Razer Kishi Ultra Test: Our Full Opinion

The mobile controller market has experienced dramatic growth in recent years. With the advent of cloud gaming and cross-platform mobile gaming, smartphone and tablet gamers are craving precise control. Backbone has finally arrived on the European market as China’s Gamesir destroys everything in its path with unbeatable value for money. After several versions, it’s time for Razer to release its latest copy: the Kishi Ultra.

Razer Kishi Ultra Technical description

The machine is on loan from Razer for this test.

Razer Kishi Ultra Mobile controller

Gone is the more compact format, making way for a true traditional controller for the Razer Kishi Ultra. Here we finally have something that we can rest our adult hands firmly and securely on, without having to hold on to the triggers as is the case with the Kishi V2. It must be said that the manufacturer has learned a lesson: consumers want comfort, not transportability. Thus, the brand with three snakes only changes its original vision. However, it does this very well, thanks to the quality plastic that is slightly pinched at the back for optimal comfort.

The controller is very well designed, but what about its buttons? Keyboard maker Razer once again gives pride of place to its very clicky “mechano-tactile” switches, found on the A/B/X/Y buttons as well as the R1/L1 buttons. customizable R4/L4 shortcuts or even directional crosshairs.

Let’s talk more specifically about this. It is shaped like a saucer with a cross integrated inside and therefore provides very fast feedback thanks to the presence of switches rather than a central membrane. So the feel is closer to a PS Vita or GBA SP hybrid than a Super Nintendo or traditional GBA. First of all, the configuration is very similar to the brand’s combat tablets. Remember that the cross will give you very high accuracy in fighting games, especially in the quarter-half circle, but some (mainly platformer players) have a little difficulty with this setup. It’s a matter of habit and taste, but Razer’s work here is impeccable.

But the biggest casual and pragmatic evolution of the Kishi Ultra is the placement of the customizable R4/L4 shortcut buttons. Where on the Kishi V2 they ate up the space allocated for the R2/L2 analog triggers, making them a nuisance in everyday life, here they are ideally placed at the end and between the L1/L2 buttons. Understand that adult fingers can comfortably activate L1 with the pad of the finger, press L4 with the tip of the index finger, and then move to L2 in a quarter of a second. Also note that analog triggers are very convenient and provide a long actuation distance. On the joystick side, we see a traditional analog configuration with anti-friction rings in the standard Xbox controller format rather than a Joy-Con. This is not the Hall effect.

Source: Chloe Pertuis for Frandroid.

Is there any downside to this configuration at all? Yes, one: system shortcuts. While the quality of the buttons is excellent, their placement is somewhat strange. In the classic PlayStation configuration, the Share button is used as the home button on the Kishi Ultra, with the Share button located between the left stick and the X. Enough to lead to bugs mid-game, especially since that home button isn’t particularly useful. This defect is not a concern in everyday life, but rather a big issue in the selection of engineers. Otherwise, it’s always nice to have quick access to the Nexus or even a screenshot button.

Razer Kishi Ultra Compatibility

In addition to this traditional controller format, the Razer Kishi Ultra also features a major compatibility upgrade. Let’s get to what’s expected first: With the introduction of the USB-C port on the iPhone 15, the controller is now compatible with the latest generation of Apple smartphones, as well as Android smartphones, without the need to buy another model.

First of all, the central extendable part has been redesigned so that it can be stretched more widely. And the two grooves on the edges of the smartphones now feature customizable rubber pads, with three different models included. What does all this really mean? That the Razer Kishi Ultra is now capable of housing smartphones, as well as the iPad Mini and many 8-inch tablets without any problems. Again, a very popular request in the world of mobile games.

There is also a connector at the bottom left of the device, and a USB-C port on the right that supports charging up to 15 W. I would like a larger load, but its presence is always welcome.

Apart from Android and iOS, you can also enjoy compatibility with Windows PC. Once connected with a simple USB-C cable, it is recognized as a wired Xbox 360 controller. Therefore, there are no compatibility problems, even if we lose the advanced configurations possible on mobile devices thanks to the Nexus app.

Razer Kishi Ultra Razer Nexus

The controller does not come separately and is supported by Razer Nexus, the brand’s dedicated Android launcher that launches automatically when connected to a smartphone. It can be called at any time using a special button. This is a simple application available on the Play Store. It is through this application that you will also be able to receive future firmware updates for the controller, which at the time of our testing was still in version 1.0.

Nexus is actually Kishi Ultra’s surprise killer app. Few apps provide these services without the need for complex setup or without the need to have a rooted smartphone. First of all, it is a simple game launcher: it automatically detects games already installed on your smartphone and also recommends other games available on the Play Store that are compatible with the controller.

Its strength really lies in its integration of a tool that allows you to directly map areas of the screen to controller buttons. This tool is insanely simple and offers all the expected configurations for daily use, which is done with the click of your fingers. Of all the solutions we’ve tried over the last ten years, this is simply the best for Android. Feature not available on iOS.

As a bonus we find integration of streaming on Facebook or YouTube, the ability to customize the dead zones of the joysticks and, of course, advanced customization of the L4/R4 shortcut buttons. These can be configured as additional buttons, perhaps useful for emulator shortcuts or for reproducing an already known key, such as L2/R2, if you want immediate activation of the key. The application is completely free, regardless of platform, and does not include paid services, as is the case with Backbone in particular.

Otherwise, as Razer obliges, we also find the configuration of the lighting effects of the Chroma stripes integrated into the controller, or the vibration power of the integrated Sensa haptic feedback. Also, let’s talk about those vibes: few native games still integrate them, but their quality for remote play or emulation is excellent. Again, very beautiful work.