Razer's Smartphone Controller Now Works With Games That Only Support Touchscreen Controls

The Razer Kishi V2 was already a convenient way to upgrade your smartphone to a portable gaming device, but a new software update for the Kishi V2 and companion Nexus app now makes the attached console compatible with touch-only gaming. At least if you're on Android.

While the processors of most smartphones can easily outperform the processors installed in many modern mobile gaming devices, the virtual lack of buttons severely limits the types of games that can be enjoyed on mobile devices. Touchscreen interfaces may be fine for flipping through virtual solitaire cards or slingshotting evil birds, but playing action games like first-person shooters that require multiple on-screen button presses is not an ideal experience.

That's why an accessory like the Razer Kishi V2 can be useful, as it adds physical buttons and a joystick to your smartphone by attaching a small controller to each side of the device. Kishi V2 can make your iPhone or Android smartphone look like a Nintendo Switch or Valve Steam platform, but usually only if the mobile games support the connected controller.

Some games were originally designed to be played on touchscreens, while other games may not have the resources to add physical controller support. For example, while Genshin Impact supports controllers on iOS, the Android version of the game still only works with touch. The Kishi V2 used to be useless in these circumstances, but recent updates to the controller's firmware and the Razer Nexus Android app have introduced a new "Virtual Controller Mode" feature.

Via the Razer Nexus app, this new feature now allows gamers to map the physical buttons on the Kishi V2 controller to virtual game screen controls. So when you press a button or joystick on the Kishi V2, it moves along the input. Play as a touch screen. And wherever touchscreen gamers place virtual controls, gamers can reposition and resize displays in the Razer Nexus app for single-player gaming.

A virtual controller mode is now available, but only the Android version of the attached controller is currently supported, not the iOS model. Razer will also bring this new feature to the portable Razer Edge, which will be available later this week.