It’s a little difficult to navigate these devices that are supposed to make our game libraries available via game streaming on a handheld device. If you want to stream Xbox games from a Series console, do you “just” buy a controller for your smartphone and accept that it will drain the battery, or is there a huge advantage to buying a dedicated device, such as a Logitech G Cloud? How committed do you have to be to prefer a PlayStation Portal over a Backbone?
Let’s say you might live a console-agnostic lifestyle, and occasionally want to stream Xbox-specific titles, or stream from a Series console in addition to a PS5 – then Portal is obviously out of the question. In addition, it seems a little too expensive to invest approx. £200 in a Logitech G Cloud, but at the same time the basic controller clamps are a bit too simple. So what’s next?
Razer has launched the Kishi Ultra, which shares the same basic design and functionality principles as the Kishi V2 Pro and Kishi V2, but spares nothing when it comes to giving you an immersive gaming experience. Plus, it’s launching at “just” $149.99 (UK price still unknown), which can be considered a big saving compared to a G Cloud. It supports not only all smartphones with USB-C (which now also includes the latest iPhone models), but also an iPad Mini (or a similar small tablet).
There are many brackets there, but it is important to get everything. And yes, the sharpest extra functionality here is that you can insert a smaller tablet (about 8 inches like the iPad Mini) and instead use it as a much larger, and perhaps less important screen in everyday life. All in all, this is such a great idea that it’s almost a shame that Razer didn’t go a step further and use a design that allowed for the use of even larger tablets, allowing consumers to activate the ones that are already sitting in a drawer somewhere. Unfortunately, that’s not the case – but I happen to own an iPad Mini, so that’s how I tested the Kishi Ultra.
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First of all, it’s bigger, and thus Razer has ditched the Joy-Con-like design of the other Kishi variants and presents something that feels a bit like a PlayStation Portal. This is really commendable, because those of us with big hands finally have a controller that doesn’t hurt to use after 30 minutes. The ergonomics are sublime, as is the build quality. The ABXY buttons feel tactile and mechanical, the D-Pad is precise, and the analog sticks are responsive – everything works wonderfully. However, it must be said that the rigid construction means that it takes up space. It may not be so dangerous if it is primarily used within the four walls of the home, but if you take it with you on the go, it is both heavy and bulky in a backpack.
The Ultra also supports Sensa HD haptic feedback, so there are dedicated motors inside that give you a much more detailed rumble when you play. It’s still unclear if this requires anything special on the part of the game developers, but I’ve been streaming from the PlayStation 5 at home, and I think it’s, if nothing else, trying to reproduce the same haptic feedback as a DualSense (and a Portal). It’s not as detailed as the latter, but the Kishi Ultra is both cheaper and more versatile, so it’s not a definite disappointment.
There’s also Chroma RGB, but to be honest, it’s such a redundant feature that I immediately turned it off. It’s not entirely clear how much it drains the battery on the tablet or phone you’re using, but I’d rather save on it. There are some little extras though, such as the ability to use it as a PC controller with a simple USB-C cable and passthrough, so you can charge your device while you play.
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It’s cheaper than a Portal and a G Cloud, and apart from having to supplement the screen yourself, you’re not sacrificing much. I wish Razer had gone further and offered support for even larger tablets, because many of us already have one, but apart from that, the Kishi Ultra is the right product to launch in 2024, where more and more of us are streaming games, either from the console or from the cloud.
