Razer is launching a brand new mobile controller today, and it's quite a departure from the brand's most recent on-the-go gamepads. The Razer Prio folds down to a footprint that's smaller than your phone, and will happily fit in your pocket or backpack. Razer has ruled the roost in terms of full-sized mobile controllers for the last few years, but it's now looking to provide a more portable option for those gamers who just want a quick and easy way to play on the go.
I first saw the Razer Prio at Gamescom last week, where the brand's product designers walked me through their ethos for the device. Where the Razer Kishi Ultra and Kishi V3 Pro line were all about translating the feel of the brand's console and PC controllers to a mobile device, the Prio tries to squeeze that feeling down into a practical and portable design.
“With the Razer Prio, we set out to erase the tradeoffs between portability and precision," said Travis Furst, Head of AI Hardware and Console Division at Razer. "It folds down to the size of a credit card, but the moment it opens, it plays like a full controller. That's the whole game, wherever you happen to be sitting.”
You can grab the Razer Prio now at Amazon in the US and UK, but you'll need to deal with its most immediate red flag: its price. If you want to focus on some other numbers, I'd focus on the fact that Razer has managed to squeeze a gamepad into a device that only ways 101g, and folds up to just 107mm x 67mm x 23mm. It can fit a phone up to 7 inches, including the iPhone 17 Pro Max and the Galaxy S26 Ultra.
Razer Prio: $99.99 at Amazon / £99.99 at Amazon
The Razer Prio could very easily pass for a payment card wallet, and in some ways, it's a shame the designers didn't leave any room for you to store some cards in it, because that'd be the only way to make its design more inventive.
Indicated by three small lines on one side of its back, you push one half of the controller away from the other. The sides will then separate, unfolding a bit like a clamshell. From there's it's a matter of spinning the right-hand side of the controller down the way, revealing the proper face of the controller.
On the right-hand side, there's a USB-C port, a tiny thumbstick, and AXYB fact buttons. On the left, there's another tiny thumbstick as well as a four-way D-pad. On top, you'll find the usual RB and LB bumpers, as well as a set of spongy triggers that depress all the way down. Unlike some other mobile controllers that try to squeeze down functionality into a portable footprint, these aren't just simple press buttons; you'll be able to accelerate properly in driving games, for example.
There are no back buttons to speak of here, and no extra functionality. It's a simplistic and relatively basic mobile controller (y'know, besides its incredibly inventive design), and that's intentional. Razer already provides options for you if you want a "pro" controller feel while playing on the go. The Prio is for those users who don't want a mobile powerhouse gaming setup; they just need something simple for a commute, or something they can take with them in case they get bored while out somewhere.
One of the true bits of genius when it comes to the Prio is how cables are hidden between its two halves. The elasticated band that holds them together also hides the wiring that will provide power and register button presses from one side to the other.
Interestingly, the thumbsticks are symmetrical but, unlike the Scuf Nomad, they're placed at the bottom of the controller and, due to their size, they're embedded slightly into the controller's face. I haven't done any proper testing of the Prio yet, but I'm interested to see how this feels, even in shorter sessions, since it could prove to be a bit uncomfortable.
Razer hasn't opted for Hall effect, TMR, or Potentiometer thumbstick sensors here. Instead, it's utilized contactless, capacitive analog thumbsticks. These will be immune to stick drift since there are no physical contacts to wear down and, in theory, have a higher resolution than even TMR sensors. To some degree, these are wasted on such a tiny controller but I'll be interested to see how they perform if Razer carries them over to full-sized products in the future.
There's just one main issue with the Prio from my point of view, even without testing it. Priced at $99 / £99, it's bloody expensive for something that's proclaimed as a simple, portable option first and foremost. The Razer Kishi V3 Pro line isn't that much more expensive. In fact, the Kishi V3 is currently discounted down to $69.99 at Amazon, so surely something that's geared at more casual on-the-go players should be a lot more affordable?
The GameSir G8 Galileo is a nice middle ground between comfort, functionality, and portability, and that's easily found around the $60 mark these days. The ELO Vagabond, which is the best mobile controller overall, is priced at the same $100 point in the market, and it offers a lot more functionality, so I do feel as though Razer has priced this a little high for its intended use.
For a verdict on how the Prio performs, come back soon and hear my thoughts after I've tested it.
For more on controllers, take a look at the best TMR controllers, the best Xbox Series X controllers, and the best PS5 controllers.
