This Controller Turns Your Phone Into a Gaming Console. It’s 33% Off During Prime Day.
Prime Day 2025 runs from Tuesday, July 8 through Friday, July 11, and Lifehacker is sharing the best sales based on product reviews, comparisons, and price tracking tools.
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New to Prime Day? We’ve got the lowdown on everything you need to know . Sales are accurate at the time of publication, but prices and inventory are always subject to change.
As much as I love dedicated handheld consoles like the Nintendo Switch 2 or Lenovo Legion Go S , here’s a secret: You can probably get by with just your phone. Mobile games, far from the likes of Fruit Ninja or Angry Birds , are now much more varied, with deep combat systems and vast worlds to explore. Then there’s game streaming , which lets you play console games anywhere. The catch? Touch controls on such large devices quickly become tedious.
That’s where telescopic game controllers come in. They attach to the sides of your phone and typically plug directly into a USB-C port (or, on older iPhones, a Lightning port). I’ve recommended controllers from Backbone for this type of use in the past, but I’m changing that this year.
As part of Prime Day, Razer’s new Razer Kishi Ultra is on sale for just $50. There are a few reasons why it’s worth checking out. The most obvious is obvious at first glance. The Razer Kishi Ultra is big. While many mobile controllers feature smaller thumbsticks and buttons and are largely devoid of grips, the Kishi Ultra is essentially an Xbox controller split in two, turning your phone into something like a PlayStation Portal . Not only does this make it more comfortable, it’s also a little more durable—you’ll be able to hold an iPad Mini in it, too.
But there are a few other perks beyond that. The triggers are Hall Effect, meaning you can customize how they fire, and the face buttons are mechanical, providing tactile feedback. There are also additional bumper buttons that can be customized to whatever function you want, and an 8-way D-Pad. Basically, you won’t be short on control with this upgrade.
There’s also the usual Razer gimmick here, with optional Chroma RGB lighting around the edges of the controller. The controller also works with Razer’s proprietary PC Remote Play service, which I got to try out briefly at CES this year. Unlike other remote gaming services, this one automatically adjusts your games to the aspect ratio of your phone’s screen, which can be a big plus since phone screens are often wider than the 16:9 aspect ratio that many other remote gaming services are limited to.
The gauntlet has clearly been thrown down, and I’m curious to see how other mobile controller makers respond. The only catch? The Razer Kishi Ultra is limited to USB-C connectivity, so it won’t work with iPhones older than the iPhone 15. On the other hand, that same USB-C port allows it to be used as a wired PC controller, giving it a wider range of uses. It’s a great buy for the money.
Looking for something different? Retailers like Walmart, Best Buy, and Home Depot are running Prime Day sales that are especially helpful if you don’t have an Amazon Prime subscription.
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Walmart’s Prime Day sale starts at midnight on July 8 and includes discounts of up to 50% . It’s an especially great deal for those with a Walmart+ subscription.
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Best Buy’s Prime Day sale , Black Friday in July, runs through Sunday, July 13, and is one of the best tech deals online . It’s an especially good deal for My Best Buy Plus or Total members.
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Home Depot has extended its Fourth of July sale through at least July 9, offering some great deals . This is an especially great deal if you’re looking for power tools, appliances, or outdoor gear.