Earlier this month, Amkette made its debut by launching EVO Gamepad Pro 2. This is the sequel to the older Evo Gamepad. The new one has the tagline “The Next Level of Smartphone Gaming”. But is it any good? Or does it disappoint the users like its predecessor? This product launched as an Amazon India exclusive but we got our hands on it. It competes with gamepads and controllers from other reputed brands such as Mad Catz and Steel series. In comparison to others, it is fairly cheap. We did an EVO Gamepad Pro 2 full gaming review with our Galaxy S6 Edge+ and we want to share our experience with you.
Smartphone gaming is on the rise these days. People have very powerful smartphones and they can do gaming very well. New phones are coming with a bigger display and very powerful hardware. However, screen touch may not be the best experience for gamers. Also, there is a limited amount of control when there are lots of things on a screen. In this situation, the gamepad for smartphones helps a lot. Thus we are using the Evo Gamepad Pro 2 to check the experience.
Evo Gamepad Pro 2 Design
At a first look, the controller looks like an ordinary gaming console joystick. In deeper inspection, we see the reality. At the center of the controller, there is a holder for the mobile. We tested the holder with our large size Galaxy Note 5 and Galaxy S6 Edge+. We can say that it can handle big phones easily. It uses a 6-inch clip that can hold devices up to 5.5 inches in size. Gamepad Pro 2 works on Bluetooth 3.0 for connectivity. The gamepad is compatible with most Android devices out there. Therefore almost every mobile gamer can enjoy this device.
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Inside there is a 400 mAh rechargeable battery. This gives an almost 12 hours of continuous gaming experience with ease. The key mapping is also very comfortable. The design is done keeping comfort in mind. Evo gamepad is very comfortable to hold and the rubber grips around the holding area provide a more comfortable and premium feel. The body of this gadget is a complete plastic build but it has premium looks.
Experience in Gaming Sessions
What matters the most is a good gaming experience. We tested some games on our phone with this controller and in short, I can say that it is very entertaining. Our tests included games like Dead Trigger 2, Asphalt 8, Grand Theft Auto Vice City, and more. I had a good experience with FPS titles like Dead Trigger 2 using analog triggers, sticks, and buttons. The gaming sessions were very good. The controller gives a lot of comfort and makes gaming sessions much better. It is not a console experience but it is somewhat close.
The game-pad feels quite heavy when we put the phone but that is natural. Users can even use the included tablet stand and enjoy their favorite gaming titles on the big screen but that surely will be very heavy. Actually, when a device is clipped on, it becomes top-heavy and topples. That is the major disadvantage of this device.
There are labels on the box which say that users can play on tablets and TV as well. Just to clarify, it means that a person can play their titles on an android tablet or mirror it to the TV using HDMI or WiFi. One cannot directly play games on their TV.
Conclusions
Amkette claims that the gamepad supports 400+ gaming titles. So far we haven’t got any problems with the support for titles like Asphalt 8, Dead Trigger, etc. We spent nearly a week testing the gadget on multiple devices and playing multiple titles. The gameplay is a bit sluggish and the controller tends to disconnect between gameplay sessions. It is a bit unresponsive sometimes. Maybe it is the latency.
But we like the nifty features of this smartphone game controller. Users can use it as a mouse to navigate through the device. Also one can get a decent and comfortable gaming experience and as it says on the box, one can “Play like a Pro“. However, this device is best for beginners. This is a cool gaming gadget and it is available in Nepal for around NPR 5,500. You can also buy it at a very low price in Nepal at Rs 4,999 from ShopLife Nepal.
