Before the EvoFox Deck, no accessory as affordable has been this successful in delivering a fuss-free mobile gaming experience.
It just had to happen, didn’t it? For smartphone gamers, especially the more casual demographic who wanted to test the waters before diving in fully, truly affordable gamepad accessories for smartphones were somewhat limited. The name that immediately comes to mind is the Razer Kishi, but depending on your luck with snaring some deals, this could mostly cost anywhere between ₹8,000 and ₹10,000. Similar pricing applies to the Backbone One (and you’d need to carefully select the variant too). Indian tech company Amkette’s EvoFox Deck is the affordable antidote you’ve probably been waiting for.
The EvoFox Deck gamepad is priced at ₹2,999 and, instead of complicating matters with different versions for Android, iPhone, Xbox Game Pass, and PlayStation Edition, it’s one accessory that works with pretty much any smartphone you may have—or will have. Both Android and iOS are compatible, with a DOJO key on the controller that lets you switch modes, and further for Android phones, a key map mode as well (this is for games that don’t have native support for physical controller accessories).
Setting this up is easy, as is getting on with gameplay. In my tests with an Android device (the impressive OnePlus 12 being the eventual choice here) as well as a meticulous Apple iPhone 15 Pro Max, the EvoFox Deck simply works as it should. Very few games need manual intervention with controls, but even in their default key mapping, you really don’t have much to complain about. In Asphalt 9 Legends on Android, for example, I’d have preferred if acceleration/throttle was mapped to the R2 trigger (that’s the habit developed from years of console gameplay), but the default config has it at the R Analog hall switch. No complaints, however.
The EvoFox Deck feels well-built, and that also translates into an accurate, lag-free controller. There is customizable RGB lighting, backlit action keys, but what really impresses are the joysticks which return surprisingly precise response and movements. No costs have been cut; a testament to this is the fact that these joysticks are the ‘hall effect’ type, which use magnets and electrical conductors to accurately map position. Gamers would value that.
As the controller stretches to snugly fit the phone, there is enough silicone padding to prevent either device from getting scratched. That said, phones will heat up a fair amount after a significant time is spent gaming in docked mode – that’s a factor of ventilation limitations and the fact that most modern flagships pack in a generous dose of performance.
It is a 600mAh battery that powers the Amkette EvoFox Deck, and the company claims it is good enough for around 8 hours of continuous gameplay. That’s a long enough stamina to get you through most of a long airplane journey too. Charging is via USB-C, and that’s incredibly convenient to have parity with your phone’s charger (in most cases; the transition is happening fast). It takes about 2 hours to fully charge the EvoFox Deck from around 10% remaining battery level. Mind you, the phone that’s docked cannot be charged simultaneously.
The EvoFox DOJO app should be your port of call for setting up the controller, any firmware updates that may be available, and accessing a massive library of games, some of which you’d likely want to download. This includes pretty much any title downloadable from the Google Play Store, Apple App Store, Steam Link, Xbox Remote Play, and JioGames Cloud services.
Amkette has left precious little on the table in terms of the EvoFox Deck’s design, materials and build, attention to finer details, and broad compatibility. As I said earlier, it simply works. In fact, it works as well, if not better than many of its more expensive alternatives from more fancied brands. The price tag of ₹2,999 for the EvoFox Deck is just the ticket for casual smartphone gamers, as well as the more enthusiastic ones.