Test: Game controller Razer Kishi V2 – Takes mobile gaming seriously

When it comes to computers and more traditional computer accessories such as headphones, keyboards and computer mice, Razer is undoubtedly one of the heavyweights and a brand to be trusted. If you ignore subjective preferences, you can assume that you get quality with Razer. They also do not hesitate to go outside the box with slightly more odd products such as gaming chairs and streaming accessories, as well as mobile accessories such as Razer Kishi.

What exactly is a Kishi V2?

Kishi V2 is simply a gaming controller for mobiles. The company has previously released Kishi for Android mobiles and Iphone, and now it has released a new generation for Android in the form of Razer Kishi V2. Just like the previous generation, it can be likened to a holder where you connect the mobile to the built-in USB-C port and clamp the mobile so that you get an almost portable game console with joysticks, buttons and everything else that is needed. The advantage of using usb-C compared to Bluetooth is faster data transfer and lower latency, ie delay, which is good for the gaming experience.

What Kishi V2 offers in the form of game controls are two analog joysticks, a digital “control plus” on the left side, four buttons for playing on the right side, and shortcut buttons to start the Razer Nexus app and to take screenshots and stream gaming to services such as Youtube and Facebook. On the top there are also four digital buttons and two analog triggers that are controlled with the index fingers. In other words, there is no shortage of control options for every game you can think of.

The road to play

Before I get to the point of starting to play, I’m going to start with the path that ultimately leads to you even being able to start playing. Kishi V2 is not necessarily a particularly easy product to use. In theory, it sounds simple – pull apart the resilient controller, connect the phone to the USB-C connector, let the controller contract so that it holds the phone, and start playing. However, the gap between theory and practice may turn out to be larger than first thought.

First, it should be said that for this test, I used a Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra, and it did not take many seconds before it turned out that it is completely impossible to connect it to the usb-c port with any kind of case on the phone. The mobile with its case is simply too thick. Depending on which mobile and which case or shell you use, in other words, it can be a bit of a tangled story to connect mobile and hand control.

It comes with an extra set of distances that will remedy this and they certainly increase the amount of mobile models that can play with cases, but in my case it did not help. Even when I removed all the distances, it did not work – the phone did fit, but the USB connector on the controller never reached the phone’s USB port.

The resilient part of the Kishi V2 that holds the two handles together also covers some of the camera sensors, so when you play, the game counts. Talking on the mobile, on the other hand, works well if it should ring during a gaming session.

Another detail that is worth considering is that it usually consumes power to play, whether you choose a locally installed game or to stream a game. On the right part of the hand control there is a usb-c connector for cable connection so you can charge your mobile. However, it is “just” a walk-through port, which is incredibly much better than nothing, but it would have been nice if the Kishi V2 had an extra battery to provide extra playing time. Now you must be prepared to take an external battery pack with you if you are not sitting at an immobile wall socket.

Razer Nexus apps

Another important detail before it’s time to play is to install Razer’s Nexus app. It is developed just for the Kishi V2 and is immeasurably much better than the app for the first generation Kishi. Now it is possible, for example, to reprogram the buttons and give them the functions you want, which is a great advantage. The Razer Nexus also acts as a hub for gaming where you can add shortcuts to your games and streaming services so you can access them quickly and easily.

Finally time to play

In the end, everything is done – the controller is mounted, the app is installed and all permissions to give it access to local files are approved. Finally, it’s time to start playing.

Here it quickly turns out that the Kishi V2 is an almost surprisingly comfortable hand control with a solid feel in the construction. The buttons feel solid and respond well to presses, and the feel of the joysticks feels good. The fact that there are no tactile functions, that is to say that the hand control vibrates, does not do anything as I assume that it would only have made it larger, heavier and more power-consuming.

Kishi V2 is made for use with games, in short, but you as a player may come across a detail that the controller is actually innocent of in the form of a type of incompatibility. If you choose to install Android games, not everyone is made to be used with a hand control but only via the screen, which has the effect that the hand control either does not do a thing or that the buttons and levers do things that they are not intended to do.

On the other hand, using streaming gaming services such as Microsoft’s Xcloud works just fine, not least because all of these games are made for use with a controller. The predominant feeling is simply that the Kishi V2, for many practical reasons, is made for use with streaming gaming services. That it works well with many local android games feels more like a nice extra bonus than a stated intention.

If you buy the Razer Kishi V2 on Razer’s website, you get to shell out just over SEK 1,300, which actually does not feel unreasonable considering how it feels and how it works. However, one should be aware that it is a niche product that appeals to dedicated gamers, preferably with a penchant for streaming gaming services.

As an extra side note, it should be said that Razer has said that they will release a version of the Kishi V2 for Iphone, but they have not said when it may appear apart from the fall of 2022.