RiotPWR ESL iPhone controller review: Power up your mobile and Xbox cloud gaming

Mobile gaming has grown to an incredible level over the past decade, with console-quality games available on many phones and tablets. A downside to these AAA games is finicky touch screen controls, often too frustrating for more complex and competitive games. Initially concerned with how much compatibility might exist for mobile games, the RiotPWR ESL automatically directs you to the Ludu Mapp mobile app. The app, designed by T2M, the parent company of RiotPWR, categorizes mobile games with controller support.

The app proved invaluable and saved me plenty of time scouring the internet for controller-supported games to play with the ESL pad. The good news is that everything I played worked perfectly without having to re-map controls for any of the games that I tried. The delight of a device advertised as plug-and-play living up to its promise was fantastic. Most games allow you to hide on-screen touch controls, which gives them a genuine console-quality feel.

In hand, the controller feels comfortable if a tad on the smaller side. It makes sense to be a little more petite given its mobile game nature where portability is paramount. The detachable phone mount saved me space when I kept it in my backpack, but it would comfortably fit in a larger jacket pocket too. Looking at photos, you might think mounting a phone would have the ESL pad feeling wobbly and heavy, but it's surprising how balanced it is when your device is angled just right.