I fundamentally don’t understand who the Game Sir Pocket Taco is for — and, after testing the Game-Boy-style clamshell mobile controller, I’m not sure it does either | Tech Radar

Overview

News, deals, reviews, guides and more on the newest computing gadgets

Start exploring exclusive deals, expert advice and more

Details

Unlock and manage exclusive Techradar member rewards.

I fundamentally don’t understand who the Game Sir Pocket Taco is for — and, after testing the Game-Boy-style clamshell mobile controller, I’m not sure it does either

When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Here’s how it works.

Conceptually, I love the Game Sir Pocket Taco. A controller that allows you to turn your phone into a Game-Boy-style vertical handheld is definitely right up my alley. The issue is that it's pretty limited in functionality; native i OS and Android games won’t resize to the available screen size, and even emulator compatibility is mixed. This is all while standalone emulator portables are widely available. Even setting aside app and connectivity issues I experienced, I don’t understand who the Pocket Taco is for — and I’m not sure it does either.

The best mobile controllers: mobile gaming has never been better with these essential accessories

Best handheld games consoles in 2026: portable perfection, all tested and reviewed by us

The best Steam Deck alternatives: top picks to play on the go

We spend hours testing every product or service we review, so you can be sure you're buying the best. Find out more about how we test.

The Game Sir Pocket Taco is a novel mobile controller that clips to the bottom of your phone. It’s honestly unique enough that if you’ve seen it once, you’ll definitely remember it. With it, Game Sir is attempting to cater to a niche audience of retro gamers that love old 4:3 titles but hate the pillar-boxing they cause on modern screens. Sadly, this is also its biggest weakness — if it fails to 100% nail this use case, it doesn’t have the broad appeal that will encourage other gamers to grab it instead.

When it comes to its design, I’ll admit I’m totally picking up what the Game Sir Pocket Taco is throwing down. The Game-Boy-aping styling — upgraded with additional X and Y buttons for later generation games — is perfectly pitched to milk my nostalgia gland. And the clickiness of the buttons and D-pad certainly feels close enough in my mind’s eye to those halcyon days bopping ants on the head in Super Mario Land 2 almost 35 years ago.

Okay, I get that clamshell form factor is not going to be everyone’s cup of tea, but it seems like a neat idea that’s not been covered by any of the best mobile controllers yet, allowing you to play retro games in the 4:3 format they were designed in.

Clasping your phone with just enough force that it won’t slide out, I was happy trusting my premium phone to this little clip, while the gap at the bottom allows you to charge your phone while gaming, which is a nice touch. On paper, it seems like a fun way to play your old retro titles in a format that feels more familiar — a vertical 4:3 handheld.

Unfortunately, the issue is that things in the real world often don’t work out how they do on paper. And using the Pocket Taco, I was quickly forced to confront the gap between Game Sir’s ambitions for the device and the reality of what it was able to achieve.

First off, the overall user experience of the Pocket Taco is a hollow shell that quickly disintegrates when you bite into it. Pairing the device gives me flashbacks to the bad old days of Bluetooth connectivity. Adding new connections became a painful process of triggering pairing mode over and over and wondering why the device wouldn’t appear in my potential connections.

This isn’t helped by the fact that it has four different pairing modes for different operating systems — I assume this is to make switching between multiple devices quicker, but in reality makes it more of a chore than a single Bluetooth connection that pairs and unpairs smoothly.

Using the Game Sir app is also a mixed experience. Even when I finally paired the Pocket Taco with my i Phone 16 Pro, the app often would claim that it was connected with a nondescript third-party controller, blocking me from accessing the Pocket Taco’s unique functions. Once I’d finally gotten it to recognize the device in the app, I was allowed to test the controls and set the screen ratio, allowing me to resize the screen to take into account the section covered by the device.

Except I have no idea what the purpose of this is. It doesn’t impact anything outside of the app — your phone screen’s aspect ratio is set at the device level, meaning the second you navigate away from this app, the screen ratio resets to its default and is once again half covered by the controller.

There’s simply no way to get native games on i OS and Android to crop to the top half of the screen or even, with many of them, play in portrait mode, which really limits the controller's utility. You can still play native games using the Pocket Taco undocked, but for a lot of people, the appeal is going to be turning their phone into an all-in-one gaming device.

Now I know some people are going to roll their eyes and say that this controller is obviously intended for emulation, not running native games. Even setting aside the ethics of emulation — we're not advocates here at Tech Radar, and are all for owning your own games, and I’m not going to endorse you doing anything that could land you in legal trouble — the Pocket Taco itself seems unsure of this fact.

In the i OS app, pressing the home button takes you straight to the Games app, while on Android, you can directly link games you’ve downloaded from the Play Store to the app. So there’s clearly a bit of an identity crisis going on here.

And the added wrinkle here is that many emulators aren’t able to change the aspect ratio and positioning of the screen. While I didn’t open or play any ROMs for this review, I did try out a couple of emulator apps to test the Pocket Taco’s compatibility with them. Using one of the most popular options on Android, I found it was impossible to reposition the screen to fit the remaining portion of the display.

Fortunately, I had better luck with one i OS option, using a controller skin to nudge the display into the right position, even if it left a pretty ugly black bar between the controller and the screen. Even if it is sometimes possible, it’s not exactly elegant.

Honestly, by the time I’d been through this process of getting the Pocket Taco working, my enthusiasm had almost entirely ebbed away. And that’s a shame because, underneath it all, there’s a decent controller struggling to get out.

When I finally caved and started using the Pocket Taco undocked, it plays like a dream. I booted up the i OS version of Secret of Mana and found the Pocket Taco was pleasantly tactile to use. It’s also pretty responsive — despite a few claims I’ve read online complaining about lag, I couldn’t perceive any noticeable delay between tapping a button and Randi spanking a rabbite or mushboom with his sword. But the issue is that propping your phone up and using a separate controller is just a bit clunky — many better mobile controllers like the Backbone One 2nd Gen exist that allow you to play native games docked.

I get the feeling that the Pocket Taco dwells in a state of existential crisis, unsure exactly who it is for. Because it’s an awkward fit for native gaming, forcing you to use it undocked. And for those who are looking for a way to emulate games in 4:3, there are plenty of pocket-sized handhelds that already cater to this market without the awkward screen resizing issues you’ll encounter here. Fundamentally, that means its niche is largely going to comprise those wooed by its nostalgia-drenched concept or emulator enthusiasts that can’t quite stretch to a standalone console. Others should look elsewhere.

Game Sir Pocket Taco review: price and availability

Having started shipping on March 15, the Game Sir Pocket Taco is available now. You can pick it up for a list price of

While some mobile controllers will give you different colorways that mimic various consoles across the ages, the Pocket Taco only comes in this Game Boy-style color palette. That’s pure catnip for someone of my age but if you're more of an OG Play Station or Game Cube fanboi, you’re not going to be catered to here.

You want to play 4:3 emulated games While I’m not for playing emulated games, and neither is Tech Radar Gaming as a whole, the Pocket Taco offers a cheap way to control them. Bear in mind that not every emulator will display in the correct way, though.

You want a cute controller that will happily sit in your back pocket The Pocket Taco is an adorable, compact package and, with the included case, it’s the kind of thing you can absolutely just carry around with you in case the mood ever strikes.

You just want to play native phone games As you can’t easily change the aspect ratio of most native phone screens, you’ll have to play i OS and Android games undocked — and at that point, why not just buy one of the best mobile controllers instead?

You’re expecting a polished user experience Given its budget price, I wasn’t expecting a seamless app experience. But Bluetooth pairing and app behavior can be quite frustrating, so bear this in mind when deciding to buy.

Game Sir X2s Type-C If you’re looking for a mobile controller better suited to mobile apps, the Game Sir X2s Type-C is a great choice. It’s super comfortable in your hands, its micro-switch buttons and D-pad have a wonderfully tactile feel, and it comes with Hall-effect thumbsticks and triggers. But our two favorite features are that its USB-C connector pivots to make it easier to insert your phone — and the fact that it also comes in at a really reasonable

Backbone One 2nd Gen If you have a little bit more money to invest, the Backbone One 2nd Gen is an easy choice. Its buttons feel great, while its D-pad is super smooth to use and both are really responsive, making rapid taps in twitch gaming much easier. And the neat magnetic adapters included allow it to comfortably fit most phones in their cases, meaning your phone is no longer unprotected when gaming on the go.

Tried it out on a variety of handsets, operating systems, and games

I used the Game Sir Pocket Taco over the course of a week. Not only did I download the Game Sir app and try out all of its features and settings, but I also paired the device with both an i OS and an Android-powered handset: the i Phone 16 Pro and the Nothing Phone (4a) Pro.

When it comes to software, I used the Game Sir Pocket Taco with multiple native games on i OS and Android. I also set it up with several highly rated emulators to see how compatible they were with the Pocket Taco’s screen coverage.

In terms of my own experience, I’ve been testing and reviewing gadgets for many years. I’m an avid handheld gamer, regularly playing on my Steam Deck, Switch 2, and i Phone 16 Pro. I’m also a keen retro gamer — I’ve completed games like Chrono Trigger and The Legend of Zelda: The Minish Cap more times than is strictly good for me.

Josh is Reviews Editor at Tech Radar. With over ten years of experience covering tech both in print and online, he’s served as editor of T3 and net magazines and written about everything from groundbreaking gadgets to innovative Silicon Valley startups. He’s an expert in a wide range of products from Spatial Audio headphones to gaming handhelds. When he’s not putting trailblazing tech through its paces, he can be found making melodic techno or seeking out the perfect cold brew coffee.

You must confirm your public display name before commenting

1 Game Sir Pocket Taco review: this controller's a cool concept that can’t really stick the landing

2 Quordle hints and answers for Sunday, June 7 (game #1595)

3NYT Connections hints and answers for Sunday, June 7 (game #1092)

4NYT Strands hints and answers for Sunday, June 7 (game #826)

54 elite headphones I tried at High End Vienna — including a pair with Wi-Fi and Meze's most expensive set ever

Tech Radar is part of Future US Inc, an international media group and leading digital publisher. Visit our corporate site.

© Future US, Inc. Full 7th Floor, 130 West 42nd Street, New York, NY 10036.

Key Takeaways

• News, deals, reviews, guides and more on the newest computing gadgets

• Start exploring exclusive deals, expert advice and more

• Unlock and manage exclusive Techradar member rewards

• I fundamentally don’t understand who the Game Sir Pocket Taco is for — and, after testing the Game-Boy-style clamshell mobile controller, I’m not sure it does either

• When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission