Razer’s Android gaming controller is available now for $80

The Razer Kishi mostly got buried in a deluge of Razer announcements during CES (it was just too difficult to compete with 5G routers and a massive racing simulator). It’s not the first smartphone gaming peripheral — heck, it’s not even the first to adopt this particular form factor. But a company like Razer lending the familiar triple-headed snake logo to the category could certainly go a ways toward further legitimating these devices, following the release of a pair of mobile-first handsets from the company.

The accessory starts shipping today for Android handsets, priced at $80 a pop. Again, not the cheapest product in the category, but the Razer’s products are generally well regarded in their execution, and the Kishi is being met with solid reviews so far. 

It’s also been drawing comparisons to Nintendo’s Joy-Cons for the Switch, partly due to the layout of the buttons and dual-analog thumbsticks. There’s a D-pad on the left, four buttons up top, two analog triggers and a pair of bumper buttons. The Kishi plugs directly into the USB-C port, for lower latency gameplay than comparable Bluetooth accessories. Notably, it also works with the Stadia service, which could be a nice bump for Google’s cloud gaming service, which has thus far failed to set the world ablaze.

There’s an iPhone version on the way, as well. That will arrive at some point this summer.

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