DARKWALKER FO206A MOBILE CONTROLLER PAD

Let's check what this beautiful wireless game controller has to offer!

This review is in English, as requested by DarkWalker.

This is not the first time we've reviewed a product from DarkWalker, a new brand created in 2019 by a promising young team aiming to satisfy the user's need by providing high quality gaming accesories. In fact, this FO206A mobile controller has plenty of things in common with the reliable PC controller FO218. Actually, you can read that review for further information, since this FO206A is mostly the same controller designed for mobile devices. Well, I don't know which one came first, but I'm sure you understand what I'm saying here. Anyway, we've also covered another product from this brand in the past: FO220, a battery phone mount that also has a big relevance when it comes to reviewing this FO206A. So, what is hiding behind all those products with what looks like project names and packaging inspired in blueprints of those designs? Well, I got to say, these are hands down the best non official gamepads I've ever tested.

Let's start taking a look at what is inside the box: the game controller, one phone clip to be attached to it, the USB type C cable to charge it and the user manual in 7 different languages. Nothing else, no need for more.

The FO206A is a controller designed for mobile playing, but it is actually a very versatile controller. The manual includes instructions on how to pair the controller with iOS, Mac OS, Android, PC Windows -working as a wired Xbox controller- and the PlayStation 4. Unfortunately I cannot test console connections since I'm only a PC user but I wouldn't be surprise if it works for next gen consoles -well, current gen, you know what I mean- like PlayStation 5 or the Xbox Series X/S, or any other device using Bluetooth pairing or wired connection via USB. There was only a disconnection once, which was solved quite fast, in around 30-40 hours of testing the product via Bluebooth. Talking about that, we will focus on the main feature of the controller, that is, the mobile connection, but you should know I've connected the controller to my PC without any problem and worked flawlessly, just as expected. I got to repeat myself here, if you want to read a review on how does this gamepad works on a PC, you can totally trust the review of the FO218 since everything I said there for that model works here the same way.

If we take a look at the design of the controller we'll see an interesting interface. Why picking one classic interface -Xbox's X/Y/B/A or PlayStation's Square/Triangle/Circle/Cross- when you can have both? The picture below speaks for itself, and even though it is not the most inpired design it is outsmarted by its core intent. The triggers and bumpers use Sony PlayStation's classic L1/L2/R1/R2 interface though. The gamepad is completed with a Share button, Options, Home -mostly for pairing-, Touchpad and an always useful Turbo mode that can be assigned to any button desired. The blue LED light in the center of the pad gives it a more professional look. The controller feels like a solid piece of hardware in the hands. We should not forget mentioning the antiskid textured TPU grips and the dual vibration with separate feedback enhancing the gaming exprience. It is pretty small, and it totally has in mind the Sony PlayStation's standarized gamepad, being closer to it than Microsoft Xbox's controller in terms of body and layout as you can see in the placement of the D-pad and the left stick.

To test the mobile controller I've used an Android phone: the Xiaomi Redmi Note 10. The phone clip mounting is intuitive, but be aware that you may scratch the surface of the controller if you are not careful enough. One bad thing I have to say about the phone clip is that if you have a pretty big phone it might not fit in. As said, I've been testing it on a Xiaomi Redmi Note 10 which is a mobile with a 6.47" screen, but I've tried using a Xiaomi Mi Max 3 (a mobile with a big 6.9" screen) and it did not fit. It was pretty close though, so, if you ask me, the maximum is around 6.8". Also, I have to add that you need to do quite a lot of force to stretch the phone clip to fit the mobile in. The bigger the phone, the more strength it needs. Even though it gave no sign of it I'm always scared of it breaking or something like that. Once done, the mobile is steady and it feels extremly safe there.

I've been playing totally different scenarios to test every aspect of the controller. Mobile games directly downloaded from the Play Store like Call of Duty Mobile or Genshin Impact, Steam games played via the Steam Link app -playing Yakuza on mobile thanks to this device is a dream come true- or even Xbox Game Pass games played via Xcloud using the Game Pass app and the FO218 controller. Shooting games, racing games, first person shooters, adventure games, sports, D-pad focused or analogue. No matter the situation, the gamepad never had a problem. No pairing issues, no weird interfaces. Just perfect. About the battery, well, the product says it lasts for 10 hours or so at full charge. You liars! It is more like 15 hours! Joking apart, the large battery -600mAh- took around 2 hours to be fully charged and lasted for around 15 hours, way more than what is specified. DarkWalker may be taking into account the fact that batteries run out of max capacity in the long run, but I got to say I've been using the FO218 PC controller for months on a daily basis and the battery is still giving me around 15 hours of gameplay. Considering that both products most likely have the same battery, it would be a surprise that this one starts losing its power in the mid run.

Let's take a deeper look and start talking about the gamefeel. I've already mentioned that the FO206A mobile controller is a high quality product for the price, the professional look, the stylish design and how solid the controller is in your hands, but it needs some improvement on noise button reduction. The main XYAB buttons are too noisy for my taste, too "clicky". The bumpers and triggers however are totally silent, and it feels really good pressing them, way better than most of the generic controllers I've tested from different brands and even better than Xbox's LB and RB clicky bumper buttons that almost everyone hated. Kudos to the sticks! Those are incredibly good, and I know that as a fact. The thing is, as I've mentioned before -like a thousand times now in this review- this controller has a PC version that I've already reviewed, and you are never sure about sticks on gamepads after a long time has passed. Well, I've been using the PC controller for months and the sticks are as good as new. No drifting, no changes on the deadzone, not even signs of decay. So, to sum up, unless you have very bad luck with your controller I don't see any reason to suspect the sticks on the FO206A either. Good job on those sticks, DarkWalker.

To wrap things up, this is the third product I've tested by DarkWalker and it totally lives up to expectations. If you're a regular reader of El BloJ you probably know how strict I am when it comes to my reviews. The fact that I've previously tested the PC version of this controller and that I've been using it for months with no issue at all is a proof that DarkWalker's products are something more than just a brand trying to make some money out of gaming accesories. The beautiful design, the minimalist and attractive packaging and the feeling you have when it is in your hands are enough reasons to give this brand a chance. This product totally deserves more attention.

You can buy DarkWalker's FO206A mobile controller pad on Amazon by following this link, for the price of 39'99€.

https://www.amazon.es/DarkWalker-Bluetooth-Controller-Compatible-Compatibles/dp/B089GPKYXW/

This product has been sent by DarkWalker for reviewing purposes. In no way this fact has influenced any opinions included in this text.