GameSir Pocket Taco review: A retro-style mobile controller that actually works

A tiny, vertical mobile controller that leans hard into nostalgia, the GameSir Pocket Taco promises handheld charm with modern convenience. The real question is whether it delivers more than just a throwback look.

A pocket-sized controller that turns your phone into a retro handheld in seconds. Picture: Noel Campion.

I loved my Nintendo Game Boy back in the day. Long car journeys, rainy afternoons, late nights under the duvet with the volume turned down low. That cute little handheld is a nostalgic part of many a gamer's past.

The GameSir Pocket Taco taps straight into that memory. The moment you clip your phone into its vertical frame, something clicks. It doesn’t just look retro, it feels like a return to a simpler kind of gaming. For anyone who spent years with handheld consoles, there’s an immediate sense of familiarity here. The difference is, this time your “cartridge” is your smartphone.