Verdict
The GameSir X3 offer a unique cooling result to those looking for a wandering game controller , but it lacks subtlety compare to the best on the market .
Pros
Cons
Key Features
Introduction
TheGameSir G8 Galileomight just be the ultimate mobile gaming controller on the food market , but it ’s not the only trick this Taiwanese steel has up its sleeve .
The GameSir X3 does n’t bring in quite the same horizontal surface of console refinement to the format , but does manage to dribble out its business in a much cool manner .
This is a intimate clamp - like control design with an unfamiliar cardinal division dedicated to actively cooling down your firmly - drive telephone .
At a price of around £ 100 , it ’s another controller that does n’t exactly derive tatty . So does the GameSir X3 do enough to spot itself in an increasingly competitive field ?
Design
GameSir has leant into a familiar expanding clinch mounting system for the X3 . The idea is that the two halves of the controller grip either side of your phone , cop into the USB Type - C port on the right .
This is a much stumpy murder of the melodic theme , sure equate to theBackBone Oneor the Razer Kishi V2 Pro . Part of that is because the controller sections themselves are right smart thicker than the competition .
It lends the X3 a real sense of heft , and make it easy to grip unless you have particularly small hands . I particularly wish the grippy curvature onto which your two in-between fingers hook on the back .
But the literal heft is added by a third chemical element to the clamp mechanics . Rather than a single expanding bridge , two leading to a fundamental module . This is the Peltier temperature reduction system – in other word , a big sports fan that draws estrus away from your phone ’s body via a silicon home base that makes lineal contact .
It lead in the GameSir X3 being extremely heavy . At 292 g , it ’s almost 40 g sullen than even the monstrous G8 Galileo . You get a decent - quality carry case with the comptroller , but there ’s no room it ’s ever go to seem particularly portable .
This does pose some mounting problem too . On the positive side , GameSir order a tough rubber rooftree surgical incision on either side of the phone , which is a much better result than the fiddly replaceable adapters of other controllers . It also uses a clever flexible USB - C connexion , which can tilt up and down .
However , the need for a measure of strong-arm contact with the back of the headphone reign the X3 out from working properly with sure handset . It work as advertised with theSamsung Galaxy S24 Plus , but phones with larger or unorthodox camera mental faculty sit at an awkward slant , stand for there ’s no direct contact with the cooling module . In my testing this included theiPhone 15 Pro(which is n’t formally supported , but ferment as a regular restrainer ) , thePixel 8 , and the Redmi Note 13 5G.
That ’s not the only result with the whole dynamic chilling system either . You have to plug the GameSir X3 ( and by university extension your telephone ) into a bulwark outlet via a dedicate USB - C port in Holy Order to operate the fan . With no option to hunt down off your telephone set ’s battery , it instantly make the GameSir X3 a not - so - nomadic biz restrainer .
There ’s a 2d USB - C larboard for glide by - through sound charging , but it ’s disappointing to remark that there ’s no 3.5 millimeter earpiece Jack-tar .
Performance and gaming experience
This variety of mobile game controller is often liken to the Nintendo Switch , thanks to the basic layout of full console controls sit around on either side of a touchscreen . However , with the GameSir X3 , that comparison goes even further .
The physical control themselves call to heed Nintendo ’s console in a couple of way , admit a pair of analogue sticks that are well short of qualifying for the ‘ full - sized ’ description . They ’re o.k. , but they lack the solid preciseness of the G8 Galileo ’s Hall Effect stick , and they do n’t feel as good as the BackBone One ’s own undersize stick either .
Another Switch - like touch is the decision to use digital rather than analogue LT and RT gun trigger push . This is absolutely ok for most mobile games , and might even be preferable for chemical reaction - based shooters like CoD Mobile , but it does make racing game like Wreckfest find much less satisfying without that okay throttle control .
The D - pad is a curious thing . It feel slightly cheap under the thumb , and is extremely clicky , almost to the point of parody . However , I could n’t fault its performance in fast - paced 2D fare like Dead Cells .
The fascia and trigger clit are also extremely clicky , and in general lack the high dampened feel of the G8 Galileo and the BackBone One .
There are four seafaring keys here , which is jolly common on such wandering biz controller , but which always seems to be one too many for my easily woolly brain .
All in all , the GameSir X3 ’s weighty but well - balanced body makes for a solid play experience , but there ’s a sure cheap and plasticky feeling here that the honest of its rivals but do n’t stomach from .
As is the casing with the GameSir G8 Galileo , the GameSir X3 is a pliant tool that work on with games that support controllers and ones with touchscreen controller that can be remapped . The latter is useful for games like Genshin Impact and CoD Mobile , which do n’t run with straight USB - cytosine sweetener - ups .
Software
As with the GameSir G8 Galileo , the X3 is slightly let down by some slightly janky software .
The free - to - download GameSir app is certainly functional , offer lineal access to your installed games and let you found them in jot or verbatim control style . It also offers tutorial financial backing for the X3 itself , and recommendations on games ( including those on streaming armed service ) that might work well with a physical controller .
But the layout is pretty chaotic , and navigation is n’t sufficiently streamlined or optimised for a restrainer . I also spot a few literal error , while the aforementioned gimmick tutorial is nothing more than a glorify PDF .
While it ’s respectable that app offers livelihood for multiple inputs , the whole mappable G - Touch mode feels a little finicky and unintuitive . At one point I was tell that I was in the wrong mode for G - Touch , which begged the question why the app was unable to just override the necessary push button prompt .
compare to the BackBone One experience , which does everything to live up to the ‘ console - similar ’ standard , it ’s simply not at the races .
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Should you buy it?
If the thing that itch your mobile gaming the most is an overheating telephone , the GameSir X3 is the controller for you with its dedicated Peltier cooling system .
The GameSir X3 is big , labored , and you require to plug it in to a wall socket if you need to take advantage of its standout feature film .
Final Thoughts
The GameSir X3 offers something classifiable to the progressively congested mobile plot control scene , but its Peltier cooling arrangement issue forth with a few too many trade - offs .
It makes the X3 bulky and adversely affect handset compatibility , while the requirement to plug the controller in to get that fan whirring into life is n’t an ideal situation for an ostensibly fluid twist .
Of course , ultra - portability is n’t the be all and terminate all with peregrine controllers , but the quality of the control themselves is n’t quite up to the very upright on the market .
GameSir itself offer a much more compelling controller in theG8 Galileo , which is where most should be expend their money .
Trusted Score
How we test
We try all our devices thoroughly over an prolonged period of time of time . We use industry - stock trial to compare feature film decently . We ’ll always secern you what we find . We never , ever , accept money to review a product .
Find out more about how we test in ourethics insurance policy .
FAQs
No , you ’re apprise to bump off your phone case before fitting the X3 .
Officially , all Android phones , though it will work as a standard comptroller with the iPhone 15 house .
Yes , there ’s a USB - C port on the bottom of the controller .
