Accessories

Razer Kishi V2 review

Handheld console mobile gaming

Published

July 4, 2022

Rodneil Quiteles

There’s always been this quest to recreate and/or bring the feeling of console gaming to mobile.

In 2022, there are more than a handful of iterations. We have the actual handheld gaming console – the Nintendo Switch. More recently, Valve released the Steam Deck. And then you have the ultra-gaming-focused smartphones like the ROG Phone and the Lenovo Legion Phone Duel.

For a while, Razer attempted to compete in the gaming smartphone space. Ultimately, they decided, instead of competing, they’ll just complement it through accessories. That strategy gave birth to the Razer Kishi and now its newest iteration — the Razer Kishi V2.

A new look

It’s gone through some design changes. Most notably on how it looks in its no-phone-attached state.

The original version had this more compact look, almost like a controller all on its own.

Meanwhile, the Razer Kishi V2 is more open, showing a bridge instead of being totally closed. This may have been done in order to accommodate larger smartphones.

The button layout is mostly the same. You have the universal X,Y,A, and B face button on the right hand side. Right below it is a joystick.

Over on the left side you have the joystick up top with the directional pad and/or buttons right underneath it.

You also still get the Right Button (RB) and Right Trigger (TR)… buttons as well as their left side counterparts. New on the V2 though, are the M1 and M2 buttons situated right next to the aforementioned buttons.

New ones are the screenshot button on the lower left hand side as well as a dedicated Nexus button which fires up the Razer Kishi V2’s companion app — the Razer Nexus.

Naturally, you have the USB-C connector to plug-in to the port of your smartphone.

You can charge the phone while playing through the port on the lower left hand side of the controller.

How to use it

The Razer Kishi V2 is technically plug and play. Simply slide your smartphone in, fire-up any controller-supported mobile game, and it’ll just work.

Sounds simple enough, right? But the keywords there are “controller-supported mobile game(s),” which, to be honest, are not a lot. And the most talked about and/or most played ones typically do not support them.

So, how does one find these games? You can go to the Google Play Store and simply type some variation of “controller support” or “control support” and it’ll pull-up games that have controller support.

Alternatively, you can download the companion app called Razer Nexus. On its main screen you’ll find the games you already have installed and below it are games it recommends. Each row is separate by genre, and you immediately know they have controller support. You can also connect your YouTube and Twitch accounts should you want to stream your games.

What games can I play?

There is a wide selection of games to choose from. We were able to play the following titles:

Asphalt 9
Diablo Immortal
Final Fantasy VII: First Soldier
Life is Strange

The games above presented the least friction when it comes to playing. They are controller-supported and the areas on the screen where you would tap show the buttons on the controller you should press to take any sort of action. Pretty straightforward.

There were plenty of other suggested games that seemed like pretty good titles. The ones that piqued my interest were:

Dead Cells
Catalyst Black
Leo’s Fortune
Star Wars: Knights of the Republic
Final Fantasy (all the mainline titles ported to mobile)

That’s a decent enough selection. But the thing is, none of these rank in some of the most played games on smartphones. Just off the top of my head, the titles that come to mind are Mobile Legends: Bang Bang, Call of Duty: Mobile, and Genshin Impact.

None of these titles have built-in controller support. You’ll have to use some button mapping app to make this work and that’s a process that may take about an hour, depending on your patience and the number of games you want to use it on. It’s seriously a hassle and I ultimately ended up not going through with it.

What’s it like playing?

Playing feels fantastic. I have always preferred gaming with physical buttons. This is, perhaps why, the only time I really play any mobile games is when I’m working on a smartphone review or reviewing an accessory like the Razer Kishi V2 (which doesn’t happen often).

The overall build quality is fantastic. I have had the chance to hold other, more obscure, controllers for smartphones and I just immediately felt the difference. The Razer Kishi V2 is lightweight without feeling fragile and cheap.

The face buttons feel almost just like the ones on bigger controllers meant for actual consoles. The same feels true for the joysticks and the directional pad.

The triggers also feel great but I can’t say the same for the shoulder buttons. They’re not bad, but due to the size, they feel more squishy than crunchy. I personally would have preferred a crunchier feel. But that’s not to say that they are terrible. They’re fine, but maybe they could have been better.

Overall, it really does feel like you’re playing on a handheld console, especially if your phone has the power to run the supported games at max settings. In case you’re curious, I used the Honor Magic4 Pro, OPPO Find X3 Pro, and vivo T1x during this review.

Remote Play

What made things even more fun was using Steam Link. If you’re a PC gamer, this lets you stream, on low-latency, the games on your Steam Library to your smartphone.

With the Razer Kishi V2 attached, it almost feels like you’re playing on a Steam Deck. Of course, I’m just speculating since I’ve yet to try a Steam Deck.

The catch, of course, is that your PC and smartphone have to be connected in the same network. So, you can’t really go out and take your Steam Library with you, wherever. But the idea is that you’re able to play your Steam Library without being in front of your PC (laptop/desktop).

Is the Razer Kishi V2 your GadgetMatch?

A couple of lifetimes ago, I was getting ready for a job that required plenty of travel. At that point in my life, I didn’t have any gaming console whatsoever but knew that I needed some type of gaming to keep me sane.

At the time, all these mobile handheld devices weren’t a thing yet. Yes, not even the Nintendo Switch. I resorted to using a OnePlus phone and a much, much cheaper version of a mobile phone controller. Having something like the Razer Kishi V2 would have been a godsend.

Fast forward to 2022 and there is absolutely no shortage of options when it comes to mobile play. But if you don’t have the means to splurge on a Switch (or a Steam Deck which is still pretty scarce), this may be the next best thing. Especially if you already have a smartphone that can run some of the supported games.

There are a few things I wish it had. The Razer Nexus app feels bare. Other than the suggested games and remapping the M1, M2 buttons, I wish you had the option to map buttons for games that didn’t have automatic controller support.

However, if, like this writer, you absolutely must-have the satisfying feeling of pressing buttons when you play, the Razer Kishi V2 is a worthy pick-up. It’s well-built, feels great, and won’t take up too much space in your bag.

The Razer Kishi V2 is available now and retails for PhP 5,999 / SG$ 149 / US$ 99. Right now it’s only for Android smartphones. An iPhone version, one with a lightning port, is coming later in 2022.

Accessories

Apple is working on AirPods with built-in cameras

References to the wearable were spotted inside a new macOS beta.

Published

August 18, 2026

Luigi Leonardo

The launch of operating system betas is a cause of celebration for those digging into what’s next for a brand. No other company does that better than Apple. Today, Apple released a new release candidate for macOS Tahoe 26.7. As expected, the release has a treasure trove of references to unreleased devices, including a new type of AirPods with built-in cameras.

Let’s get the obvious out of the way first. The references include a slew of unreleased iPads, Macs, and HomePods. Since these devices are already expected to come out, they’re hardly worth nothing. This includes the iPhone 18 series. If anything, the references confirm the iPhone Ultra, the rumored entry into the foldable market, but that’s it.

Now, the more interesting inclusion is a pair of AirPods with cameras. Despite the controversies surrounding cameras on smart glasses, Apple is reportedly building audio-based wearables with cameras themselves.

In a short demo video (also obtained from the macOS beta via MacRumors), the AirPods can apparently “save” things that it sees, including a book you might want to search for later. In that way, the built-in camera acts more like a voice assistant, rather than a recording device.

Though the references don’t confirm a launch date, it’s likely that the camera-based AirPods will come out sometime soon. After all, why would a blatant reference be inside a publicly available beta?

Accessories

OBSBOT Meet Flip Hands-on

It’s tinier and folds this time

Published

August 14, 2026

Phones flip and fold. Now webcams do too.

Foldable screens have found their way into phones, tablets, and laptops in recent years. Now, OBSBOT is taking that idea in a considerably smaller direction: the webcam.

The OBSBOT Meet Flip is the company’s first foldable 4K webcam packing:

1/2-inch stacked CMOS sensor
intelligent audio
a collection of AI-powered meeting tools

All of these inside a body weighing just 37.7 grams.

A fold that does something, not just a gimmick

The OBSBOT Meet Flip isn’t foldable just to make it easier to throw into a bag.

Closing the webcam physically blocks the lens and puts the device into sleep mode. Open it when you want to be seen, flip it shut when you don’t.

A physical privacy cover isn’t novel in itself. What’s clever here is how it’s part of the folding design.

As someone with a love-hate relationship with data privacy, I almost always keep some physical barrier over my laptop webcam. And if I can avoid having a webcam there entirely, even better.

Serious camera hardware in a pocket-sized webcam

Despite its size, OBSBOT hasn’t treated the Meet Flip like a basic laptop-camera replacement.

Inside is a 1/2-inch Exmor RS stacked CMOS sensor with Quad Bayer technology, capable of recording 4K UHD at 30 fps or 1080p at 60 fps. It also packs an f/1.8 aperture, HDR, PDAF autofocus, ISO 100–6400, and up to 4x digital zoom.

At its core is a 1/2-inch Exmor RS stacked CMOS sensor with Quad Bayer technology.

It can record:

4K UHD at 30fps
1080p at 60fps

You also get:

f/1.8 aperture
HDR
PDAF autofocus
ISO 100–6400
up to 4x digital zoom

On paper, that gives the Meet Flip a better shot at handling the situations built-in laptop webcams often struggle with: dim rooms, harsh backlighting, changing lighting conditions, or simply moving around in front of the camera.

HDR helps keep faces visible against bright backgrounds, while PDAF autofocus continuously adjusts focus as you move closer to or farther from the lens.

The wider f/1.8 aperture should also help in less-than-ideal lighting.

The point is that once the Meet Flip is set up, you shouldn’t have to spend much time thinking about the camera itself.

It listens differently depending on the room setup

The Meet Flip also uses an intelligent dual-microphone system combining omnidirectional and directional microphones.

Instead of relying on one pickup pattern for every situation, it offers four audio modes for different setups:

Directional Mode focuses on sound coming from the front, making it the obvious choice for solo calls.

Dual-Directional Mode listens to both the front and rear of the webcam, which could be useful for interviews or conversations between two people sitting across from each other.

Smart Omni Mode is designed for group meetings, picking up voices from around the room.

And Pure Audio Mode provides unprocessed left and right stereo channels for users who would rather handle the audio themselves in post-production.

Auto Gain and AI Noise Reduction also work across the first three modes, helping clean up audio without requiring much manual adjustment.

It gives the Meet Flip more flexibility than a typical webcam microphone, especially if you regularly switch between solo calls, interviews, and group meetings.

AI that doesn’t intrude

AI has become an almost obligatory addition to new hardware in 2026, but several of the Meet Flip’s features put it to work on real-world meeting annoyances.

AI Auto Framing keeps you in frame, with options for:

Group
Single Close-up
Upper Body
Full Body

Gesture controls can also toggle Auto Framing or adjust the zoom without reaching for a keyboard or mouse.

More interesting is AI Magic Notes.

Through OBSBOT Center, it provides real-time transcription and can automatically generate meeting summaries with key points, decisions, and action items. It works across Google Meet, Zoom, and Microsoft Teams.

Although AI Magic Notes is offered as a subscription service, every Meet Flip includes 120 complimentary minutes to get started.

MORE with OBSBOT Center & OBSBOT Live

There are plenty of other software features as well. OBSBOT Center includes:

Background Blur and Background Replacement
Real-Time Beauty Mode
Picture-in-Picture overlays
Smart Eye Tracking
Teleprompter support
Detailed image adjustments

The Meet Flip isn’t limited to laptops or desktops either. Through OBSBOT Live, it can connect directly to smartphones and tablets over USB-C for mobile streaming and content creation.

Flip it open. Fold it away.

None of those features reinvent the webcam on their own.

Taken together, though, they make the Meet Flip a more thoughtful take on a piece of hardware whose basic design and features have barely changed.

The flip may grab your attention first, but it’s how OBSBOT uses that design alongside its camera, audio, and software features that makes the Meet Flip interesting.

The OBSBOT Meet Flip is now available at US$ 119 and is currently available through OBSBOT’s official store, Amazon US, and select retailers.

Accessories

England, Wales start banning Meta Glasses

The smart glasses are now banned in courtrooms.

Published

August 12, 2026

Luigi Leonardo

Earlier this year, New York became the first state to issue a blanket ban against smart glasses in courtrooms. The new regulation marks one of the first public spaces to prevent the contentious devices. Now, England and Wales are following suit in their courtrooms by banning Meta glasses inside.

As reported by The Guardian, courtrooms in both countries will confiscate Meta Glasses from those taking them into the building. Owners can retrieve them again upon exit.

Like the decision in New York, the English and Welsh bans are simple enough to follow. As it is everywhere, it’s forbidden to record video inside courtrooms in England and Wales. Because Meta Glasses have cameras (and are primarily used for their video capturing capabilities), they fall under prohibited items.

Notably, smartphones are not included on this list, despite having sizable cameras themselves. Although, to be fair, it’s much more difficult to discreetly record video using a smartphone. Smart glasses pride themselves with the ability to take videos seamlessly.

Meta Glasses are having such a moment today. Though some users, especially creators, are excited for them, a significant chunk of the population is concerned over their ability to take videos without subjects knowing they’re being recorded. Some users have even found ways to disable the built-in LED indicators which should, in theory, warn the public that the glasses are recording. It’s since turned into a privacy nightmare.