Latest news with #KishiV3Pro
Android Authority
2 days ago
- Android Authority
I love the Kishi V3 Pro, but the Razer Tax is real
Razer Kishi V3 Pro The Razer Kishi V3 Pro is the best purely telescopic mobile controller you can get right now. It has swappable TMR sticks and a ton of extra buttons, all of which are customizable. The build quality is terrific, it's comfortable to use, and the companion Razer Nexus app offers a ton of great features with no subscription needed. At an MSRP of $149, you need to be living the luxury life to buy it, but if you can justify the cost you'll love the Kishi V3 Pro. Whenever I review a Razer product, I always end up saying the same thing: 'It's amazing, but I wouldn't pay [exorbitant price Razer is asking] for it.' I would love to tell you that I won't be using that line in this review, but let's be real: you already know from the headline that I'm going to dust it off to tell you about the new Razer Kishi V3 Pro and its two siblings. In a word, these controllers are great. The Pro models easily surpass the Razer Kishi Ultra from last year, and the vanilla Kishi V3 is an interesting new option that makes the family a bit more accessible. But I can appreciate them as they are because Razer was kind enough to send them to me for free for testing — I'm not sure most people will want to pay the asking price for them. But I'm getting ahead of myself. First, let me tell you why there are three controllers launching this year and what makes them different. Razer Kishi V3 series: Baby, mommy, and big daddy C. Scott Brown / Android Authority As a refresher, the $149 Kishi Ultra from 2024 is a telescopic mobile controller that only works when connected to something. In other words, there is no battery or Bluetooth on board, and it only functions when a smartphone is slotted into it or it is connected with a USB-C cable to another system, such as a laptop. The Kishi Ultra had RGB lights, a standard set of analog sticks, two customizable 'claw-grip' buttons near the triggers, and the ability to act as a virtual controller for mobile games that don't support physical controller input, such as Genshin Impact. The Kishi V3 family is an evolution of the Ultra. At the bottom end, the standard Kishi V3 ($99.99 at Amazon) removes many of the premium features to bring the price down to $99. This is still pretty pricey for a mobile controller, but it does match its premium competition, and does have a few perks that make that price almost worth it. I'll touch on this in a bit. C. Scott Brown / Android Authority Meanwhile, the Razer Kishi V3 Pro ($149.99 at Amazon) is the follow-up to the Kishi Ultra in everything but name. Although it lacks the Chroma RGB lighting (all three V3 controllers lack it for some reason), it does literally everything else the Ultra does, including working with small 8-inch tablets. It also throws in some new premium features, including the long-awaited upgrade to a higher tier of analog stick technology. Like the Kishi Ultra, the Kishi V3 Pro will cost you $149. Razer Finally, the Kishi V3 Pro XL ($199.99 at Amazon) is exactly the same as the Kishi V3 Pro, just bigger. It's specifically designed for tablets that are 10 inches or larger. It does not work at all with smartphones. Because it's larger, it comes in at a whopping $199. Unfortunately, Razer didn't send me this one to check out, but I can already tell that a $200 controller that only works on large tablets is the very definition of an excessively niche product. That's the basic gist on each model. Now I can dive in a bit deeper, starting with the standard version. Razer Kishi V3 review: Nice, but a little too lean C. Scott Brown / Android Authority Compared to the Ultra, Razer took a lot away from the Kishi V3 to make it less expensive. First, it shrunk it down a bit. The grips are smaller than the full-sized ones you'll find on the Ultra and the other two V3 models. This makes it a little less comfortable to hold. I think it's still really comfortable, though, especially when compared to most telescopic controllers out there, which tend to feel cramped. The overall footprint of the controller is also smaller, and it weighs a lot less, too — I measured just 175g for the Kishi V3 against the 267g of the V3 Pro. Depending on your travel needs with this controller, that could be a good thing. Razer took a lot away from the Kishi V3 to make it $99. However, one of the ways Razer slashed down the weight of the Kishi V3 is by removing all haptic motors. High-quality rumble effects are a necessity with any controller I own, so the fact that the Kishi V3 doesn't even have bad haptics is a deal-breaker for me, though if you've used previous generation Kishi controllers like the original or the Kishi V2, you might not be as concerned. The Kishi V3 also doesn't have the customizable claw-grip buttons near the triggers and swaps the eight-way D-Pad for a standard four-way model. The mecha-tactile ABXY face buttons are also gone, with pretty standard buttons in their place. Again, this is all like previous vanilla Kishi models, but it's quite a step down from the Ultra/Pro versions. The Kishi V3 is also less compatible with gaming devices as it's locked to phones only. Unless you have a really small tablet, it's not going to fit into the Kishi V3. If you have a big phone, though, it will work fine — even if it's in a thick case. While it sounds like Razer didn't do anything but remove features from the Ultra and carry over the Kishi V2 to make the Kishi V3, there are two new things added. The first, and most important, is the introduction of TMR sticks. TMR stands for 'tunnel magnetoresistance.' It's a technology that increases precision and decreases the potential for stick drift. In many ways, TMR sticks are even better than Hall effect designs. Seeing them on this $99 controller is really nice. In fact, seeing them on any mobile controller is nice, as TMR is rare to see outside of the most high-end units. Notably, Razer brought two customizable back buttons to the Kishi V3 along with TMR sticks — a rarity in this product category. Elsewhere, Razer added two new mouse-click-style buttons on the back of the Kishi V3. These are customizable using the subscription-free Razer Nexus app for Android and iOS. The Razer Nexus app is also where you set up virtual controls for Genshin Impact and other games. It's a terrific piece of software, and it's great that Razer is keeping it free, unlike some other companies I know of (cough Backbone cough). While I would never use the Kishi V3 as my go-to controller due to its lack of haptics, a $99 price for a controller with TMR sticks is at least approaching competitive, which is nice to see from Razer. Razer Kishi V3 Perfect for large tablets • Swappable TMR sticks • Lots of extra buttons MSRP: $99.99 More customizable than ever. The Razer Kishi V3 improves on the V2 base model with swappable TMR sticks and extra buttons. See price at Amazon Positives Perfect for large tablets Perfect for large tablets Swappable TMR sticks Swappable TMR sticks Lots of extra buttons Cons No haptics Razer Kishi V3 Pro review: Beats the Ultra, but the price still stings C. Scott Brown / Android Authority As mentioned earlier, the Kishi V3 Pro is the true follow-up to the Kishi Ultra. Aside from the RGB lighting, the Kishi V3 Pro has every single feature of the Kishi Ultra and even finds room to add in three upgrades. The first Kishi V3 Pro upgrade is the introduction of TMR sticks, just like the vanilla V3. However, it ups the ante by making those sticks swappable, which is the second upgrade. In the box, you'll find two alternate sticks: one with a cushy domed top and another with the same ridged top as the standard sticks but with an extended stem. You can put these two extra sticks on either the right or left sticks of the controller, depending on your preferences. Changing the sticks is easy: just pull up on the stick to remove the current one, line up the arrows on the new stick, and push down. The third upgrade is the introduction of the two customizable buttons on the back, the same ones we see on the standard V3. Since the Kishi V3 Pro still has the claw-grip buttons near the triggers, that gives you a total of four buttons that you can customize as you wish without needing to sacrifice any of the standard controller buttons. So really, the Kishi V3 Pro is the Ultra without RGB lighting and with swappable TMR sticks and two extra buttons. Although the loss of RGB stings a bit, those three upgrades make this a much better controller than the Ultra. Of course, Razer is still asking $149 for the Kishi V3 Pro, which is a big ask. Razer Kishi V3 Pro Swappable TMR sticks • Four extra customizable buttons • Powerful free companion software MSRP: $149.99 Razer's Kishi series gets even better. Swappable TMR sticks and lots of extra customizable buttons make this a powerful telescopic mobile controller. See price at Amazon Positives Swappable TMR sticks Swappable TMR sticks Four extra customizable buttons Four extra customizable buttons Powerful free companion software Powerful free companion software Virtual controller support Virtual controller support Great build quality Cons Really expensive Really expensive No Chroma RGB No Chroma RGB Won't travel well Razer Kishi V3 series verdict: Don't pay full price for the Pro C. Scott Brown / Android Authority I really don't want you to come away from this review thinking that I don't love these controllers — I really do. The Razer Kishi V3 is pretty terrific considering I couldn't even find a competitor device with TMR sticks for $99 — the basic Backbone One ($99.99 at Amazon) matches it for price and is great, but those sticks are a world apart. If you game on an iPhone, it's an especially great deal because iOS doesn't support haptics anyway, so you won't be missing anything. But $99 for an Android gamer like me who expects their controller to shake when they're shot in-game? That's just too much money to not get rumble. Likewise, the Kishi V3 Pro is practically perfect. It has pretty much everything anyone could want from a telescopic mobile controller. With a $149 price, though, it had better be everything you could want, because that is the price of two Xbox or Sony DualSense controllers. OK, so here's the line: The Razer Kishi V3 Pro is amazing, but I wouldn't pay $149 for it. The Backbone Pro ($169.99 at Manufacturer site) is the obvious alternative here, even though it doesn't have haptics or upgraded sticks, but it does offer Bluetooth connectivity for use as a gamepad without a docked device. However, there are competitors out there that offer nearly everything the Kishi V3 Pro does for a lot less. Although you wouldn't get TMR, you could buy two models of comparable GameSir controllers for what Razer is asking for just one. Take, for example, the GameSir G8 Plus ($79.99 at Amazon), which is easily found for half the price of the Kishi V3 Pro. It has Hall effect sticks, which is a slight step down from TMR, but then it has literally everything else. It also supports Bluetooth connectivity. Meanwhile, the G8 Galileo ($79.99 at Amazon) is even more similar to the Kishi series because it relies on a USB-C connection instead of Bluetooth. You could add both of these GameSir models to your cart for the price you'd pay for one Kishi V3 Pro. Even the 2024 Razer Kishi Ultra is a good deal in comparison. On Amazon, you can get a refurbished Kishi Ultra for just $90, which is not bad considering how close to the V3 Pro it is. Also, now that the V3 Pro exists, Razer will likely discontinue the Ultra, bringing the new models down in price eventually, too. Still, there's no denying that the Kishi V3 Pro is a beast. If money is no object to you, it goes on a good sale, or you simply want the best, most feature-rich telescopic controller you can get, this is the one. I just hope your wallet is ready for the Razer Tax.
Android Authority
2 days ago
- Android Authority
Razer Kishi V3 family gives you three choices for your next mobile controller
TL;DR Razer launched three telescopic mobile controllers today: the Kishi V3, Kishi V3 Pro, and Kishi V3 Pro XL. The Kishi V3 Pro is the follow-up to 2024's Kishi Ultra, while the Kishi V3 removes some premium features to bring the price down. The Kishi V3 will cost $99, the Kishi V3 Pro will cost $149, and the Kishi V3 Pro XL will cost $199. In April 2024, Razer launched the Kishi Ultra ($149.99 at Amazon), its top-of-the-line telescopic mobile controller. It had almost all the bells and whistles you could think of — and a premium price tag to match. While it was feature-rich and sleek, a $150 mobile controller was a tough pill to swallow, especially when competitors offer controllers with similar designs and even more features for much less. Now, Razer is launching not one but three telescopic mobile controllers in the Razer Kishi V3 family. Compared to the Kishi Ultra, they offer a less premium, lower-cost option alongside a direct follow-up and a model that even takes the Ultra one step further. Let's start with the direct follow-up, the Razer Kishi V3 Pro. Razer Kishi V3 Pro C. Scott Brown / Android Authority The Kishi V3 Pro looks a lot like the Kishi Ultra. It has a USB-C connector for attaching to your phone or small tablet (up to eight inches), no Bluetooth, offset sticks, an eight-way D-Pad, mecha-tactile face buttons in the Western ABXY style, a 3.5mm headphone jack, a USB-C passthrough port, and full-sized ergonomic grips. The first difference you'll notice, though, is that the RGB lighting is gone. This is unfortunate considering how much Razer prides itself on its Chroma RGB features, but oh well. Outside of pretty lights, the Kishi V3 Pro has some new tunnel magnetoresistant (TMR) thumbsticks. In many ways, these are superior to even hall-effect thumbsticks in terms of precision and preventing drift. This is a significant upgrade, too, because the Kishi Ultra did not have even hall-effect sticks — a major omission for a $150 controller. The Kishi V3 Pro follows up the Kishi Ultra with TMR sticks, swappable stick caps, and additional mouse-click buttons. Speaking of thumbsticks, the Kishi V3 Pro also supports swappable caps. In the box, you'll find two additional caps: one with a domed top and a short stem and another with a concave top and an extended stem. Depending on your preferences, these can replace either the right or left sticks. Razer also added two more buttons to the controller. They live on the back and are mouse-click style multi-function buttons. The two claw-grip bumpers next to the analog triggers are still here from the Kishi Ultra, too, so there are plenty of extra buttons for you to work with. Outside of these alterations, the Kishi V3 Pro is basically the same as the Kishi Ultra. It even has the same $149 price. That price earned the Kishi Ultra a lot of scorn, especially considering that controller's lack of hall-effect/TMR sticks. The fact that the V3 Pro fixes that while also offering swappable sticks and two more buttons might make people less antagonistic toward this model, but time will tell on that one. Razer Kishi V3 Pro Razer Kishi V3 Pro Swappable TMR sticks • Four extra customizable buttons • Powerful free companion software MSRP: $149.99 Razer's Kishi series gets even better. Swappable TMR sticks and lots of extra customizable buttons make this a powerful telescopic mobile controller. See price at Amazon Razer Kishi V3 C. Scott Brown / Android Authority The biggest complaint about the Kishi Ultra was its price, especially when the very similar Gamesir G8 Plus ($79.99 at Amazon) offered similar features for much less money. Razer appears to have heard that criticism and responded with the Razer Kishi V3. The Kishi V3 abandons a few of the premium features of the Ultra to keep the price down. First, and most noticeably, the full-sized grips have been shaved down. They are still comfortable, but they are not as good as the ones on the Ultra and Kishi V3 Pro. Elsewhere, the Kishi V3 Pro's swappable thumbstick caps are not here, although they are still TMR. Razer swapped out its mecha-tactile face buttons for standard ones and also brought over a typical four-way D-Pad in place of the nicer eight-way model on the V3 Pro and Ultra. The Kishi V3 abandons many premium features of the Pro to keep the price down, including the bonkers omission of any haptic motors. The most notable omission, though, is haptics. Unlike in the Pro models (and the Ultra), there is no haptic motor in the controller at all, so you won't get any rumble effects as you play. This might be a deal-breaker for some. Finally, the Kishi V3 doesn't have the claw-grip buttons of the V3 Pro and Ultra models. The new mouse-click style buttons on the back are there, but that's it as far as additional ways to control your game. Because of these omissions, the Razer Kishi V3 comes down to $99. That's nice to see and should quell some of the hate towards the so-called 'Razer tax.' However, once again, there are controllers from competitors that offer all these features for less money. Razer Kishi V3 Razer Kishi V3 Perfect for large tablets • Swappable TMR sticks • Lots of extra buttons MSRP: $99.99 More customizable than ever. The Razer Kishi V3 improves on the V2 base model with swappable TMR sticks and extra buttons. See price at Amazon Razer Kishi V3 Pro XL Razer Finally, we have the biggest one of them all: the Razer Kishi V3 Pro XL. Before you rush off to buy this one because you think it must be the best, be sure to note that this is not what you're expecting it to be. Rather than being just like the Kishi V3 Pro but better, it is actually just the Kishi V3 Pro but for bigger connected devices. Don't be deceived: the Kishi V3 Pro XL isn't better than the regular Pro. It's just bigger and only accommodates 10-inch tablets or larger. Razer said some customers wished their Kishi Ultra could support tablets larger than eight inches. To make this work (and keep it comfortable to use), Razer needed to rethink the basic functionality of the telescopic mobile controller form factor. The result is the Kishi V3 Pro XL. This controller does everything the Kishi V3 Pro does, but it only does it for tablets sized between 10 and 13 inches. In other words, this model will not work for phones. Because of the extra materials needed to accommodate tablets, the Kishi V3 Pro XL is the most expensive in the family at $199. Razer Kishi V3 Pro XL Razer Kishi V3 Pro XL TMR sticks • Relatively lightweight • Customizable back buttons MSRP: $199.99 See price at Amazon Availability and perks C. Scott Brown / Android Authority Regardless of which model you choose, all the new controllers in the Razer Kishi V3 family are on sale starting today, June 12, 2025. You can buy them directly from Razer or many of its third-party partner stores. As a sweet perk, anyone who purchases a Kishi V3 controller will get free months of an Apple Arcade subscription. For the Kishi V3 and V3 Pro, you'll get three months free. For the Kishi V3 Pro XL, you'll get six months of free access.
