Gamesir X3 Pro review

I've tested the Gamesir X3 Pro, the upgraded version of the original Gamesir X3, and it's quickly become one of my favorite controllers. I made a video to showcase it, but I still need to do one focused on the thermal performance, which isn’t fully visible here.

The main improvements are the Hall Effect joysticks, two cooling modes (quiet and powerful), and simultaneous charging through the fan port, which I find fantastic. There's also a 3.5mm headphone jack and a larger gap for camera modules, making it compatible with phones like the Galaxy S24 Ultra. The new grips make it more comfortable to hold, but it still doesn't match other controllers like the G8.

I found some usefil features during use. You can switch fan modes by holding S + D-Pad Up/Down, and toggle charging with S + D-Pad Right. There are two modes: Sony Mode and Android Mode. To use headphones, make sure to switch to Android Mode by pressing G + S.

Downsides include the lack of analog triggers, the fan being quite loud on high speed, and tricky charging compatibility. Depending on your phone and charger, the charging speed and cooling performance can vary and it's a bit of a headache to get everything working properly.

Overall, it's a great controller for demanding emulator (I need to try winlator) and charges your phone while keeping it cool, which is grear.

I tested it with Pokémon Legends Arceus at 3x resolution to push my phone to the limit. The controller kept the temperature stable and FPS consistent, even with the GPU at 99% load. For smoother gameplay, I stuck to 2x resolution, but the 3x test showed it can handle extreme conditions. I also modded the game to improve the graphics, which wasn’t easy, but I got it to a point I’m happy with.

Feel free to ask any questions