Suggestions for a gaming controller to use with a tablet

[ConfusedOne]

Hi,

 

I have a lenovo M8 that has a micro usb 2.0 port. I'd like to get a controller for it to play retro games and while it has bluetooth this tends to drain the battery rather quickly.

 

There are a great many controllers available and as far as I can tell  those with leads take their power from the usb (as they are designed for consoles/pcs etc), again draining the tablets battery, though I confess I don't know if this would be as big an issue as the bluetooth.

 

Is there a fairly simple battery powered controller with a usb lead available?

 

Or if you use one for mobile gaming (on whatever phone/tablet) do you find that battery life is not a problem.

 

Any suggestions appreciated.

 

Many thanks

 

 

[RONOTHAN##]

The Xbox one S controller is basically the gold standard for things like this. It has bluetooth and can work wirelessly, though it (and basically every other controller on the market) uses power from the source. That said, it draws next to no power and is unlikely to affect battery life significantly. They're cheap, plentiful on the used market, comfortable to use, and have very good driver support with everything you're likely to do. It would be my goto for this. 

 

There are a couple ones that are designed for phones that have built in battery banks if that's what you want, but I doubt they'd fit a tablet, be comfortable, or if you'd even be able to find one with micro USB at this point. If you care, I'd get a battery bank and just use an Xbox controller over bluetooth.

[RandomGuy7]

Just like RONOTHAN said get a Xbox series S controller. I’d personally recommend a PS4 Dualshock Controller as I use it sometimes for my iPhone.
Both controllers used and new are roughly the same price.

 

Forgot to mention you can buy a USB-C or Lighting Cable to USB Port for your phone and just add a keyboard and mouse or a usb controller. Some have ways to let your phone charge while these are plugged in.

 

just like this guy a usb hub:

 

[Chiyawa]

I'll go with @RONOTHAN##here. XBox Series controller (Series X or Series S) works well with bluetooth or wired, and they use 2 AA batteries so you can pretty much get them replace at shops.

 

If you like, you can get a USB-C to micro-USB adapter, connect the supplied USB-C cable to the adapter and to the XBox Series controller and you should be good to go. However, depending on the version of Android, please make sure the Android that you are using support X-input controllers.

 

Example of USB-C to micro USB adapter: https://www.amazon.com/Adapter-Convert-Connector-Keychain-Compatible/dp/B07MV5NFCH