At $80.00 the Razer Kishi is the real deal. Razer did a phenomenal job creating a mobile gaming controller that absolutely delivers on that promise we have all been expecting to see delivered: real gaming on the go. The disclaimer here is that it only really manifests when the Kishi is paired with either Google Stadia, Xbox game Streaming service, or the NVIDIA game streaming service. Otherwise you will be playing iOS and Android games, and they are not designed with controllers in mind.
I tested this device using the Android-based OnePlus 7T. This phone felt perfectly at home with the Kishi. I did not experience any issues with stability or a technical compatibility. I downloaded the Razer Kishi app from the Google Play Store, which serves one purpose: help you get into the action quickly without a shotty experience. In that app there is a list of games that have been listed as compatible with the device. But when you look at that list of games side-by-side with the list of games from Google Stadia, there is no comparison. No offense to those developers but this controller is best when paired with real console games.
Although, Razer did think ahead. In my test unit for Android they did include three Android specific buttons: back, forward, home. These allow you to quickly navigate the Android UI without having to move your thumbs off the controller proper. Other Android specific features include a pass-through USB C, and a channeling system for down firing cell phone speakers that move the audio towards you as you are gaming. Whether you get the iOS or the Android version you will find standard dual analog sticks, a proper D pad, 4 main buttons, and four trigger buttons.
This device is the real deal. Razer has now given all of us a reason to believe that services like Stadia have a legitimate use case.