xbox, ps, whatever) just feel way better quality-wise. plus you can still use them on pc or the actual console. totally agree on the weight though, you definitely have to adjust the angle depending on how you’re sitting. and yeah it’s technically portable but i wouldn’t pull this out on a train lol, mostly just for the couch at home. and if you already have a controller lying around, the mount is only gonna cost a few bucks, even a used ps4 controller is super cheap.
Yup, though I want to add that SteamLink on android is a step further. I’ve exclusively been playing this way ever since.
You get the convenience of mobile with the power of your desktop, plus most phones have Oled screens these days so even better. Also why I don’t own a Steam Deck, as this is just the better option for portable gaming imo.
What games can you play? Just controller based ones?
Any game. It’s a remote desktop app, basically. If it’s a steam game, it will come with a default phone touchscreen gamepad set up and usually there are also official and community layouts you can use. The layouts are… not as good as you might like, and I am frequently having issues with my custom ones disappearing or not loading. But it’s not the worst thing ever and I can play modded skyrim on my phone at work.
Non-steam games can be added to the steam library and you can manage their controller schemes the same way- sometimes they will even have community layouts available also. MMV with non-steam games. For example, Valorant won’t recognize my mouse click on my phone. And certain apps apparently force you into a “local input only” mode and might kinda break your setup until you play around with it a bit (don’t go into task manager lol).
But yes, you can also easily connect a bluetooth controller to your phone and any game that uses a controller works great.
I picked up a gamevice a while back and love it. Wish they still made it cause it supports phones with cases.
https://gamevice.com/products/gamevice-for-android
I have one as well. I like that it has all the inserts for different phone sizes, and it has a headphone jack. I think I should have bought 2.
I feel they must of loss a lawsuit or something to just stop making them?
These are great. I’ve got one that I use with my Switch 2 because the joycons are ass.
If you already have a Xbox/PlayStation/Switch controller, you can also use that. There are very cheap mounts you can buy for each of these controllers for ~$10 USD that will allow you to hook up to your phone seated on top of the controller. You might even be able to 3D print a mount too.
It’s not nearly as comfortable as this is (though you could say it is because the controller, itself feels better in the hands, but I’m talking viewing angle) but it’s a lot cheaper and doesn’t require buying a new, dedicated controller.
Not knocking your suggestion, OP. Just providing a secondary alternative too.