In my years of playing video games on my phone, I’ve been waiting for a controller that allows me to carry over my full gaming skillset wherever I go. Without a doubt, the GameSir G8 Galileo is exactly the controller I’ve hoped for.
In the last few years, quite a few companies have launched controllers designed to transform a smartphone into a gaming handheld. We’ve reviewed many of them in that time, and the overwhelming majority of them take after the design cues of the Nintendo Switch. By that, I mean the controllers usually focus on size and portability instead of comfort.
- Review: GameSir X3 controller for Android is excessive to a fault
- Review: Backbone One PlayStation Edition is the essential controller for PS5 owners
- Review: Gamevice Flex is the definitive mobile and cloud gaming controller
There’s certainly something to be said for designing with portability in mind. It makes it easier to just toss a controller into your bag and get rolling.
However, that portability always comes at a sacrifice. Sure, there are plenty of people who only play Switch games with the Joy-Con, but there’s a reason Nintendo also sells a full-size Pro Controller. The additional grip gives you more precise control of the joysticks and massively improves the ergonomics.
Since the mobile controllers I’d tested weren’t quite up to the job, I’d always return to using a mounted wireless controller to play first-person games like Destiny 2 while on the go. Portability is nice, but if I can’t play at the same level as I would at home, what’s the point?
All of that is to say that I’ve been waiting for a controller like the GameSir G8 Galileo for quite some time.
Right off the bat, the difference is clear. This controller is massive compared to the competition. Just as Sony’s PlayStation Portal closely resembles a DualSense cut in half with a tablet glued in the middle, the GameSir G8 Galileo straps two halves of a full-size controller to the side of your phone.
I can’t deny that it all looks a bit ridiculous at first blush. However, once I started playing, it was immediately clear that this controller was exactly what I had been hoping for.
Layout & comfort
On either side of your phone, the G8 adds the full-size rounded grips that every Xbox and PlayStation gamer is accustomed to. Everyone’s experience with comfort and ergonomics will be a bit different, but I find that having a larger gripping surface for my palm is essential for accuracy with the thumbsticks.
The highest praise I can give to the GameSir Galileo G8 is that it’s the first mobile controller that I feel confident using to play Overwatch 2 and other first-person titles.
Shifting our focus to the rest of the controller, the overall layout should feel familiar to anyone who’s used an Xbox Series controller. You’ll find full-range thumbsticks on the upper left and lower right, ABXY face buttons, start/options buttons, a D-pad, shoulder bumpers, and smooth triggers. For supreme accuracy and resistance to drift, GameSir has even opted for Hall effect sensors on the sticks and triggers.
Alongside that standard set, there are also a handful of extra buttons. The backside has a pair of paddles that can be customized with or without the GameSir app (more on that later). The bottom left hosts a screenshot shortcut and a memory/mode button, while the bottom right has a home button that can also be used for some clever gestures. For example, holding home and pressing up or down on the D-pad will adjust your phone’s volume.
On the underside, GameSir has included a 3.5 mm headphone port as well as a USB-C port for passthrough charging. That said, the company notes that not all phones may be compatible with passthrough charging, but most, including the Pixel 7 Pro and iPhone 15, should work just fine.
My only minor complaint about the controls is that the D-pad is not quite as tactile as I’d want it to be for playing something like Celeste. There’s not much movement when pressing one of the directions, and it’s a bit too easy to press multiple directions when you only meant to press one. Outside of platformers that require supreme accuracy, though, the D-pad should serve you just fine.
What matters the most to me is that all of these buttons and features are laid out in an immediately sensible manner. I needed no adjustment period to switch from an Xbox Series controller to the GameSir G8 Galileo. Everything was right where I expected it to be. That may not sound like much of an achievement, but it’s something that nearly every other mobile-focused controller has gotten wrong.
Compatibility
I also need to take a moment to spotlight the level of compatibility that GameSir has strived for with the G8 Galileo. One of the major recent trends in mobile controllers has been supporting phones with or without a case. This was started by the Gamevice Flex and continued by the second-generation Backbone One, both of which use add-ons to improve case support.
While GameSir did not go to quite the same lengths, the G8 Galileo is just able to squeeze into some cased phones. My current setup – a Pixel 7 Pro in a standard clear case from Spigen – works surprisingly well without removing the case. Officially, the company recommends using a case no thicker than 1 mm.
And unlike many other controllers, GameSir leaves the upper and lower sides open, allowing a foldable like the Galaxy Fold or Pixel Fold to potentially fit into the G8 Galileo. I wasn’t able to test that for myself, but it’s been a hallmark of the company’s previous offerings.
Meanwhile, GameSir went above and beyond in terms of gameplay compatibility. Out of the box, the Galileo G8 is treated by Android and iOS as a standard controller ready for most apps, but “most” isn’t good enough. That’s where the mode-switching capabilities come into play.
By long-pressing the start and select buttons, you can quickly swap between the “Android” (standard), “PS,” and “G-Touch” modes. As you might guess, “PS” refers to compatibility with Sony’s official Remote Play app for playing games from your PlayStation while on the go. The downside is that this mode doesn’t support Android shortcuts for taking screenshots or tweaking volume.
For the Genshin Impact and Call of Duty Mobile players, you’ll want to use the G-Touch mode to have your button presses mapped to your touchscreen. I didn’t dig too deep into G-Touch, as I don’t currently play any touch-only games, but it’s certainly worked well on past GameSir controllers. To make the most of it, you’ll need to use the GameSir app to set up the correct touch mapping.
Customization & design
By default, the GameSir G8 Galileo comes in a color scheme that is strongly reminiscent of the original Super Nintendo controller, featuring a light-gray body, dark-gray D-Pad, and two shades of purple for the ABXY buttons. You can somewhat tweak the design to your liking, though, as the controller features magnetic faceplates that are easily removable (but not loose enough to accidentally pop off). GameSir doesn’t yet sell any faceplates for the G8, but that may change in the future.
Once the faceplate is off, you can also pull up either of the thumbsticks to swap for one of the alternate sizes included in the box. You can drop down to a smaller size reminiscent of the GameCube’s C-stick, a larger design with concentric circles, or one that simply has a taller stem.
The majority of the G8 Galileo’s customization is easily accessible in the (mostly optional) GameSir app. From there, it only takes a few taps to swap the face buttons between Xbox (ABXY) and Nintendo (BAYX) layouts, recalibrate the sticks and triggers, and remap the back paddles. There are even options for turbo buttons and hairpin triggers.
However, I don’t particularly like that the GameSir app won’t work without giving it permission to view your current location. I’m sure there’s an innocuous reason for it, but I chose to play it safe and uninstall the app once I had updated the firmware and got my settings just right.
Even without the app, you can make most of the same customizations using special hotkeys listed in the user manual. This is particularly important because the GameSir app’s full customization functionality isn’t currently available on iOS.
Should you buy the GameSir G8 Galileo?
Genuinely, the GameSir G8 Galileo checks almost every box on my “ultimate mobile controller” checklist:
- Familiar layout
- Full-size grips
- Full-range thumbsticks
- USB-C connection w/ passthrough charging
- 3.5 mm headphone port
- PlayStation Remote Play support
- Cased phone compatibility
Admittedly, it does all of this at the expense of portability, but I have no issue with tossing this into my everyday carry. I’d much rather have the full benefit of muscle memory and comfort than have a slightly smaller controller in my bag. This will be my go-to controller for the foreseeable future.
If you’re the type of person who wants to play at your best no matter where you are, there’s no better controller on the market today than the GameSir G8 Galileo. And that fact is only emphasized by the controller’s $79.99 retail price, which undercuts its closest competitors.
The GameSir G8 Galileo is available for purchase from Amazon, Newegg, and directly from the GameSir Store.
FTC: We use income earning auto affiliate links. More.
Comments