Razer, perhaps a little surprisingly, announced another new mobile gamepad at CES 2020, called the Kishi, and it’s earned our pick for a best of CES 2020 award.
The Kishi is not just another new alternative to Razer’s already available Junglecat. It’s a big step up. How big, well for starters it works with both Android and iOS devices. Which immediately gives it a bump up.
But perhaps more importantly, it works with lots of Android devices. Compared to the Junglecat, that’s a big improvement. And a main reason why we wanted to give this award.
The Razer Kishi works with just about any Android device
Where the Razer Junglecat works with just a handful of phones, the Kishi generally works with almost any Android device.
Now, to clear things up a bit, the Junglecat can connect to really any Android phone out there. You can’t however use with the Nintendo Switch-style setup. Because for that you need a compatible case, and Razer only made cases for three phones.
With the Kishi, things are different. The gamepad is more like a vice. It can be used in its closed state, or you can extend it and place the phone in the middle. It uses a USB C port for connection, so to use your device will need to support USB C.
This takes us to the next reason why the gamepad is so great though. It charges up your device.
Razer added pass-through charging
Mobile games have gotten so good these days that they’ve become extremely heavy battery drainers. This is amplified if you’re using a mobile gamepad, which generally connects to devices through Bluetooth.
With the Kishi that isn’t an issue. That’s because Razer added pass-through charging. So, the gamepad can basically charge up your phone as you use it to play games.
Of course it needs to be slotted into the middle of the gamepad and have the proper connection, which is USB C. But if you meet those conditions, then the only thing you’ll have to charge up at the end of your play session is the controller itself.
On top of all that, one of the other big features of the Kishi is the way it delivers ultra low latency response. It’s also compatible with cloud gaming services like xCloud (and perhaps Stadia one day), making it a very versatile gamepad for your mobile gaming needs.
Razer hasn’t announced official pricing or release dates, but it’ll likely be wort the wait and the cost. Overall this is a stunning product from Razer and it highlights the company’s dedication to making mobile gaming as good as possible, and why we feel the Kishi is deserving of the best of CES award