I’ll tell you that as a hardcore iOS gamer, nothing has been as big of a disappointment to me as the whole MFi controller ecosystem. For years we wished that Apple would officially support controllers for iOS games, but once they finally did it was an extremely mixed back. We covered just why that was shortly after the first batch of MFi controllers came to market in late 2013, but let me quickly summarize. The “standard" and “extended" versions of MFi controllers needlessly split support and created confusion for developers on which one to use, it should have just been the extended version all along. Build quality of those early MFi controllers was also on the low end, but prices were on the extremely high end, especially compared to actual 1st party offerings from console manufacturers. Here we are nearly 5 years later and although prices have come down a bit, there still hasn’t really been a controller that’s felt super premium and durable for the price. Finally, since Apple never made any effort to denote which games in the App Store supported MFi controllers, it’s been difficult for players to actually FIND the games that they can play with the controller they bought.
The whole thing has just been kind of a mess from the beginning and, much like Apple’s foray into making the Apple TV a gaming console, just felt like a mountain of squandered potential. The Nintendo Switch has been absolutely killing it for a year and a half now, but that could have easily been Apple. They had all the pieces in place for the portable/home console hybrid that has been such a selling point of the Switch, but lacked any sort of concerted effort to push for decent hardware to make it possible. Like solid MFi controllers to start, but also some sort of drop-in docking station or the like for TV support in the living room. Apple COULD have totally done this, but the Switch jumped in and ate their lunch.
All that said, there IS a very dedicated contingent of MFi gamers out there who absolutely adore their controllers and wish that every game that made sense to do so would support them. The problem is that this is a pretty small niche of players, so it can be questionable whether or not it’s viable for a developer to go out of their way to support controllers. Still it does seem like a good majority of new games support MFi nowadays, and those who have found what they feel are the best MFi controllers seem incredibly happy with them. For our money, the best currently available MFi controller has been the Steelseries Nimbus which offers fairly decent build quality and is often on sale for pretty reasonable prices.
So, all that lead up is just to say that… maybe there’s still hope. Back in September around the time Apple released iOS 12, all-around great tech person Steve Troughton-Smith noticed that in one of Apple’s iOS 12.1 builds there was the inclusion that seemed to point to MFi controllers being able to support clickable analog sticks for an L3 and R3 button functionality like what is common on home consoles. This would finally make the “extended" MFi controller (does anyone even make a “standard" MFi controller anymore?) able to match up one-to-one with console controllers, thus making it that much easier to bring console and PC ports to iOS with no control compromises.
I wasn’t really sure what to make of that news at the time, but iOS 12.1 just launched this week and I don’t think it’s any coincidence that the first ever MFi controller to support the L3 and R3 functionality has also been unveiled this week. It’s from a group called Rotor Riot who are a collective of drone enthusiasts who also make a variety of high-quality components for drones. That might sound like an odd fit for someone to produce a game controller, but it actually makes a ton of sense. Many drones utilize your smartphone or tablet as its controller, and use virtual control setups that are very similar to those you see in games. It stands to reason that even drone pilots would like some tactile feedback once and a while, and if their physical drone controller can ALSO play any MFi capable mobile game, then that’s just a really awesome bonus, right? Enter the Rotor Riot Wired Video Game & Drone Controller.
As you can see in the pictures above, the Rotor Riot controller is wired, which I actually think is a great design choice. First of all you don’t have to worry about lag input from a Bluetooth connection, and second of all you don’t have to worry about batteries as it’ll run off the juice from your device. It has a screw on clip that will hold smaller devices like iPhones, but it seems the wire will likely be long enough to accommodate iPads comfortably too. The controller connects to the device via Lightning and will work on iOS devices with iOS 7 or above, but they’ll also be simultaneously launching a USB-C version of the controller for Android devices that use that input. And I guess the new iPads that use USB-C too, huh? I’m primarily an iPhone gamer and have always preferred the MFi controllers that included a clip to hold the device, and I absolutely loathe the finickiness of Bluetooth connections, so the Rotor Riot is pushing all of my buttons over here.
As an aside, Rotor Riot is partnering with an app called Ludu Mapp (Free) that supposedly encompasses all of the MFi supported games on the App Store (and Google Play as well, thanks to an Android version). Just poking around the app for a few minutes and it seems to be just as advertised and something a lot of us have dreamt about for years now: A complete one-stop source to find all the MFi compatible games. The layout is nice and the first featured game is Tesla vs Lovecraft ($8.99) which just launched last week, which makes me think this app might actually stay relatively up-to-date unlike similar efforts from others in the past. Even if you’ve already found the MFi controller of your dreams and are perfectly happy with it, you’ve definitely got to download the Ludu Mapp app to have a comprehensive guide to MFi compatible games.
The Rotor Riot controller is said to be shipping around November 5th, so currently you can check out the Rotor Riot Store’s website and sign up to be notified by email when the device is in stock. They are also going to be sold at Best Buy and on Amazon. As a big MFi controller cynic, I am VERY interested in getting my hands on one of these and would love nothing more than for the MFi ecosystem to completely turn itself around and realize its full potential. Or perhaps I’m just once again getting my hopes up to just be let down. Either way, time will tell.
Every time you and Eli have brought up MFi controllers on the podcast I’ve ended up searching for one that won’t break the bank and unsurprisingly coming up short. After reading this piece, consider me hyped for this controller and hoping games I want/have are on that Ludu Mapp app.
I fly a lot of drones and use a lot of rotor riot gear and everything I’ve bought from them so far has been very high quality (they also have a very good YouTube channel) so I imagine the controller will be good.
However I have no idea why they are making this. They are a racing drone company and this controller (or any gaming pad) would be pretty terrible for flying a racing drone. On a proper transmitter you have much longer analogue sticks (technically called a gimbal on a RC transmitter) and you want one of them to not self center vertically (for throttle control, some GPS drones manage the throttle for you so both sticks will self center). Not only that but you want as little latency as possible and they use special protocols (not WiFi as this tends to be quite laggy and range limited) which won’t work through a phone.
On top of that the drones you can control with a phone tend to be either very cheap toy drones or expensive ones for aerial photography which are both markets rotorriot is not involved with so I’m doubtful about any benefit for them there.
In summary I’m sure the controller will be good but it doesn’t make sense for them as a company.
They seem to be positioning it as a gateway into FPV flying. From their store page, "We are looking to bridge the gap between the mainstream mobile gaming world and the niche of FPV freestyle. We believe this can be done by providing value to the existing mobile game/drone market first. Soon we will be releasing additional games and apps geared towards racing and freestyle.”
and
"The Rotor Riot Game and Drone Controller makes it possible to get into the increasingly popular FPV hobby even easier… and more affordably! Popular drones like the Ryze Tello, DJI Spark and Mavic Air all work with our controller seamlessly. Couple that with a VR headset and your smartphone to create a high-quality FPV system."
The only thing I dont care for is the clip. It’s just like the daisnlef clip from amazon which was a cheap POS that broke more often then the glue and duct tape could hold it together. So I went another way. Shapeways has an amazing iPhone clip that’s made of a weird light weight plastic (but durable I’ve had it almost a year now and not a single crack or piece out of place) and it’s made specifically for my device so my phone snaps in on all 4 sides. He downside? It’s made for my iPhone specifically meaning if I decided to get a XS Max I’d have to buy a new clip lol. But! An iPhone 6 Plus-8 Plus all fit inside :p clickable l and r 3 tho is something the Nimbus needed from the beginning, it’s exhausting beta testing games and telling devs to try and make their game compatible without them.
The dpad looks worrying :(
Another baffling requirement by Apple is that all d-pads be round =/
That’s interesting... but the SteelSeries Nimbus has an awesome cross-shaped dpad? I gotta have a decent dpad 👹
You know I've never really thought about it but it totally does. Maybe they relaxed that requirement and the circular d-pad here was just a design decision.
I’ll serve crack before I play Sonic with a circular d-pad
I don't think that's true (maybe it was in the past?)
L3/R3 has me curious. Hopefully this controller manages to meet/top the awesomeness that i call my steelseries nimbus :)
Glad this came along since Mad Catz is dead. Still very happy with my MC but will probably buy one of these if my MC controller ever dies.
This controller is pure fail (at least for Android) :
- Needs a cable, which will take power from the phone.
- Needs a separate app to be compatible (so it's not HID compatible).
Almost EVERY other controller for Android Is Bluetooth and HID compatible (which most games that support hardware controllers are designed for) and some controllers, like the Moga Pro Power, can use a USB cable to charge the PHONE while you're playing.
There are 20 Dollar controllers on Amazon that are better than this thing. Don't waste your money on ANY controller that needs a separate app to function, as that app might not work/be updated, etc.
Easy pass.
Primal, you obviously did not actually purchase this controller. I did and it is SOLID!
You DO NOT need the app to use the controller - the app is simply a database of games that are compatible with this controller, making it easier to know what to download, though I have yet to find a game that allows a controller and isn't compatible.
I do agree, I don't like that the controller pulls power form the phone because it will definitely drain your phone after 2 or 3 hours. I'm looking into getting an adapter that will allow me to charge while connected, but as for requiring a cable, their logic for using it to prevent lag is a quality-focused decision that tells a lot why they're aiming to be the best like all their other hardware.
Bluetooth is super unreliable and unresponsive, so the cable in itself is not a negative in any way.
And it is 100% HID compatible; I sometimes use it to navigate my phone.
The only thing here that's an easy pass is your non-sense comment - you read three sentences about the device and decided you knew enough to review it like you own one? Nah, bro...
It's a quality controller, wonderfully responsive, and you're able to update the firmware easily, so after you buy one you'll keep getting updates making it so you don't have to buy a new one just to get an update.
I'm finally willing to play FPS games on my phone.