Over the last few years we’ve watched GameSir go from plucky newbie to gaming powerhouse. They’ve done that by making the smallest of changes to their product line up, amending, reworking, changing things ever so slightly to enhance with each iteration.
It’s that which gets us to the GameSir G8 Galileo Type-C Wired Mobile Gaming Controller. A product that feels absolutely perfect for those immersed in mobile gaming, especially gamers looking to harness the power of Game Pass Cloud Gaming on their phones.
Should you be at all familiar with other GameSir mobile controllers, then you’ll be right at home with this one. But it all feels much tighter than before, a more quality product as GameSir continue to iterate.
Coming in a wonderful pale grey skin with proper handles on either side, we think the G8 is the best looking of those GameSir controllers to date. That light grey is well complemented with darker grey thumbsticks, d-pad and menu buttons. And then slapped on top are some equally glorious double-purple hued face buttons; place in the usual Xbox configuration. The G8 really does look to be a great piece of kit.
Slapbang in the middle of the G8 Galileo is a dark grey middle section, textured and padded with rubber grips to ensure any phone is safely held within. And it does that by utilising the usual pull-to-fit standard which is – quite honestly – our favourite fitment process. It’s super simple to pull the G8 apart, slide a phone in and get playing.
The GameSir G8 Galileo Type-C Wired Mobile Gaming Controller is capable of holding a decent range of phones too. Whilst we’re not sure you should be using this with flip or fold phones, pretty much anything else of recent years will be fine. GameSir state that it can handle anything between 115 and 185mm length dimensions. We’ve used a number of Android and Google Pixel phones without any issue – Pixel 7 Pro, Pixel 6a, Pixel 4XL and Pixel 4a. This should also be fine for iPhone. At least, there’s no issue when cases are removed. However, with even the most minimal of phone coverage, the G8 doesn’t ever want to connect to the phone. Perhaps the USB-C port that is in place is a tad too short? We don’t know. Shift those cases though and the job is a good ‘um, immediate connection lighting up the G8 for use.
Phones connect straight into the USB-C port that is attached to the right side of the G8. And that connection – albeit seemingly too short – is flexible enough to ensure that you’ll never have an issue with connection. From there, the magic happens.
We’ve mostly used the GameSir G8 Galileo Type-C with Game Pass Cloud titles, gaming away with the likes of SteamWorld Build, Jusant and Party Animals. It’s held up pretty much perfectly too, with as-near-as-damn-it zero button lag thanks to that immediate connection.
It all feels great to use too, with the layout of buttons very much as you would expect. Thumbsticks run a nice height, well textured, utilising a hybrid of concaved and convexed elements to ensure thumb fitment and non-slip. GameSir have chucked some Hall Effect mechanics in too, and that should mean these stay constantly smooth and last a lifetime.
That Hall Effect nature is fed into the analog triggers as well. These run the same pale grey visuals as the main controller, with texturing to ensure you don’t slip in the heat of the action. They feel great to pull on, super responsive as well. Similar goes for the bumpers but perhaps we’d like to see a furthering of that same textured grip worm its way over to those.
And then we get to the face buttons. Much smaller than found on a standard Xbox controller – or even our fully pimped out MegaModz controller – they are no less responsive. They feel great to the touch and have worked for us every single time. We very much like the visual take on these: two shades of purple allow them to really standout.
Want more? Well, you’re getting it with the G8 Galileo. Around the back, sitting astride a delicate, understated GameSir logo are a couple of rear mounted, programmable buttons. These are treated to R4 and L4 tags, sited exactly where your middle fingers land, ensuring that you don’t need to go hunting for them. As you’d expect to hear, combining those buttons with a M button (situated right under the d-pad) allows you to set these however you like.
More still? Go on then. GameSir will let you pull on the faceplate arms, removing those from their magnetic housing prior to mixing up your thumbsticks. If you need a smaller stick, a domed stick or a slightly lengthier stick, you’ll find those present and correct in the G8 Galileo box. Personally, we’ve been fine with the standard set-up, but it’s good to know that further options are included for those after it.
The GameSir G8 Galileo Type-C Wired Mobile Gaming Controller also comes with a few other fancy features. There’s the GameSir App which lets you amend all manner of things. But there are also the Home or M buttons that work in conjunction with others; you can adjust volumes (an extremely appreciated touch), set some Turbo buttons and switch on/off hair triggers. In fact there’s a ton of stuff included if you go looking for it. And of course, there’s USB-C power passthrough if you need to charge your phone as you play, as well as the standard 3.5mm audio jack for connecting up a wired headset.
So, have GameSir reached the top of their game with the G8 Galileo Type-C Wired Mobile Gaming Controller? Well, there’s always room for improvement and we’d love to use this with a case on our phones, but we’d not be surprised if they continue building on their current success. For now though, if you’re a mobile gamer, and make the most of Game Pass and the Cloud, you’ll find everything you want – and then some – in the GameSir G8 Galileo controller.
Huge thanks go out to GameSir for providing us with the G8 Galileo for review. Grab a unit for yourself if you like. You’ll find them on Amazon and GameSir direct. £79.99 or so feels like a great price for this one.
