The Nacon MG-X Pro iPhone controller is yet another product that aims to deliver a console-like experience to the mobile gamer. However, unlike much of the competition, Nacon hasn’t sacrificed ergonomics and comfort for the sake of hyper portability. Instead, the MG-X Pro is chunkier, and I think that’s for the better.
Get connected
Unboxing and setting up the Nacon MG-X Pro for iPhone is very simple. I used the included USB-C cable to top off the battery charge and then hit the Bluetooth button to sync the controller to my iPhone. I experienced zero issues during that initial pairing process and I haven’t had to re-pair since, as the iPhone remembers the controller.
Once connected, the controller immediately works with supported games from the App Store and, most importantly to me, game-streaming services like Xbox Game Cloud, Nvidia GeForce Now, and Amazon Luna.
Since upgrading my internet speeds, I’ve spent a lot of time playing around with game-streaming and I think it’s a fantastic option for single-player games where a small amount of latency doesn’t totally ruin the experience.
Wireless wonder
Speaking of latency, one concern I had when starting to test the MG-X Pro was the way it can only connect via Bluetooth 5.0. My other daily-driver mobile controllers use Lightning and so benefit from a direct connection rather than wireless. However, when playing Fortnite Mobile with the MG-X Pro — this ruled out the latency introduced through game-streaming — I couldn’t perceive any gameplay-affecting moments of latency.
Being wireless means that the MG-X Pro has its own separate battery, instead of sapping juice from the iPhone, which is a neat bonus.
Nacon claims this product has 20 hours of battery life, which can vary depending on what game is being played. This claim seems accurate based on my usage.
Console-like feel
In use, the MG-X Pro feels like Nacon has taken a standard Xbox controller, chopped it in half, and put a slot in the middle for your phone. It has standard-size thumbsticks that are a refreshing change from the Nintendo Switch-esque sticks used on competing products, and it’s got wonderfully large face buttons that are a close match, if not identical, to the official Xbox pad. The D-pad works well, too, though it is a little wobbly on my unit. All-in-all, it’s a solid set of controls that delivers the closest console-like experience yet.
MG-X Pro iPhone controller review sample provided by Nacon.
Final Verdict
With an RRP of $99.99, the Nacon MG-X Pro targets the top end of the market. I think that is a tad ambitious and a price drop of $10-20 would definitely make it more attractive.
That said, even at full price, the Nacon MG-X Pro delivers a fantastic mobile gaming experience with a close-to-Xbox quality controller, a wireless connection that didn’t perceivably hamper my experience, and a chunkiness that forgoes extreme compactness for overall comfort.
Positives and Negatives
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Great feel of a full-sized controller.
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Fantastic thumbsticks and ABXY buttons.
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Solid wireless performance.
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Long battery life.
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No Lightning connection could put some folks off.
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D-pad quality isn't great on my unit.
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Launch price is a little too high.
