Whilst portable gaming has long been an appreciated option amongst gamers thanks to the likes of Nintendo and PlayStation bringing some fantastic handheld devices over the years, it’s now a market that is well and truly being encroached upon by the mobile community too. With more than just your basic mobile titles now available through the power of cloud gaming, there has never been a better or more suitable time to jump in with a dedicated mobile gaming controller and after having seen the rather poor showing of the GameSir F8 Pro Snowgon in recent times, it seems GameSir are back to reignite our interest with the direct follow up their other devices with the GameSir X3 Type-C Cooled Mobile Gaming Controller or GameSir X3 for the purpose of not typing out that entire mouthful too many times, now taking over from the previous X2 model.
Starting off and whilst I don’t normally pay quite as much attention to items until they are in use, one thing that is immediately noticeable is how the GameSir X3 comes incredibly well packaged with a hard carry case protecting it, complete with a meshed storage area for wires and a velcro strap to keep it held in place. Also found within the carry case are a large USB-C cable and swappable joystick covers. It has to be said that whilst high-quality packaging isn’t always a go-to these days for many manufacturers, the high-quality finishing to the storage and packaging of any item is always a great way to show quality in your product and this is the first area the GameSir X3 shines.
The controller itself is designed for use with Android Gaming and cloud gaming services such as Amazon Luna or Xbox Game Pass and with those services the controller functions in a manageable way. The controller follows the same button layout as the Xbox One and Series X|S controllers with A, B, X and Y making up the main action buttons on the face of the item along with two joysticks and a D-pad also available. There are 4 other smaller buttons available but it’s never overly clear what these do with different actions for different games but there is a home function that normally proves useful in most games to get back to the main menu. The top of the controller comes with equally familiar options with LB, LT, RB, and RT making up the options, with a satisfying click to be found when using the triggers which makes them incredibly nice to use much like that of your typical mechanical keyboard.
Sadly if your main intention is to use this for Xbox Game Pass, it’s worth noting that despite the buttons being the same as an Xbox controller they currently aren’t assigned to the same buttons they would be on an Xbox controller, and whilst there is an app that can be used with the device, there is currently no meaningful changes that can be made via use of it such as button mapping, or anything of the like, meaning you’ll be left with controls that aren’t what you are expecting if playing games this way. Of course, that is only a minor issue as most games are still easily playable, but it’s not quite as functional as simply connecting an Xbox controller via Bluetooth to your mobile.
Much like the aforementioned GameSir F8 Pro Snowgon, the GameSir X3 comes complete with a fan and a large cooling plate intended to minimize the temperatures of your mobile during gaming sessions, however, a big negative for me is the fact that whilst this certainly does the job of keeping your mobile cool, even in prolonged heavy use – which is, of course, no easy feat, it also requires external power to do so thanks to no internal battery whatsoever coming with the controller. There is a USB-C pass-through available for power however should you want to make the most of the key feature of the device you’ll need to have it plugged into the mains at all times. Of course, like most devices in 2022, it also comes packing RGB lighting to ensure it maintains that typical gamer aesthetic, but for the most part you won’t see these as they are hidden behind the device on the fan and well out of sight during typical use which points to more of a meaningless inclusion rather than something beneficial.
A major positive however is the included USB-C pivot which allows you to mount your mobile device without any struggle or potential damage to your device’s USB-C port thanks to multi-directional movement on the pivot. This makes both mounting and unmounting incredibly easy and is something I wish we saw in all devices.
Conclusion
Sadly overall it has to be said that whilst the controller feels sturdy and has a lot of potential if you are after a mobile game controller that can be used more like a traditional console controller, the GameSir X3 Type-C Cooled Mobile Gaming Controller isn’t quite yet up to spec. If you want it to offer overheating protection for heavy gaming then be prepared to lose all mobile functionality due to the need to be constantly plugged in to a power supply and if you want to use it as just a simple controller then you’ll have no way to map the buttons and will be able to find many other options available in which you can. Either way, we don’t see a massive amount here that is all that much different to the aforementioned GameSir F8 Pro Snowgon, besides perhaps a better working refrigeration chip, but even so with no mobile way to power it, there is little way to sell this over other items on the market – I’m looking at you Razer Kishi V2.
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