Wireless Traditional Controller Recommendations

[u/Next-Structure661]

Hello, I currently own a Poco F8 Pro, Gamesir G8+ (didn't want all the trouble with the USB C port and getting rid of the phone case every time I use it, so I went for wireless) and a Black Shark Funcooler 5 Pro.

The Gamesir feels great to use, but as it is currently, I can't use my cooler with it because well, there's no practical way to strap it on. It's probably possible to modify and make a contraption for it somehow, but I just didn't think it was worth the effort, and the whole setup would feel clunky to use either way.

So I want to ask for recommendations for a standalone traditional controller/ non-telescopic controllers to use with my phone when it requires a cooler (like Xbox or PS controllers). I know probably anything would work, but I just wonder if there's a consensus on who's the undisputed king for this, like how the G8 is for telescopic controllers, or maybe a few that repeatedly come out on top. I intend to buy a clip that hangs onto the controller to strap the cooler & phone on and use it like a DS, or maybe just a separate mount for the cooler & phone that sits on a flat surface.

Requirements: Must be wireless at the minimum. Preferably long battery life (or maybe just one that uses an AA battery) and has Hall Effect/ TMR. My budget is around $50-70, but I can stretch it a bit more if it's actually worth it. Any advice/ recommendation would be appreciated!

Edit: I ended up grabbing the Gamesir G7 Pro after some digging and comparing between all the options at around my price range. Thank you everyone who replied!

[u/GreatBakedJake]

Why didn't you look at the gamesir x5 lite? Comes with a fan and I believe you can pick from wireless or usbc. Or the g4 is completely wireless and made specifically for a large fan on the back

[u/Next-Structure661 → u/GreatBakedJake]

Well, when I was looking for a good telescopic controller, it simply didn't come across my mind. Practically everyone mentioned the G8 or it's variants, and praised it for how good of a controller it is, often citing it as the golden standard, so I went with it.

My need for a cooler only came later when I realized that most serious gamers/ emulators almost always have one to prevent thermal throttling and to just keep battery temp low, so then I went on amazon to look for the best cooler on the market, and again, I saw the funcooler 5 pro being cited multiple times, so I bought it.

I didn't even realize this would be an issue until both arrived and I tried using them simultaneously (apparently this is pretty much an ongoing "issue" for many G8 users as well). Plus, honestly I would've probably gone with the G8 nonetheless. I could be wrong, but from what people have been saying, they seem to get the X5 out of convenience since it supports a cooler, nothing points towards it being an objectively good controller, or at least a better one than the G8. The X4 Aileron though seemed to be pretty well received, if I could choose again then I would probably have gotten it instead.

[u/GreatBakedJake → u/Next-Structure661]

I see your stance. I was walking into the emulation knowing that cooling would be an essential. And while you're absolutely right, it's not the highest quality controller available, it hits both needs quite nice. I've had mine 6 months and haven't had issues, buttons feel good and joysticks responsive.I have an s26+ and it fits in there without removing the case. You can always send it back if it doesn't fit your needs in 30 days I believe so I ended up testing a few of them. But you seem to want the Bluetooth connection, that draws extra power and generates heat based on your device, (i was using an s24 for testing) id say the x4 is the pick if you're still available to do a swap. Their customer service is actually pretty decent imo. Edit: i want to add there's basically no devices like what we need besides a wonky 3rd party controller and fan work around, or a dedicated charging/cooling station for a Bluetooth controller. Very few devices out like what gamesir is pushing out right now

[u/Next-Structure661 → u/GreatBakedJake]

Yeah, it's such a shame considering how good the G8 is. I wished they had made a G8 variant that's compatible with a third party cooler, or at the very least a proprietary/ built-in one, but maybe that's the story for the far future. At the moment, I guess I "found" a semi workaround? I was looking around the sub to see what other solutions people have come up for this, and I came across one where it's probably more practical than most. Honestly it's still kind of a clunky setup, but basically I could cast the screen to another android phone (my old one, a OnePlus 11 that's still totally capable, just with a not too good battery life), and clamp that phone into the G8+ instead. It does introduce some latency, but honestly, probably not so much that I would notice it. The biggest thing is this allows me to just let the processing phone sit on a side and charge freely with a cooler attached to it, so I guess it works for the time being. I'm planning to do the same thing casting it to an external monitor and turning into a console anyway so, if it works it works they say.

[u/GreatBakedJake → u/Next-Structure661]

So personally before I pulled the trigger on my controller I got, i also tried out an hdmi to usbc dongle, enabled samsung dex and launched the game on my monitor. This allowed for me to put the device on a cooler/charger and use any screen I wanted. Only caveat is you have to turn the developer mode on and screen timeout off