Rotor Riot Controller Review

August 26, 2019 at 3:40am
By Jason Stettner

With the quickly building option list for new ways to play games with your mobile device, the Rotor Riot wired video game controller is a great option. I’m looking forward towards the release of Xbox Project xCloud, and until then other streaming options are also present. There’s Playstation 4 Remote Play to connect to that console, as well as Steamlink to play some integrated PC titles.

Both of these run beautifully on my iPhone XS, but the touch controls truly suck. That’s where this gamepad option comes in, it feels like a Xbox One controller and it makes it feel natural to play games on my mobile device. Aside from just streaming titles from consoles or PC, it also works with native mobile titles. I was using my iPhone XS to work on this review as I had the Apple oriented model built for iPhone, iPad or iPod that features lightning connectivity. This allowed me to experience titles such as Minecraft, PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds and Fortnite as examples with awesome controller input options.

There’s an app called LUDU MAPP that pops-up when you connect and this has a massive catalogue of free, or premium titles that support the input option. I did find this somewhat annoying in regards to the pop-up, as it would do so if the device turned off instead of remembering it was connected, that’s likely more of an Apple thing however.

Moving onto the actual device, this controller has an attachable stand to hold your phone. It’s easy to take off if you just want to use the gamepad. It’s easy to place your device in the stand, and it holds it comfortably. There’s also a generously long cord for connecting.

If you’re worried about battery, there’s a lightning pass through option with the controller. Another neat aspect here is that the sticks are clickable which is somewhat fancy. It has the style of the Xbox One controller layout which I love. I would have preferred this came with a start and back button option, it’s somewhat harder to use menus without them. Even just two buttons for extra configurations would have been nice. This is a comfy controller to hold, it could have been a bit more ergonomic however in the holding sides.

I also would have liked slightly larger triggers for easier clicking there. Other than those minor notes, this is a really well designed controller. Seriously, it’s a good effort considering the affordable bracket it fits into, very impressed overall. This controller weighed 280 grams, with a height of two inches, width of six inches and a depth of 4.75 inches.

The Conclusion

The Rotor Riot Controller is a great option for having a proper gamepad on mobile titles or streamed console games. This works excellently for what it’s designed for. I was able to easily enjoy my console or PC titles while around the house.

I could also get some better input options for my mobile titles. Touch controls can be alright at times, but there’s something special that a controller provides. This worked very well with my iPhone XS, pleased with the holding of it and the pass through option. I had some minor thoughts as mentioned about the design, though this is generally great as is. Just some improvement thoughts I wanted to mention. I really liked this for enhancing my mobile gaming experience.

Many high end titles support it, and you’re likely to find options for free to play or premium games. I’m really looking forward to using this for Xbox Project xCloud down the road, that will be great. For now, it’s awesome on Playstation 4 Remote Play or Steamlink.

Read our Gamevice Review
View our Controllers Hub

Rotor Riot Controller Review product provided by The Redner Group tested with iPhone XS including Minecraft, PUBG, Fortnite and Playstation 4 Remote Play of Marvel's Spider-Man, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare, Steamlink's Left 4 Dead 2

Rating Overall: 8.2