Priced-out PC gaming handhelds? Your phone can fill the gap

Portable PC gaming has gotten expensive, but a phone can do much of the same job. A How-To Geek writer says a phone, a telescopic controller and a cloud gaming subscription can get you playing PC games on the go without paying handheld prices.

The controller matters most

A controller you already own, such as an Xbox or PlayStation pad, can pair with a phone. The catch is that the phone has to sit on a stand, and the screen looks small from that distance. A telescopic controller is better. It stretches out so the phone sits in the middle and is held like a Nintendo Switch or Steam Deck.

• GameSir G8 Plus: connects by Bluetooth, fits any phone and most tablets, $80 new.
• Razer Kishi V3 Pro: about $150 new. The writer paid a third of that used on eBay.
• Used buyers may find stick drift, where a joystick moves on its own. Sellers do not always say so.

Some controllers plug into the phone's USB port. That gives the lowest delay between a press and the action on screen. But it does not fit every phone or case.

Cloud gaming is the easy start

Cloud gaming means the game runs on a distant computer and streams to your screen. The writer dislikes the idea. You do not download the game, you need internet, and it is another subscription. Still, on Nvidia GeForce Now and Xbox, he could not tell the games from local ones. That covered Lost Records: Bloom & Rage and The Halo Master Chief Collection.

His results come from single-player games. Competitive online multiplayer may differ. You also need a Wi-Fi connection or phone data plan that meets the service's requirements.

Running PC games on the phone

On Android, some apps try to run Windows games directly. GameHub comes from GameSir. GameNative is open source, meaning its code is public, and is on the Play Store. DroidDeck is another open-source option. They use compatibility layers such as Proton, which translate Windows software for other systems.

Results vary with the app, the phone and the game. A colleague got Steam games running within minutes. The writer did not have that luck, so expect some trial and error.

The tradeoffs

A phone is not better than a dedicated PC handheld. The screen is smaller and the processor is less powerful. The writer's point is price. He says he could buy Nintendo Switch 2 consoles for himself and both kids for the cost of one PC handheld.