is a senior reporter who’s been covering and reviewing the latest gadgets and tech since 2006, but has loved all things electronic since he was a kid.
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My ongoing quest to turn my iPhone into one of my favorite consoles of all time has led me to a curiously named controller. GameSir’s Pocket Taco is only barely pocketable, and distinctly lacking in taco fillings, but for $35, it’s an excellent and easy way to turn your phone into a Game Boy-inspired handheld for playing retro games that don’t require a pair of thumbsticks.
Unlike the Abxylute M4 mobile controller that attaches to phones using magnets, or the Backbone Pro that sandwiches your device between a split gamepad, the Pocket Taco uses a hinged mechanism that, for lack of a better description, bites onto the bottom half of your smartphone.
Inside the Pocket Taco are soft silicone pads on either side that grip your phone without damaging it. The ergonomics aren’t as good as standalone controllers, but the Pocket Taco is quite comfortable to play with.
Inside the Pocket Taco, you’ll find soft silicone pads on either side that securely grip your device without scratching it or leaving any bite marks. The hold feels satisfyingly secure, and while my iPhone could slightly shift from side to side while inside the Pocket Taco, at no point did it ever feel at risk of falling out on its own.
The Pocket Taco’s hinge expands wide enough to attach to smartphones still inside bulky cases, and its open sides can accommodate phones and devices wider than the controller itself. You could use it with an iPad Mini, for example, although I didn’t have the chance to test the ergonomics of such a setup.
8BitDo announced a similar Game Boy-style controller for smartphones at CES 2026, featuring a front panel that can fully flip down. I couldn’t understand why anyone would want that feature, but after playing with the Pocket Taco for a week, I now understand why 8BitDo took that approach.
The front panel on the Pocket Taco can only hinge outward about 45 degrees, blocking the lower part of your smartphone’s screen while attached to your device. 8BitDo’s FlipPad gives you full access to your smartphone’s screen and UI while it’s attached, but I frequently found myself having to completely remove the Pocket Taco if I wanted to flip over to another app, or even just unlock my phone.
A passthrough hole on the bottom of the Pocket Taco lets you plug in a power cable, assuming your device’s charging port is centered. A hard plastic carrying case is included, but the Pocket Taco is a bit too thick to be comfortably pocketed.
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