The Gamesir X2s is a great budget-friendly Backbone One alternative - review

Gamesir X2s in front of the box and a tiled wall
Credit: StealthOptional

Gamesir X2s in front of the box and a tiled wall
Credit: StealthOptional

There's nothing majorly different with the Gamesir X2s Type-C that the company hasn't offered before, but that's hardly a bad thing. It's a solidly built smartphone controller that fits a beastly iPhone 15 Pro Max without any problems, as well as featuring sublime Hall Effect sticks, and a compact size that makes it easier for portability. However, the main feature isn't the peripheral itself, but instead its budget-friendly price that makes it more accessible than rivals.

If you've already got the Gamesir G8 Galileo, then you probably won't need the X2s, but if you've found the Backbone One to be a bit too small, but still want the portability of Backbone's excellent offering, then this new model is for you. It shines as one of the best phone controllers on the market, despite the fact that it still has some tedious flaws that need to be worked on.

Gamesir X2s review
The Gamesir X2s is an excellent budget-friendly smartphone controller that proves peripherals don't need to be expensive to bring great quality. However, Gamesir needs to work on its software, especially on iOS.
8 out of 10

Much like the older Gamesir G8 Galileo, the X2s has a light-grey colour with lilac accents. I'm not a huge fan of the grey, as it comes across as looking fairly cheap compared to the bright whites of the Backbone One's PlayStation Edition, or the all-black Razer Kishi. I really hope Gamesir offers different colours in the future, even if that means looking like the Gamesir Nova Lite.

However, the controller itself feels far from cheap. While the device has dropped the 3.5mm headphone jack that other Gamesir peripherals usually offer, it still contains a USB-C port for charging your iPhone 15 or Android phone during play sessions. All of the buttons feel tactile, with each press giving a nice 'click' and feedback to you. Even the triggers, something that typically falls flat on cheaper third-party controllers, especially mobile ones, feel splendid to use.

Close up of my hand holding the Gamesir X2s controller and pointed at the USB-C dongle
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Credit: StealthOptional

The sticks require a bit of force to push around, but they're easy to get used to and fling back into place nicely as soon as you move your thumbs away. The spring inside the controller, which lets you slide it along to insert your phone, is very strong, and letting it go too early will see it flying back into place. It's good to know it can hold your phone firmly, and the adjustable USB-C dongle makes it easy to insert your phone, but it can be a bit of challenge to fight against it sometimes.

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General build quality of the X2s feels pretty great, and it certainly seems like it can take a good bashing if you're a gamer that typically rages in the heat of the moment. The back has some small but easy-to-hold textured grips to make it easier to wield, and compared to the Backbone One's very small footprint, the Gamesir X2s actually feels nice to hold for hours on end without feeling like your hands are cramping up.

I played a variety of titles using the device, including the newly released Warzone Mobile, as well as games like Dead Cells. I find that the sticks can be quite sensitive in games, meaning you'll need to tune them down slightly if you prefer lower sensitivities for better accuracy, but it's a small adjustment that doesn't affect the product at all.

Close up of the Gamesir X2s' right hand side
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Credit: StealthOptional

Unfortunately, the major issue with the Gamesir X2s is one that many other Gamesir products fall flat at - software. The Gamesir app on Android has plenty of features, but it runs terribly and crashed numerous times while using the X2s and the G8 Galileo. On iPhone? It's not regularly updated to update or even notice the X2s is attached, and while the app received an update last month for bug fixes, it is still really behind. The Backbone One delivers exceptional software, and I wish Gamesir would spend more time perfecting it too, instead of releasing lots of controllers.

Overall, considering the price of the controller, the Gamesir X2s is an impressive device that is great value for money. In fact, the build quality, buttons and the Hall Effect sticks put it leagues above controllers like the Kishi or the Backbone One. However, it falls remarkably flat in the software department, meaning it falls fairly short of perfection.

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