Thus, the Kishi V2 does not have a battery and does not connect wirelessly to the mobile device, although it is true that it does have a port USB-C to be able to charge the mobile battery through pass-through.
For the rest, the Kishi V2 provides the usual controls that we can expect from a game controller, in this case asymmetrical with two joysticks, a D-Pad, four main buttons and, in this case, six triggers since it incorporates an additional one to each side. All the buttons are configurable using the Razer Nexus mobile app, from where we will also find an interface dedicated to games similar to Steam. This command, by the way, is recommended to play with GeForce Now from NVIDIA.
Unboxing and external analysis
The Razer Kishi V2 comes packed in a small rectangular hard cardboard box adorned with the brand’s usual colors of black and green. On the front side we find an image of the device (of course using a smartphone of the brand as an example) accompanied by its main characteristics, leaving a more detailed description of its benefits for the back. On one of the sides, we have even more details.
Inside, the first thing we come across is the device itself integrated into a black expanded polystyrene protection. We can see that there are also two pieces of plastic, which we will shortly explain what they are.
Here you have the accessories that Razer includes with the Kishi V2, and that consist of the usual instruction manual, stickers with the manufacturer’s logo, and the two plastic pieces that we saw before, which are nothing more than adapters to be able to adjust the size of the control to different thicknesses of smartphone.
Here’s the Kishi V2, with its Xbox-style asymmetric joystick layout.
In the lower part of the right side of the controller we have the USB-C connector to be able to charge the mobile while we use it with the controller to play.
In the internal part of the right area, we have another USB-C connector, in this case male. This is where we will logically place the mobile charging port and that will serve to use the remote with it.
You can see that in this area there is a grooved plastic piece, and it is precisely the one that we can remove to put the additional one (on each side, of course) that came with the accessories. The additional pieces are thinner and will work for thicker mobile terminals.
Let’s go to the back, made of plastic but grooved to improve grip (we miss, in a command of this price and that presumes to be Premium category, having found rubber inserts here). The shapes are contoured to also improve grip.
Below we can see the triggers, with the two usual ones on each side but an additional smaller one that is multifunctional, and is designed so that we can configure it to our liking with the App.
The internal bridge is extensible, so that we can adapt the control to almost any size of smartphone.
Having seen the device, we are going to test it to see how it works.
Testing the Razer Kishi V2 for Android
To test this Razer controller, we have used a fairly large Android terminal (the brand and model is irrelevant, but it is okay for us to tell you that it measures 16.41 centimeters high and 8.8 mm thick without a cover). Installation is very simple, we simply insert one side of the phone into its corresponding place and then the other, matching the USB-C connector.
Despite being a fairly large device, with a 6.7-inch screen, there is still enough room to install even larger mobile devices.
On the left side of the controller, the contact of the terminal with the controller is almost minimal.
Of course, be careful with some details such as the camera; Some mobiles, as in our case, have a camera that protrudes quite a bit, and this can be a drawback and even an impediment to installing them in the Kishi V2, although it is true that the additional parts that we saw before would allow us to install it without too much problem. So.
As you can see in the following image, on the opposite side, where the USB-C connector is, the mobile is a few millimeters separated from the rear “wall” of the controller.
With the controller already “installed”, in a process that hasn’t really taken us more than 20 seconds, we proceed to install the Razer Nexus App to configure it. It must be said that the mobile terminal detected the remote at first without having to touch anything, and in fact we can move through the menus comfortably using the controls on the remote. When installing Nexus more of the same, it detected the controller the first time and without having to do anything.
As we mentioned a while ago, this App allows us not only to configure the controller, but also to access a wide library of games that have native compatibility, and we will see them almost as if we were on a gaming platform such as Steam or Epic Games.
If we go to the settings, we are even given the possibility of associating our account to carry out live broadcasts from the mobile to Facebook or YouTube, and that is that the remote has a button to start and stop the transmission by simply pressing it.
The software also gives us the possibility to access Customer Service, leave comments, see the firmware version or frequently asked questions, but what is really interesting is the Reassignment section, which is where we can configure the behavior of the buttons on the I send.
The truth is that we expected to be allowed to configure each and every one of the buttons, but the reality is that we can only configure the two additional buttons that the controller has in the trigger area. It’s better than nothing, but even so it seems insufficient, really.
Now let’s talk about the controller and the impressions it has made on us when using it. Let’s start with the sensations of use, about which we will tell you that the controller has been quite comfortable for us to hold, although it is true that being users with large hands we miss the palm area a little more contoured to improve even more the subjection. We also miss rubber inserts to improve grip, as we discussed earlier.
All in all, the controller is quite comfortable to use, even after using it for quite a long time. It holds well, the terminal is firmly attached and does not cause fatigue, so we can say that it has a remarkable high in terms of ergonomics.
As for the sensations of use, it must be said that both joysticks are very comfortable and also very precise, so we do not miss that Razer does not allow them to be calibrated, as Microsoft does for example in its Elite controllers. The D-Pad works fine, neither good nor bad, while the main keypad we find to be excellent, with a nice clicky feel and good accuracy and repeat rate. As for the triggers, the sensation is quite good in the two main ones (R1 and R2, for example), with correct operation as well.
However, the additional buttons have been a bit small and inaccessible for us, really, and we would have preferred that instead of placing them in the trigger area, Razer would have arranged them in the lower area, so that we can press them with the little finger and ring finger in a simple way because these triggers are located exactly where those fingers are resting when holding the control with both hands, again as Microsoft does in its Elite controls.
Conclusion and verdict
With the Kishi V2, Razer has gone a step further to make life easier for gamers who play on their smartphone, creating a virtually universal controller with ergonomics that almost turns the mobile terminal into a portable console. It is, of course, an essential accessory for those who want to play on mobile but with the convenience of having a console controller, and of course without their own fingers covering the screen display area.
Of course, the control has some shortcomings, or rather some aspects that under our reasoning are improvable, such as the two additional configurable buttons, which we would have placed as triggers at the bottom in the Xbox Elite style, or rubber inserts instead of a simple groove in the plastic to improve the grip of the device, since after all, between the 123 grams of the remote and the weight of the terminal, the one we hold with our hands will be quite a lot of weight.
All in all, this is probably one of the best, if not the best controller for mobile devices on the market today, and of course if you are one of those who spend many hours playing with your mobile, it is a worthwhile investment.
For all that, we give the Razer Kishi V2 our gold award, as well as our recommendation for its excellent performance.
