As a retro gaming fan, I was thrilled erstwhile Apple opened its App Store to emulators successful 2024, but I’ve yet to find a controller that makes maine want to afloat clasp retro gaming connected my phone.
Clamp-on controllers for illustration the Backbone Pro are a spot excessively bulky, and I don’t want to prop my telephone up location to usage a standalone gamepad. The Abxylute M4 seemed precisely what I was looking for erstwhile it debuted a fewer months ago. It’s a compact wireless gamepad that uses a magnetic equine to connect to my iPhone. It’s a clever design, but 1 that’s fto down by stiff thumbsticks and a magnetic equine that doesn’t ever consciousness for illustration it’s securely supporting my phone.
There are 2 components to the Abxylute M4: a retro-looking rectangular gamepad that connects to your smartphone complete Bluetooth, and a Q-shaped equine that attaches the controller to your telephone truthful it feels for illustration you’re playing a handheld console. The equine is compatible pinch MagSafe iPhone models and the Google Pixel 10 Series. I chiefly tested it pinch an iPhone 16 Pro, but Abxylute includes an adhesive metallic ringing you tin instrumentality to the backmost of immoderate telephone to make it compatible.
The M4’s magnetic equine tin double arsenic a smartphone guidelines utilizing a ring-shaped kickstand.
The ringing of magnets connected the M4’s equine stuck to the backmost of my iPhone arsenic securely arsenic immoderate MagSafe accessory aliases Qi2 charger I’ve ever used. It’s not going to travel disconnected until you want it to. It besides features a soft finish, allowing you to rotate the equine and connect the gamepad truthful that it wholly hides down your telephone alternatively of hanging disconnected the side. But the full point ends up being excessively bulky and heavy to gaffe into a pocket, truthful I’ve been removing it wholly erstwhile not playing.
The M4 controller doesn’t protrude acold capable from the bottommost of a telephone to play games successful a image orientation.
The M4 tin beryllium attached truthful it wholly hides down your phone. But you’ll request elephantine pockets to transportation it astir for illustration this.
One limitation of the M4’s creation is that erstwhile attached, it tin only beryllium utilized to play games successful a scenery orientation. In a vertical mode, the controller doesn’t protrude acold capable for each its controls to beryllium accessible. That’s not needfully a bad thing, but arsenic a decades-old Game Boy fan, I thin to for illustration playing games vertically. Recently announced mobile controllers for illustration the GameSir Pocket Taco and the 8BitDo FlipPad support that.
The equine attaches to the M4 controller utilizing 1 of 2 magnetic connectors.
A acold bigger rumor pinch the M4’s design, and a imaginable deal-breaker, is the relationship betwixt the equine and the controller. It besides relies connected a beardown magnet that makes the controller threat into spot erstwhile attached to the mount. But the relationship doesn’t consciousness beardown capable to ever support the equine securely connected to the controller while your phone’s attached.
The mount’s relationship to the M4 controller feels strong, but it doesn’t return a batch of unit for it to accidentally disconnect.
The relationship betwixt the equine and controller feels unafraid capable erstwhile I’m holding the M4 and my telephone up successful beforehand of maine while playing a game. But astatine immoderate angles, aliases erstwhile I accidentally bump my phone, the equine tin abstracted from the gamepad. The 2 will besides consistently disconnect if you absentmindedly move the full point upside down, sending the telephone and the attached equine falling. Thankfully, each my testing was done connected a soft sofa.
I’m not the only 1 to acquisition this behavior. Retro Dodo’s Brandon Saltalamacchia did, too. The relationship mightiness fare amended pinch a lighter phone, for illustration the iPhone Air, but fixed smartphones are now a important finance (my iPhone 16 Pro costs conscionable awkward of CA$1,500 present successful Canada, aliases astir $1,100 US), I’m not comfortable utilizing the M4 arsenic it’s designed.
The M4 isn’t wholly limited connected its magnetic mount. It tin beryllium utilized arsenic a standalone controller pinch phones, consoles, aliases immoderate instrumentality that supports Bluetooth gamepads. I was amazed astatine really comfortable it was to usage pinch my gigantic hands. Its square-shaped creation lets maine scope the M4’s enarthrosis buttons without contorting my scale fingers, and the build value feels solid.
The M4 controller’s action buttons are small, but the D-pad feels comfortably sized, moreover for my ample thumbs.
There’s 2 pairs of enarthrosis buttons atop the M4 controller, which I recovered easy to scope without having to overstretch my fingers.
The controller’s 4 action buttons are mini but person a satisfying magnitude of resistance. They’re paired pinch a ample D-pad that’s a spot mushy and prone to registering inputs from aggregate directions, but capable for pick-up-and-play gaming sessions. Choose a different controller if you’re chasing precocious scores.
The M4’s analog joysticks characteristic a sliding disc creation akin to what the Nintendo 3DS offered. But connected the M4 they’re stiff and uncomfortable to use.
Abxylute includes 2 analog joysticks, a characteristic seldom recovered connected controllers this size. They usage a sliding disc creation akin to what Nintendo utilized connected the 3DS — but little effective. The sliding joysticks connected the M4 are stiff and uncomfortable, making subtle movements astir impossible. My thumb ached aft conscionable a fistful of races successful Mario Kart World, and I can’t spot myself utilizing either of the joysticks again.
For $49 the Abxylute M4 is 1 of the much affordable ways to move your smartphone into a handheld console, but the risks don’t consciousness worthy it.
As compact controllers go, the $49 Abxylute M4 is good, but acold from great. But that’s not why group are going to bargain it. Its committedness of turning a smartphone into a handheld console helped the institution raise complete $300,000 from astir 6,000 backers connected Kickstarter — a batch of whom I deliberation will beryllium disappointment aliases disappointed if they’re not other cautious while utilizing it. Trusting your $1,000 mobile instrumentality to the M4 requires a leap of religion that’s a spot excessively acold for me.
Photos by Andrew Liszewski / The Verge
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