A couple months ago a Kickstarter came up for a mobile controller than fits the iPad mini out of the box. I had previously picked up a Razer KIshi for iOS emulators but that thing sucks, it uses an elastic strap for tension and you have to hold it like a newborn to keep it from disconnecting. There are a ton of mobile controllers out there now but apart from by modding a Gamesir, the only one that was made to fit the iPad mini was the hilariously overpriced Razer Kishi Ultra.

I paid a $65 “pledge” on Sep 9 and got it on Nov 1, pretty good turnaround. It works with Delta and RetroArch out of the box and you can cycle through making it appear as a Xbox, Playstation, or Switch controller. There are way more features that aren’t really relevant to iPadOS emulation, which is what I want to focus on.

abxylute S9

• Hardware: The hardware in terms of sticks and buttons feels about the same to me as my 8bitdo ultimate controller. The springs feel strong now but no telling how they’ll hold up over time.
• Software: There’s an abxy app that’s pretty useless, it’s just a launcher for apps that don’t work (they just forward to the App Store even if the app is installed). However, there’s documentation about calibration and the app can upgrade firmware, which I think indicates an intention to support the hardware in the long-term.
• Design: The controller part itself looks fine, not overly gamer-ish. Overall though it makes the iPad mini pretty huge and it feels like using one of those toddler tablets with a big foam handle. The LEDs aren’t overly bright but you can’t currently adjust them. The rubber padding on the left side that goes against the top edge of the iPad is clearly designed to fit absolutely precisely between the volume and power/sleep button, so it’s easy to accidentally hit them when first putting the iPad in. Once you get it properly placed though, it won’t move.

  

• Price: I paid $65 through the Kickstarter and it’s currently “on sale” for $70 from a supposed $99 MSRP. This seems really high to me considering how cheap good controllers are like from 8Bitdo. I don’t think it’s really worth even the discount price I paid and would wait for a deep sale, maybe for $45, but it’s still way cheaper than the Kishi Ultra.
• Compatibility: I don’t have a USB C iPhone so I can’t try it on iOS. I do have a Switch OLED and can tell that it fits it (you would have to add spacers to clear the USB C connector), but it requires an additional dongle to use. This is because while the S9 has bluetooth, it doesn’t have a battery and runs off of the connected device.
• Miscellaneous other features:
  • Passthrough charging
  • 2 back paddle buttons
  • Lots of accessories included, extra thumbcaps, little spacers with adhesive to put on either side of the USB C connector
  • USB C connector tilts up for putting the iPad in
  • Extra tip: if you lock the iPad into landscape mode, you can use the controller to navigate the home screen.

Followup

Here’s the english manual: files.catbox.moe/ar5vzk.pdf