PowerA has a massive history of making gaming peripherals for various different consoles spanning over twelve years.
After becoming a household name within console gaming they are now branching out into mobile gaming, which has seen a massive rise in the last few years.
Their newest product the MOGA XP7-X aims to elevate players’ mobile phone gaming experience.
The MOGA XP7-X has been designed to work with Xbox’s mobile gaming service called Xbox Cloud Gaming, which is still in its early days being available from 2020.
This service allows players to access the majority of games available from Xbox’s Game Pass Library.
Being able to play games on the go is an amazing feature but it only really works if you have the right gear to play it on.
This is where the MOGA XP7-X comes in, which is designed to mirror an Xbox controller.
The MOGA XP7-X is almost a spitting image of the Xbox Series controller with the majority of buttons being replicated.
Its shape and scale are pretty much identical too, which is great as it will feel familiar for Xbox gamers.
It includes all the action buttons, D-pad, both analogue sticks, and four trigger buttons. Power A has also gone as far as to include the Xbox, view, and menu buttons also.
I was really surprised how great the action buttons felt as they were very similar in quality to the original Xbox series x controller.
The analogue sticks have also been well designed with concave heads including an extra textured grip, which is needed during fast-paced games.
A great inclusion is the two mappable trigger buttons which can replace most buttons
This inclusion is superb, but the positioning meant that not all the buttons felt right when mapped to them.
But the extra customisation is fully welcomed and smart players will know how to utilise them in the best way for that extra competitive edge.
The grips aren’t rubber but they are textured and feel firm over a long period of play.
The MOGA XP7-X is a delight that feels really premium, Power A has done an outstanding job at designing a mobile controller that not only looks but feels as good as the original.
As this is created for mobile the MOGA XP7-X has extra features that are not on your average controllers.
It features a Bluetooth, power bank, and program button alongside a toggle to switch for different modes.
These advanced buttons have been crafted effortlessly into the controller's design and are easy to access during active play.
Assigning buttons to these are very simple to execute and works a charm during games especially RPGs and FPS games.
The MOGA XP7-X has three different gameplay modes, handheld, tabletop, and PC, which is very unique for a mobile controller.
Firstly to initiate handheld mode players will have to stretch the controller which will enable phones with a max length of 181.1mm to slot inside.
The controller does begin to feel very flimsy as it stretches, however, once the phone was slotted in it became a lot more firm.
The slots have a lot of space that can fit very thick phones and ones in cases.
There is also a lot of space between the spine and the back of the phone leaving breathing room for the camera lenses.
It is great to see how far the MOGA XP7-X caters to various different phones, with Power A also designing the device to stop any damage.
The MOGA XP7-X includes a gaming stand which is not a common feature with mobile gaming devices, so seeing it here instantly increases its value against the competition.
The game stand enables gamers to play in tabletop mode. The stand has a click lock that allows the phone to be held securely in place.
One major downside is that players can only place their phone in landscape mode as no phone I tested would fit in a portrait setting.
This could be as the majority of games played would be played in landscape, however, there are a few retro games that are designed for portrait.
This isn’t a deal breaker but it is slightly frustrating. But if players opt to use their tablet, they will fit in landscape and portrait which is great.
Players will also be able to use this controller on their PC providing it's running Windows 10.
Having this versatility is amazing as it allows the MOGA XP7-X to transcend just being a mobile controller making it a great all round companion for gaming.
There are different ways to connect this controller with the main option being via Bluetooth, which is easy to connect out of the box.
It was responsive in handheld mode with next to no lag during fast-paced FPS games.
But playing on the tabletop and using a PC, I found that there was noticeable lag during certain games, but not enough to ruin the overall experience.
Players will also be able to play via USB by connecting a mini USB or USB C cable to the phone.
I found this to be much more responsive than playing wirelessly on PC and tabletop mode.
But I did notice that my phone’s battery drained very quickly, which isn’t ideal for long periods of gaming.
The controller has an extra feature that allows it to charge mobile phones. However, your phone needs to be able to wirelessly charge or it doesn’t work.
This is a great feature to include and makes the controller future-proof.
But currently, not all compatible phones actually have this feature which may omit a huge chunk of their audience, especially younger players who may own slightly cheaper phones.
The controller is built with a 2000mAh battery which will grant about 5-6 hours of gameplay from a single charge which is great for a gaming session.
One frustration is that it charges with a micro USB, which is nowhere near as fast as a USB C, and given the price, you would expect it to feature the latter.
Charging can be pretty slow, but once done at least the controller will last for a while.
Verdict 4/5
The MOGA XP7-X is a versatile device that is more than just a controller. Its design is perfect for allowing players to transition between various different modes effortlessly.
The controller feels very premium, but there are some below-standard design features like the micro USB charger, which is frustrating especially with the price tag.
PowerA's MOGA XP7-X can be purchased from the PowerA store
