I obtained a GameSir G8 Galileo recently and was unsure how the device would fare with an iPhone 15 Pro Max in a Bullstrap leather case. GameSir doesn’t specifically advertise case support and I was unable to find information on this configuration. I was prepared to need to take a knife to the GameSir to cut down the rubber patting in order to get a decent USB connection, which some users have had to do with certain cases. It turns out the GameSir G8 works amazingly well paired with the iPhone 15 Pro Max and this leather case and no hacking of the controller was necessary. That’s in part attributed to the open base of the case (which some dislike but I don’t mind) as well as the flexible USB port on the G8.

As a point of comparison the Backbone One 2nd Generation also works well with this phone and case. No problems there either.

Comparing those two devices, the Backbone is much smaller, sleeker and portable, but can be a bit cramped in some titles. The Games on the other hand is massive, similar grip size to an Xbox controller, but is more comfortable to hold. In terms of portability Backblaze has an official case where I haven’t seen a great fitting option yet for the G8.

The one other difference in the G8’s favour is the Backbone has issues with the iOS version of Inside. Horizontal movement works but the jump button and other actions do not. GameSir (and PS5) controllers work fine. As an indication that this may be a bug with the game, if you launch it with a GameSir attached then disconnect the GameSir and insert the phone into the Backbone, the Backbone works then on until Inside is restarted. Odd. I hope the developers fix the title (support ays they’re investigating the issue). Unsure if this issue with the Backbone will crop up in other games or not and hopefully it’s limited to the one release. Even Limbo by the same developer is fine.

Otherwise both are good options for iPhone 15 gaming. I think the devices will become a lot more valuable now we’re seeing titles like Resident Evil 5 and Village coming natively to iPhones. On screen controls just won’t cut it for many titles moving forward.