Amkette EvoFox Deck’s reasonable success in morphing phones into gaming rigs

Before the EvoFox Deck, no accessory as affordable has been this successful in delivering a fuss free mobile gaming experience

It just had to happen, didn’t it? For smartphone gamers, perhaps the more casual gamer demographic who wanted to test the waters before getting into it full steam, truly affordable gamepad accessories for smartphones were somewhat limited. The name that immediately comes to mind is the Razr Kishi, but depending on your luck with snaring some deals, this could mostly cost anywhere between ₹8,000 and ₹10,000. Similar pricing for the Backbone One (and you’d to carefully select the variant too). Indian tech company Amkette’s EvoFox Deck is the affordable antidote you probably were waiting for.

Indian tech company Amkette’s EvoFox Deck is the affordable antidote you probably were waiting for. (Vishal Mathur | HT Photo)

The EvoFox Deck gamepad is priced at ₹2,999 for now and instead of complicating matters with different version for Android, iPhone, Xbox Game Pass, PlayStation Edition and whatnot), its one accessory that works with pretty much any smartphone you may have. Or will have. Android and iOS are compatible – there is the DOJO key on the controller which lets you switch the modes, and further for Android phones, a key map mode as well (this is for games that don’t have native support for physical controller accessories).

The EvoFox DOJO app should be your port of call for setting up the controller, any firmware updates that may be available and a massive library of games some of which you’d likely want to download. As is pretty much any title downloadable from the Google Play Store, Apple App Store, Steam Link, Xbox Remote Play and the JioGames Cloud services

Setting this up is easy, as is getting on with gameplay. In my tests with an Android device (the impressive OnePlus 12 being the eventual choice here) as well as a meticulous Apple iPhone 15 Pro Max, the EvoFox Deck simply works as it should. Very few games need manual intervention with controls, but even in their default key mapping, you really don’t have much to complain about. In Asphalt 9 Legends on Android for example, I’d have preferred if acceleration/throttle was mapped to the R2 trigger (that’s the habit developed from years of console gameplay), but the default config has it at the R Analog hall switch. No complaints, however.

The EvoFox Deck feels well built, and that also translates into an accurate, lag free controller. There is customisable RGB lighting, backlit action keys but what really impresses are the joysticks which return surprisingly precise response and movements. No costs have been cut, a testament to this is the fact that these joysticks are the ‘hall effect’ type, which use magnets and electrical conductors to accurately map position. Gamers would value that.

As the controller stretches to snugly fit the phone, there is enough silicone padding to not have either device get scratched. That said, phones will heat up a fair amount after a significant time is spent gaming in the docked mode – that’s a factor of ventilation limitations, and the fact that most modern flagships pack in a generous dose of performance.

It is a 600mAh battery that powers the Amkette EvoFox Deck, and the company claims it is good enough for around 8 hours of continuous gameplay. That’s a long enough stamina to get you though most part of a long airplane journey too. Charging is via USB-C, and that’s incredibly convenient to have parity with your phone’s charger (in most cases; transition is happening fast). Takes about 2 hours to fully charge the EvoFox Deck from around 10% remaining battery level. Mind you, the phone that’s docked cannot be charged simultaneous.

Amkette has left precious little on the table in terms of the EvoFox Deck’s design, materials and build, attention to finer details and broad compatibility. As I said earlier, it simply works. In fact, it works as well, if not better than many of its more expensive alternatives from more fancied brands. The price tag of ₹2,999 for the EvoFox Deck is just the ticket for casual smartphone gamers, as well as the more enthusiastic ones.