Most phone controllers are designed for horizontal play, using a wide grip that puts controls on both sides of the screen. GameSir’s Pocket Taco takes the opposite approach. It’s built for portrait gaming instead, with a clamp on design that sits under your phone and puts the controls below the screen.
Price: $34.99
Where to Buy: GameSir
It’s available to preorder now on GameSir’s site, with the company saying preorders will start shipping from March 15. That kind of ship date matters because a niche accessory either lands in your bag right away, or it fades behind whatever else is already on your phone.
So the real question is: do you want a controller that commits to portrait play, or do you want something built around the wider, horizontal style most mobile games use.
What You Get In The Box
Pocket Taco uses a clamp style design, and GameSir says the inside surfaces use soft silicone pads to protect your phone while keeping it in place. That padding matters because it’s the difference between a secure grip and a controller that shifts during play.
GameSir lists the controls as a membrane D pad and membrane ABXY buttons, with Start and Select in the middle, plus tactile switch triggers and bumpers on the back. Having shoulder controls on a compact controller is a solid detail for emulators and mobile games that map actions to L and R inputs.
The company lists Bluetooth as the connection method and a 600 mAh battery for power. Turbo support is listed for A, B, X, Y, L1, R1, L2, and R2, and there’s also a keyboard mode that lets you remap buttons as keyboard inputs. It’s a small flex on paper, but it’s also the kind of feature that changes whether a controller feels locked down or surprisingly adaptable.
GameSir lists the controller at 62.2 g and 78 x 70.9 x 20.7 mm. It also ships with a PP storage box, which is a practical add on for carrying it without the buttons getting crushed, especially if it’s sharing space with keys and a charging cable.
The Name Change, Explained
If you saw “Pocket 1” earlier, you’re not imagining things. GameSir showed the controller at Tokyo Game Show in September under that name, then renamed it Pocket Taco ahead of its preorder push. If you’ve been tracking it since that show, the new name’s the main thing to look for on listings.
On GameSir’s product listing, the Pocket Taco is priced at $34.99, and preorders are already open. GameSir also says a transparent version is planned for Kickstarter, but it hasn’t confirmed pricing or timing for that release. If you want the idea now, the current Pocket Taco preorder is the only one with a real ship date attached.
Where Portrait Controllers Fit
Most mobile controllers assume you’ll rotate your phone and play sideways. Pocket Taco is built around the opposite habit, which lines it up with games that already play tall, including retro titles and portrait mode arcade games. You can picture it right away: screen up top, thumbs down low, and less hand gymnastics in the middle.
GameSir says the clamp uses soft silicone pads to help protect the phone while keeping it in place, and it also calls out a hollow bottom design that lines up with your phone’s charging port so you can charge while you play. It’s a small design detail, but it removes one of the common annoyances with clip on accessories.
The flip side is simple: a portrait only controller won’t match games designed around wide, sideways layouts. If your phone gaming is mostly cloud streaming or modern action games built around a wide HUD, this form factor is likely to feel limiting.
If this category feels familiar, we’ve looked at other pocket friendly phone controllers recently, including a magnetic, sideways focused option: This 56 gram phone controller fits in your pocket and ships for $49.
Software And Remapping Notes
GameSir routes customization through its companion app. The company says you can remap buttons, enable D pad diagonal lock, and use its G Touch and V Touch mapping features. If you’ve ever tried to make touch controls behave in an emulator, that kind of tuning is where a controller goes from “neat” to actually usable.
It also helps this product make sense beyond emulation. The hardware can look right, but software support is what usually decides whether setup takes two minutes or turns into a fiddly project.
Compatibility Notes
GameSir lists Android as the primary compatible platform and also mentions “other compatible devices.” That phrasing leaves room for more than Android, but it’s not the same thing as a clear iPhone promise, so it’s worth checking the current product listing details if iOS support is the deal breaker.
If you’re buying it for a specific device, it’s also worth thinking about cases and grips. Clamp style accessories tend to fit best with a bare phone or a thin case, and a bulky case can affect how the clamp sits, which is where little annoyances start to stack up.
Who This Is For
Pocket Taco is for people who already like portrait play and want physical controls without turning their phone into a wide plastic bar. That’s a narrow audience, but it’s also a real one, especially if you’re running classic handheld libraries on an Android phone and you want something small enough to carry.
Price: $34.99
Where to Buy: GameSir
The spec sheet lines up with that goal. It’s light, it’s compact, it includes shoulder controls, and GameSir says it supports app based remapping. The trade off is that portrait focus is also the limitation, and that’s the part worth deciding up front.
Now retrieving an image set.
Video Game Controller Phone Grip - Classic Video Game PopSockets Grip and Stand for Phones and Tablets PopSockets Adhesive PopGrip
(as of February 11, 2026 17:26 GMT -06:00 - More infoProduct prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on [relevant Amazon Site(s), as applicable] at the time of purchase will apply to the purchase of this product.)
Now retrieving an image set.
