Gaming on a phone used to be a simple affair. You'd buy what was essentially a demake of big franchises like Splinter Cell or Sonic, and you'd use the number keypad to slowly complete the titles. 20 years later, and we can play games like Resident Evil 4 Remake and Death Stranding on our Apple devices without issue. However, games like these need a dedicated controller, which is why manufacturer Soolra has announced an iPhone controller case that enables you to instantly play games with buttons, without using the touchscreen.
Available from Soolra's site for the introductory price of $80, down from $99 for now, the case comes in four colors: Black, Pink, Brown, and Blue. The controller is found at the back, and when you want to play a game, you simply slide it out, rotate it so it's on top of your iPhone's display, and you're good to go.
Soolra also announced an emulator with the case, which you can use to play your favorite retro games, provided you've got the software to turn them into ROMs or can find them in the App Store. There are plenty of the best Apple Arcade games that could work with it, saving your fingers the stress of tapping on your iPhone's display.
Having owned a similar case/controller hybrid before, I found the buttons to lack the tactile feel that you get on the best mobile controllers from brands like 8BitDo and Razer. The cases I tested also didn't offer much in the way of protection, either, with a dent appearing on the top of my iPhone 15 Pro Max when my dog decided to jump up to the table it was on.
However, Soolra's new controller case looks far sturdier and higher quality compared to others I've previously tried, so I'm curious as to how it will fare as I revisit a few of the picks from our guide to the best iPhone games that I'd rather play with a controller than touchscreen mechanics.
For more fantastic tech, check out our lists of the best gaming phones and the best Steam Deck alternatives if you're looking for something completely different. We've also got a long list of all the upcoming Switch games, so you can decide whether it's worth picking up the Nintendo Switch 2 or not.