Looking to play Assassin’s Creed Mirage on iPhone 15 Pro Max? This might be the controller for you

ELO Vagabond controller for iPhone on a purple background.
(Image credit: ELO Vagabond)

An unexpected highlight of the iPhone 15 launch event was Apple’s renewed commitment to bringing AAA games to iPhone. Native ports of big-budget titles like Assassin’s Creed Mirage and Resident Evil Village are all heading to Apple’s handsets in the near future — but you’d be crazy to play them without a gamepad attached to your phone.

Enter the ELO Vagabond. Joining an increasingly competitive market of portable controller grips for iPhone, it takes on the BackBone One, Razer Kishi, and (our personal favorite) the GameVice Flex for a spot during your on-the-go gaming sessions.

Iit’s got a few tricks of its own to tempt you with, too. Shaped like a PlayStation DualSense controller chopped in half, it promises a more traditionally-ergonomic play experience than competing grips thanks to its elongated handles. That might make it a little more noticeable when packing into a bag, but will certainly allow for more comfortable play sessions.

Its asymmetrical, Xbox like sticks also make use of Hall Effect Sensors, which eliminate the stick drift that has plagued some console controllers. In addition, its buttons use microswitches, good for 3 million pushes, that promise to be quiet in operation.

With a telescopic, extendable design, the ELO Vagabond will clamp around iPhones of any size, while removable inserts will ensure a snug fit even if you’re using a third-party case to protect your phone. That was the secret weapon that made the GameVice Flex such a winner around these parts, so it’ll be interesting to see if the ELO Vagabond manages to pull it off successfully too.

Finally, an accompanying app will act as a hub for all your downloaded gaming apps, including streaming services like GeForce Now and Xbox Game Pass, making for a single, console-like destination for accessing all your fun stuff. This feature apes BackBone One’s main selling point too, making the Vagabond potentially like a mix of the two best games controllers for iPhone.

Connections and availability

There’s a wrinkle in the ELO Vagabond launch plan, but thankfully one its manufacturers have accommodated — the latest iPhone range’s move to USB-C ports. Those that have pledged to buy the Lightning version of the controller, or those that buy one upon release with an eye on upgrading to the USB-C iPhone 15 or iPhone 15 Pro handsets down the line, will have a year to return the ELO Vagabond for a replacement USB-C version, free of charge.

Having successfully been funded through Kickstarter, the ELO Vagabond should be hitting customers (and going up for general sale) by January 2024. It’ll cost $149, making it one of the more pricey grips on the market. But if it plays as comfortably as it looks, it’ll be the perfect companion for the epic games heading to iPhone in the near future.

Gerald Lynch
Editor in Chief

Gerald Lynch is the Editor-in-Chief of iMore, keeping careful watch over the site's editorial output and commercial campaigns, ensuring iMore delivers the in-depth, accurate and timely Apple content its readership deservedly expects. You'll never see him without his iPad Pro, and he loves gaming sessions with his buddies via Apple Arcade on his iPhone 15 Pro, but don't expect him to play with you at home unless your Apple TV is hooked up to a 4K HDR screen and a 7.1 surround system. 

Living in London in the UK, Gerald was previously Editor of Gizmodo UK, and Executive Editor of TechRadar, and has covered international trade shows including Apple's WWDC, MWC, CES and IFA. If it has an acronym and an app, he's probably been there, on the front lines reporting on the latest tech innovations. Gerald is also a contributing tech pundit for BBC Radio and has written for various other publications, including T3 magazine, GamesRadar, Space.com, Real Homes, MacFormat, music bible DIY, Tech Digest, TopTenReviews, Mirror.co.uk, Brandish, Kotaku, Shiny Shiny and Lifehacker. Gerald is also the author of 'Get Technology: Upgrade Your Future', published by Aurum Press, and also holds a Guinness world record on Tetris. For real.

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