News
- Russia is adding magnetic compasses to drones affected by satellite navigation jamming
- The Molniya can use Earth’s magnetic field for basic directional guidance
- A camera periodically checks the compass during the drone’s flight
Russian engineers have reportedly fitted a basic magnetic compass onto the cheap Molniya attack drone to counter satellite jamming.
The modification offers a low-cost alternative when electronic warfare systems interfere with GPS or GLONASS signals used by many unmanned aircraft.
Although the upgrade does not make the drone completely immune to interference, it removes dependence on satellite signals for basic directional guidance.
A compass helps the Molniya survive satellite jammingMost drones depend on satellite navigation systems that both Ukrainian and Russian electronic warfare units have spent the war jamming and spoofing.
Unlike satellite navigation, a magnetic compass reads Earth’s magnetic field directly and does not depend on an external radio signal.
This makes the system difficult to disrupt through conventional jamming, which targets the signals drones use to determine their position and maintain planned flight paths.
The modification could therefore help the Molniya continue following a general course after electronic warfare systems interfere with satellite navigation.
According to Ukrainian defence advisor Serhii Beskrestnov, the latest upgrade was done by Skolkovo technologies.
“Skolkovo technologies continue to develop. A compass was installed on the Molniya drone, and the camera periodically tilts down to look at it,” he said.
The Molniya has also appeared in versions controlled through fibre-optic cables, which cannot be disrupted wirelessly because commands travel through a physical connection.
Those cables, however, add weight and create limitations for range, payload capacity and deployment flexibility.
Beskrestnov has also reported a Molniya attack involving no control antenna, with an onboard camera and computer handling navigation and target selection.
These developments suggest that the low-cost drone is being adapted through different approaches to reduce dependence on vulnerable communications links.
Low cost makes simple upgrades attractiveRussia’s approach to cheaply upgrading the Molniya drones suggests that it is focused on spending less in the war against Ukraine.
The Molniya drones are pretty cheap and are largely made of plywood and aluminum tubing.
This explains why Russian engineers can add simple technologies instead of redesigning the entire aircraft around more expensive navigation systems.
Beskrestnov has estimated that Russia can build 10 to 15 Molniya drones for the cost of one Supercam reconnaissance drone.
The Supercam can cost close to $100,000 per aircraft, according to the estimate, making the cheaper Molniya suitable for modifications that prioritise affordability over sophisticated hardware.
In response to Beskrestnov, Russian military analyst Ian Matveev said, “I’m sure in the documents it says: Navigation equipment based on the principles of Earth’s magnetism.”
His remark captured how a low-cost compass fix can outperform far pricier electronic warfare countermeasures on the battlefield.
However, the magnetic compass does not provide precise satellite positioning, and the drone remains vulnerable to other countermeasures affecting its control, sensors or flight systems.
Via Defence Blog
- Anduril and Archer Aviation unveiled Thunder, an autonomous tiltrotor "loyal wingman" designed to fly alongside crewed attack helicopters
- The rotocraft can carry up to 10 air-to-ground missiles or 76 guided rockets while simultaneously being equipped with counter-drone technology
- Its first flight is targeted for 2027, but no price was disclosed, and no named customer was announced
Anduril opened the 2026 Farnborough International Airshow with the kind of reveal the event is increasingly built around: not a jet, but a robot.
The defense startup, in partnership with electric-aircraft maker Archer Aviation, pulled the wraps off Thunder, a Group 5 autonomous attack rotorcraft designed to fly alongside crewed attack helicopters like the Boeing AH-64 Apache and the US Army's upcoming Bell MV-75 Cheyenne II, or operate entirely on its own.
The Thunder aims to address the growing recognition that the modern battlefield is essentially a killing field for near-surface weaponry and personnel by offering a cheaper, safer option for Western militaries.
A concentration on 'mass' drives the Thunder's designAnduril has repeatedly mentioned mass when it comes to the Thunder, and for good reason.
The Thunder can not only essentially act as an autonomous aerial unit in a formation that has other attack helicopters in it, but it can carry an impressive amount of munitions and electronic warfare equipment to boot, essentially multiplying the threat any squadron of helicopters poses with it.
Not only does it risk fewer lives, if any, but it also costs less than both a fully equipped attack helicopter and the trained personnel required to man it, making it a relative no-brainer for the future if it lives up to its promise.
The trade is meant to be obvious: field enough autonomous wingmen cheaply enough that losing one is an accounting event, not a casualty notification. This is the same "affordable mass" doctrine Anduril and others have been pushing into the fighter world through Collaborative Combat Aircraft programs.
The Thunder simply extends it from fixed-wing fast jets down into Army attack aviation, which is arguably where Ukraine has shown the need is most acute.
It is also, tellingly, a teaming concept rather than a replacement one. Anduril is not claiming Thunder makes the Apache obsolete; it is claiming Thunder keeps the Apache relevant by absorbing the parts of a mission most likely to get a crew killed, while the humans stay farther back and make the decisions.
Anduril's Collaborative Combat Aircraft ambitions are already on display: a drone it designed recently launched an AMRAAM air-to-air missile at a digital target, with human pilots still firmly in control even as the device's autonomy continues to grow.
The Thunder is today a full-scale mockup with a 2027 first-flight target, meaning some details are subject to change. But even as Anduril Industries remains tight-lipped about cost and potential customers, the rotorcraft appears linked to Britain's Project NYX Apache-wingman program, for which the UK arm of the defense contractor has already been shortlisted.
- There was very little mention of the Samsung Galaxy Ring at this year's Unpacked presentation
- Nevertheless, it sounds like a Galaxy Ring 2 is coming
- I interviewed Annika Bizon, VP of Product and Marketing for Mobile Experience, who gave me the inside scoop
What a day! We've just seen Samsung's vision for the future of wearables at Samsung Galaxy Unpacked, including its AR glasses and the new Samsung Galaxy Watch Ultra 2 and Watch 9.
However, conspicuous by its absence was the next iteration of Samsung's smallest wearable, the Samsung Galaxy Ring. While Samsung did confirm the Samsung Galaxy Ring's sleep apnea detection functionality was getting a coveted FDA certification — a significant badge of quality — very little else was said about the Ring, or its next generation.
While the silence has led some to believe that the Ring might be a one-and-done device, people are still passionate about the smart ring form factor. After all, the Oura Ring 5 was released this year, so I thought Samsung would be looking to follow up its smash-hit Galaxy Ring with a Galaxy Ring 2.
(Image credit: Future)While it didn't appear in this year's presentation, it seems that a successor is, indeed, on the way. During an interview with Samsung's VP of Product and Marketing for Mobile Experience, Annika Bizon, I asked if there was any word on a potential Galaxy Ring 2.
"I will say yes, we are looking at the future of Ring, watch this space," Bizon told me. "It will definitely form part of our future portfolio of wearables."
I noted that Bizon was wearing a Samsung Galaxy Ring as we were speaking. "Well, I love it because it's discreet health," she said. "It tells me some of the things I need to know and when I put my watch back on, they'll work together."
There was definitely a "yes" in there, and the remark about the future portfolio suggests a new device, as well as a follow-up to the existing one, could be in the works. And the Galaxy Ring has certainly got fans inside Samsung's executive team.
Besides, Samsung aggressively pursuing certifications for the first-generation Ring shows it remains committed to investing time and money into its smallest wearable form factor. The short segment at Unpacked felt like a reminder that yes, the Ring exists, and there's more on the way.
Even though it's a mere tidbit compared to all the big news we got at the event, this is exciting stuff for fans of the best smart rings. The recent announcement of the blood-pressure monitoring startup Signal Ring from ex-Head of Android Tom Moss shows that tech companies are still pushing the limits of what smart rings can do.
- White Eagle knocked Matador's head off with a precise high kick during combat
- Matador continued fighting after losing its head and head-mounted sensors during battle
- EngineAI's humanoid robot can perform uppercuts, spinning kicks, and rapid recovery after falls
A white T800 humanoid robot named White Eagle stunned spectators in China after landing a precision kick that dislodged its rival's head.
The bout was part of the opening contest of the Ultimate Robot Knock-out Legend (URKL) tournament, the world's first full-scale humanoid robot fighting event.
Held at the Shenzhen Nanshan Cultural and Sports Center, the event drew 32 teams from around the world.
A robot that kept fightingThe most striking moment came when White Eagle's opponent, a black-clad robot called Matador, lost its head to a precise high kick.
Despite losing its head-mounted sensors, the machine kept throwing punches and absorbing strikes, finishing the match through its torso-based core systems alone.
Organizers said the sequence shows the robot's durability and its resistance to sustained physical impact, according to the Guangzhou Daily.
According to EngineAI, the T800 stands 1.73 meters tall and can perform uppercuts, spinning kicks and rapid recoveries after falls.
The company said each unit costs roughly $50,000 and features strong posture control, dynamic perception and shock-absorbing capabilities for combat.
All 32 competing teams used the EngineAI T800 as a standardized platform, ensuring every fighter entered the ring with identical hardware.
Selection for the inaugural tournament reportedly involved rigorous testing of each robot's stability and combat responsiveness before the event officially began.
The Shenzhen Nanshan Cultural and Sports Center provided the backdrop for a tournament organizers hope will grow into a recognized global sporting franchise.
Tournament tests more than robot strengthThe URKL format assesses robots through effective strikes, body stability, defensive and evasive abilities, and overall durability in combat.
That structure means victory depends on more than simply delivering the hardest punch or kick.
EngineAI founder and CEO Zhao Tongyang said the tournament aims to develop a globally influential commercial humanoid robotics fighting franchise.
He also said competition could support research and industrial development by exposing machines to demanding physical conditions.
"We want to use competition to drive research and industry development," Zhao said. "Let the event feed back into technology, and let technology drive the industry."
Real combat could help assess mechanical balance, millisecond-level decision-making and coordination between multiple sensor systems.
Feedback from such conditions could accelerate the movement of intelligent robots from laboratory development toward commercial use.
Actor Donnie Yen attended the event and compared the experience favourably with staged combat scenes from films.
"Honestly, I used to see robot fighting only in science fiction movies. But today, for the first time, I got to watch real robots fighting up close,” Yen said during the opening ceremony.
The event's unusual head-loss incident reveals the durability of the T800, while also showing the limits and risks of using complex humanoid machines in physical combat.
Future contests will likely determine whether such events can produce useful engineering data beyond entertainment.
Via Global Times
Computing is so ubiquitous that we often see more than one in most households, including laptops, desktops, all-in-ones, smartphones, tablets, and so on. But there was once a time when that certainly wasn't the case. In that context, some comments made by industry stalwarts of the past may appear like massive miscalculations.
Ethics in AIThe late Ken Olsen was the co-founder and CEO of Digital Equipment Corporation (DEC), a major company in the mid-20th century that produced a series of minicomputers over the decades in which it operated until its decline in 1998.
Quote of the dayThis article is part of TechRadar Pro's QOTD project to provide an insight into the minds of the brightest and most recognized figures in the technology industry today and in years gone by. Read the full series here.
Despite being a key part of the computer industry, Olsen was adamant that the computer was something isolated to the enterprise — delivering his infamous comments in 1977 at a convention of the World Future Society. There are, however, two very important caveats.
Firstly, computers at the time were either gigantic mainframes or minicomputers that needed specialized staff to manage. Secondly, Olsen later claimed his words were taken completely out of context.
Smart livingOlsen claimed he wasn't referring to the sort of computers we see today in homes like desktop PCs or laptops, but actually the then-futuristic proposal of a master computer that would automate different functions around the house.
What the executive was referring to was what we now understand as the smart home. However, regardless of the context, his comments still missed the mark — as the rise of smart home technology has been a very exciting development during the 21st century.
That said, the vision of a fully automated and intelligent home has proven massively prohibitive, partially due to cost, partially due to hardware, and finally due to slow interoperability and integration. That latter element, however, is finally something that's been changing thanks to the Matter smart home standard.
- Someone used an AirPod to record flying disc throw statistics
- Tested with throws of up to 45mph and no damage
- Strava-friendly export for dedicated disc throwers
One of Apple's most famous adverts opened with "Here's to the crazy ones. The misfits. The rebels. The troublemakers. The round pegs in the square holes. The ones who see things differently." The text didn't explicitly say "here's to the ones sticking AirPods on frisbees", but I think Steve Jobs would have approved of the Redditor who's done exactly that.
Paul Tracer, aka Disastrous-Body-297, has invented a use for AirPods that I'm pretty sure nobody at Apple ever considered. He used them to upgrade a standard frisbee and to stream real-time data. It can even export sessions to the Strava app.
Airpods can track frisbee throws from r/airpodsWhy upgrading a frisbee with AirPods isn't completely crazyAs the intrepid inventor explains: "The AirPod streams motion data to the phone and detects/analyses throws in real time. With optional voice feedback into the second AirPod. It measures speed, revolutions, airborne time, throw count. It also measures heartrate (either with latest AirPods or external HR)."
You can try it for yourself: the app is the sports metrics app Kinapod, which the creator says is currently going through Apple's approval process. The AirPod is literally just put through a hole created in the dead center of the disc. Tracer says "Just punch a hole in the center of the disc and that’s it! You’ll be surprised how reliable it is. The AirPod stem is not entirely cylindrical, it doesn’t slide out."
The result is a lot of data: average speed, maximum spin, total airborne time, and more.
There's a market for that kind of information: as one Redditor, lenfantsuave, joke posts, "Tech disc: I will never financially recover from this." Tech Disc is a company that makes a range of launch monitors for disc golf priced at $299.99, which track multiple metrics and flight paths in order to help players improve their game, and someone from the firm joined in the online conversation to praise Tracer's ingenuity.
Tracer's tracker is very much a "fun thing" rather than a serious setup, not least because expensive earbuds aren't the most cost-effective gyro sensors to attach to a frisbee; the risk of damage or destruction is clearly pretty high, although the AirPods have survived so far according to Tracer.
Tracer is currently chatting with Redditors on forums such as r/discgolf about alternative and more affordable ways of collating data. And in the meantime, the AirPod/Frisbee combination made me and other Redditors happy: "This is very rad," says claybythebay9, while GrandMasterFlex reckons, and I'm including to agree, that "this is sick as hell".
As Apple's ad put it, "while some may see them as the crazy ones, we see genius." Or as SilverMelodyPrincess says in the Reddit thread: "Apple accidentally made the most over-engineered frisbee stat tracker and I'm here for it."
The 8BitDo Ultimate Mobile Gaming Controller - Xbox Edition takes the brand’s existing wireless mobile controller grip and makes a couple of surface-level changes.
The overall shape, style, and functions remain, but official Xbox licensing sees the Turbo button swapped for a dedicated Xbox button. It retains the $49.99 / £43.99 / AU$89 price tag of the original, meaning it's significantly cheaper than alternatives like the Backbone One or GameSir G8.
The Hall effect joysticks and triggers from the original are still here too, with clicky bumpers and what 8BitDo describes as a refined D-pad, though it felt pretty standard to me. For Xbox Cloud Gaming specifically, which is what I imagine most gamers would turn to this option for, it’s excellent on the whole. Cruising the streets of Japan in Forza Horizon 6 across iOS, Android, and Mac was smooth and responsive, with no perceptible latency over its wireless Bluetooth connection. The telescopic grip is the most secure I've seen in this category, confidently holding an iPhone 17 Pro with a case without any flex or creaking, and it’s comfortable enough for longer sessions.
The problems start when you step outside cloud gaming and into native mobile titles. Call of Duty Mobile refused to recognize the controller on both iOS and Android, and games that do work natively, like Fortnite, display PlayStation button prompts on screen despite the controller's physical ABXY layout and Xbox branding. The two back paddle buttons, a feature prominently listed on the spec sheet, also weren't recognized in any game or cloud gaming scenario I tested.
The core experience, however, is a pleasant one. If Xbox Cloud Gaming is your primary use case, the 8BitDo Ultimate Mobile Gaming Controller - Xbox Edition is close to a bargain. For native mobile gaming, the experience is a harder sell, and you’d be better off exploring other options on our list of the best mobile controllers.
(Image credit: Future)8BitDo Ultimate Mobile Gaming Controller - Xbox Edition: Price and availability- List price: $49.99 / ~£43.99 / AU$89
- Retains the same price as the original and undercuts similar competitors
- Available in white or black from 8BitDo and retailers
The 8BitDo Ultimate Mobile Gaming Controller - Xbox Edition launched in July 2025, half a year after the non-branded version, keeping the same $49.99 / £43.99 / AU$89 price. You’ll find it at a range of retailers, though 8BitDo is keen to push you towards Amazon, as well as from its own online store.
It’s worth checking out different options because at the time of writing, 8BitDo's store has it on sale for $38.99 in the US, making an already competitive price even more attractive.
For context, the Backbone One 2nd Gen runs $99.99, and the GameSir G8 Wireless sits at $79.99, so even at full price, the 8BitDo undercuts its closest competitors by a comfortable margin.
If you’re not too fussed about that Xbox tie-in, it’s worth noting that the original version of this controller now shares the same iOS and Android compatibility and has been spotted as low as $25 on sale. The day-to-day differences are extremely minor, so if budget is a concern, it’s worth keeping an eye on both.
(Image credit: Future)8BitDo Ultimate Mobile Gaming Controller - Xbox Edition: Specs8BitDo Ultimate Mobile Gaming Controller Xbox Edition
Price
$49.99 / £43.99 / AU$89
Dimensions
7.8 x 4.1 x 2.1in / 198 x 103 x 53.5mm
Weight
8.32oz / 236g
Connection
Bluetooth LE 5.0, USB-C (Windows only)
Compatibility
iOS, Android, PC, macOS
Software
8BitDo Ultimate Software V2 (iOS, Android)
8BitDo Ultimate Mobile Gaming Controller - Xbox Edition: Design and features- The most secure phone grip I've tested in a mobile controller
- Hall effect sticks and triggers are impressive at this price
- Quite a small overall profile
The 8BitDo Ultimate Mobile Gaming Controller - Xbox Edition carries that familiar 8BitDo styling with rounded edges everywhere that almost look like they’re gently melting. It’s not, thankfully, and build quality is good across the board.
The textured rubber surface on the back of the phone deck is a highlight with a fun input-themed pattern, and the small amount of texture on the back of the main grips feels nice under your fingers. It’s available in your choice of black or white. I’ve been testing the former, and it’s a magnet for greasy marks, and I can see it getting shiny over time. Keep a microfibre cloth handy.
I don’t have massive hands, but the 8BitDo Ultimate Mobile Gaming Controller - Xbox Edition feels slightly small to hold, and it’s the length of the main grips that is the culprit. The left stick falls in a natural position, but the right one ends up nearly at the base of my thumb, and I essentially had to claw-grip the right side to reach it. It's not a dealbreaker, though coming from the stock Xbox Wireless Controller or even another mobile grip like the GameSir G8, it’s certainly a downgrade in comfort.
Where this controller definitely impresses is the phone deck. The telescopic action extends smoothly, and in testing, it held both my phones in a reassuringly sturdy way. This is the first mobile controller grip I've tested that confidently holds both a super slim POCO X5 Pro 5G and a chunky iPhone 17 Pro with a case still on without any sense that the phone might pop loose. There are no replaceable pads or removable elements to fiddle with; it’s just a good base design that’s wonderfully fit for purpose.
Feedback from the bumpers is sharp and clicky, with a responsiveness that feels better than you'd expect at this price point. The face buttons are a more standard fare, neither exceptional nor disappointing, though they are a little rattly. The D-pad has a noticeable wobble before the input registers, though the actual click is short and responsive once it fires.
There are Hall effect sticks and triggers on offer here, which is impressive for the price, and the sticks feel great with just the right amount of resistance. The triggers have a good level of detail but have a quirk: both left and right complete their full input range before the trigger is physically all the way down, leaving roughly 5% of dead travel at the bottom of the press. They don’t have the longest travel to begin with, so it’s a shame not to be using all of it.
(Image credit: Future)8BitDo Ultimate Mobile Gaming Controller - Xbox Edition: Performance- Xbox Cloud Gaming works excellently across iOS, Android, and Mac
- Native mobile game compatibility is highly inconsistent
- Back buttons weren't recognized in any scenario I tested
Given its name, it should be no surprise that the 8BitDo Ultimate Mobile Gaming Controller - Xbox Edition is at its best when playing games via Xbox Cloud Gaming. I’d even go so far as to say that if you’re not a Game Pass subscriber, you can probably stop reading now and look to another mobile grip instead.
Initial pairing to devices is straightforward, and thankfully, there are no multiple connectivity modes to fumble with like on the GameSir G8 Bluetooth. The whole experience works smoothly out of the box, and I didn’t even need to consult the user guide for pairing mode instructions. I took a punt on holding a button until a light flashed, and I was right.
Switching the controller between devices wasn’t quite so simple, though admittedly my testing environment is a real stress test for this kind of thing. I attempted to jump around between my iPhone, MacBook Air, and Android phone, and things got rather temperamental.
The controller seemed to want to cling on to a previously paired device, even if Bluetooth was now switched off on it, so moving between a phone and a laptop usually required repairing from scratch rather than reconnecting to a previously paired device. If you’re not hopping back and forth as I have been, this won’t be an issue, though after a few days of testing I’ve ended up with four separate "Ultimate MGX" entries in my Android Bluetooth list.
No matter which of those devices I was connected to, the Xbox Cloud Gaming experience was excellent. I drove around Japan in Forza Horizon 6 without a hitch; the controls were responsive, and there was no noticeable Bluetooth latency.
The triggers offer plenty of granular control for working the throttle, though that dead zone at the end I mentioned earlier took some getting used to when it came to small throttle lifts around high-speed corners. There's no rumble or vibration support, but I’ll happily admit I didn't miss it. Cloud gaming and mobile titles rarely lean heavily on haptic feedback anyway.
FutureFutureSteam had a love-hate relationship with the controller, depending on the platform. Connecting to my MacBook Air over Bluetooth had Steam recognizing it as a different, previously paired controller, which then failed to work in-game. Plugging it in via USB-C looked promising at first with macOS referencing it by name, but it was never seen by Steam or Xbox Cloud Gaming.
Windows fared much better across both Steam and cloud; over USB-C, it was instantly set up as a general XInput device, fully mapped and compatible with both.
8BitDo Ultimate Mobile Gaming Controller - Xbox Edition gains a dedicated Xbox home button on the front, replacing the turbo button from the standard version. When in the cloud gaming app, this button opens the guide just like it would on console; outside cloud gaming, it’ll open either the Apple Gaming app or act as a home button on Android. It’s a nice-to-have sort of feature rather than a game-changing one, but I’ll admit I did use it a few times in testing and wouldn’t have looked twice at a turbo button.
The moment you step into native mobile games, however, things start to get messier, and you’re at the mercy of individual developers. Fortnite recognized the controller immediately on both iOS and Android, and the gameplay experience was responsive and reliable. But the on-screen button labels display PlayStation symbols (Circle, Cross, Square, Triangle) despite the controller's physical ABXY layout and Xbox branding.
That’s a little awkward. This usually happens because the controller identifies itself as a generic gamepad rather than as an actual Xbox controller, which means the Xbox licensing doesn't extend to how games see it. Call of Duty Mobile, one of the biggest mobile shooters on the planet, simply doesn't recognize the controller at all. Not on iOS, not on Android, and there’s no hardware mapping workaround either.
Depending on your play style, the back paddle buttons are perhaps the most frustrating limitation. They're physically well-designed, nicely positioned, and require just the right amount of force to trigger, but they weren't recognized in any scenario I tested. Not in Fortnite, not in cloud gaming, not anywhere. Even after binding them to specific inputs through the 8BitDo Ultimate Software V2 app, games simply didn't see them.
Speaking of the app, it’s incredibly basic and falls far behind competitors in this space. Firstly, there are confusingly two versions on the App Store; V1 doesn't recognize the controller at all, and V2 requires you to manually select and pair your controller model during setup despite the device already being Bluetooth-paired to your phone.
Once you're in, the customization options are barebones: button remapping, dead zone adjustments, and trigger tuning. It worked on both iOS and Android, though anything you configure is device-specific and doesn’t save on the controller itself.
Shoudl you buy the 8BitDo Ultimate Mobile Gaming Controller - Xbox Edition?Buy it if...You’re an Xbox Game Pass subscriber who plays on mobile
This is the controller's strongest use case by a wide, wide margin. Cloud gaming works flawlessly on iOS, Android, and Mac; the build quality is excellent for the price, and the phone grip is the most secure I've tested.
You value portability or have smaller hands
While it doesn’t fold down completely, the 8BitDo Ultimate Mobile Gaming Controller Xbox Edition is more compact than competitors, with shorter grips that are well suited to smaller hands.
You play a lot of native mobile games
The Ultimate Mobile Gaming Controller is inconsistent when it comes to native game recognition. Some titles play fine but with the wrong labels, while others simply don’t work at all. If onboard titles are your main focus, look elsewhere.
You use rear buttons a lot
The two rear paddle buttons are physically well-placed but functionally useless in every scenario I tested. Even cloud gaming, which works so well in general, fails to recognize them or allow their use in games.
Here are two strong alternatives to weigh up.
8BitDo Ultimate Mobile Gaming Controller Xbox Edition
GameSir G8+ Bluetooth
Backbone One 2nd Gen
Price
$49.99 / £43.99 / AU$89
$79.99 / £79.99 / AU$129.99
$99.99 / £99.99 / AU$179.99
Dimensions
7.8 x 4.1 x 2.1in / 198 x 103 x 53.5mm
9.06 x 4.21 x 2.17in / 230 x 107 x 55mm
6.93 x 3.70 x 1.34in / 176 x 93.98 x 34.03mm
Weight
8.32oz / 236g
10.72oz / 314g
4.86oz / 138g
Connection
Bluetooth LE 5.0, USB-C (Windows only)
Bluetooth 5.3, Wired (USB-C), Dongle (sold separately)
Wired (USB-C / Lightning)
Compatibility
iOS, Android, PC, macOS
Android, iOS, Nintendo Switch, PC, macOS
Android, iOS
Software
8BitDo Ultimate Software V2 (iOS, Android)
GameSir App (Android only)
Backbone App
GameSir G8+ Galileo Wireless
This is your closest direct competitor, offering Bluetooth 5.3 connectivity, Hall effect sticks and triggers, back buttons, and broader platform support including Nintendo Switch. It costs more at $79.99, but the larger grips, additional connectivity options, and stronger local game compatibility make it a more versatile wireless mobile controller.
For more information, check out our full GameSir G8+ Galileo Wireless review
Backbone One (2nd Gen)
The Backbone One remains our top pick for portable mobile controllers thanks to its compact form factor, reliable USB-C passthrough connection, and broad game compatibility. It's basically double the price and lacks Hall effect sticks, but if native game support and portability matter more than cloud gaming value, it's the safer bet.
For more information, check out our full Backbone One 2nd Gen review
How I tested the 8BitDo Ultimate Mobile Gaming Controller - Xbox Edition- Spent several days testing across multiple devices and platforms
- I tested native mobile games, Xbox Cloud Gaming, and Steam on Mac and Windows
- Tried the companion app on both iOS and Android
I tested the 8BitDo Ultimate Mobile Gaming Controller Xbox Edition with an iPhone 17 Pro and a POCO X5 Pro 5G for mobile gaming, as well as a Mac and Windows PC for cloud gaming and Steam. I tested native mobile games, including Fortnite (on both iOS and Android), and attempted Call of Duty Mobile on both platforms. Cloud gaming testing focused on Forza Horizon 6 via Xbox Cloud Gaming on all devices.
I evaluated the companion app experience on both iOS and Android, including firmware checking, profile setup, and button remapping. I tested the back paddle buttons across multiple scenarios, including native games, cloud gaming, and through the 8BitDo Ultimate Software V2 app. I also tested the controller's behavior on Steam, including calibration and in-game recognition.
First reviewed July 2026