Manufacturer: PowerA

Release Date: 11/4/2013

MSRP: $79.99

Smartphone controllers are not a new thing. However, Android users have been lacking a great controller for quite a while. Moga has been considered the name brand for Android controllers for a couple of years now. From small pocket-sized controllers to full-sized ones, Moga is the way to go; that doesn’t mean they are the best controllers ever made.

The Moga Pro Hero feels like an Xbox 360 controller with an alternate analog layout, triggers, bumpers, and face buttons. The controller feels good in your hands and is very familiar; however, that’s about where it stops being familiar. Like other Moga controllers, the game feels too rigid, while we appreciate sturdy controllers, and this one, the buttons are too stiff. The face buttons make a very loud clicking noise and require a good hard press. The D-pad also feels too D-pad…y, there’s no diagonal movement whatsoever. While this is good for older games on emulators, it does us no good for fighting games. I also felt the triggers were too stiff and required too much heavy-handed pressing to feel comfortable; the same goes for the bumpers. The analog sticks are probably the only things on here that feel familiar and right, but that’s still not saying this is a bad controller. The arm that holds your phone is nicely cushioned, however, the inner piece feels too loose and I felt the phone wobble a tiny bit when moving.

A nice feature of this controller is that it has a built-in battery so no more AAA or AA batteries. You can also charge your phone FROM the controller thanks to its large battery which is nice for long gaming sessions. I also love the HID (Human Interface Device) mode for emulators as games must support the regular mode natively. Emulators respond nicely to this controller and it has more than enough buttons for what you need.

Overall, if you need more buttons and a full-sized experience, the Pro Hero is a perfect choice, just be ready to get used to some stiff buttons and a weird D-pad.