TL;DR: The Razer Kishi is a very comfortable phone controller. Definitely works best with cloud gaming right now because of compatibility issues with games.
I really wanted to like this controller. It is very comfortable and very nice to use. However the main reason I got it was to play Genshin Impact, which as of December of 2022, is still not controller compatible in Android. There’s a workaround though. By launching Genshin Impact through Steam, you can use Steam Link in your phone to stream your game and play comfortably away from your desk. There can be some input latency and the image my darken and glitch, but it often works great.
Razer Kishi
The Good
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Cloud gaming is where the Razer Kishi shines. I enjoyed playing my steam games like Warframe, Core Keeper, and a couple of fighting games with no issue.
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Emulators handle Razer Kishi very well. I was able to play a couple of gamecube games in this one pretty easily. I had to map some buttons and it was all ready to go.
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Some games like Gunfire Reborn and Stardew Valley are compatible and very fun to play with.
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It does not need batteries or charge, it draws power from your phone.
The Bad
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It is not compatible with big games like Genshin Impact, League of Legends: Wild Rift and Pokemon Unite. I was very disappointed to find out the games I wanted to play the most were not compatible with my recent purchase. I had to go out of my way and look for games I could use it in.
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You might as well just use any other bluetooth controller.
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You have to take your phone case off in order to use it.
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It’s an uncomfortably tight fit on larger phones like the Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra.
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The Razer Kishi App is lackluster. It features games compatible with the Kishi, but the games featured there are the definition of shovelware. If the intention of the app was to make the controller like a good idea, it definitely does the opposite.
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It is hard to store the controller after using it. The back part refuses to latch on both sides of the controller.
Image for reference.
The Verdict
The Razer Kishi is definitely not for me. I like it, I wanted to like it. But using it for cloud gaming just makes me want to play normally in my desk rather than using the controller + phone combo. I sometimes use it to play emulated games and it works pretty well. Definitely get it if the games you play are compatible, even more if it’s on sale. The Kishi is very often on sale, you might snatch it for less than $50 any other day of the year.