Abxylute M4 Controller Review: I Don't Trust This Thing

There's an ongoing trend recently with new smartphone accessories launching specifically for those interested in retro gaming.

Just a few weeks ago, we finished our review of the GAMEBABY, an iPhone case that adds physical buttons to your retro emulation applications. 8BitDo just announced the FlipPad, and now I am reviewing this little accessory, the Abxylute M4.

Abxylute got in touch with me a couple of months ago to test an early prototype of the M4 controller, which is quite simply a Bluetooth, retro-focused controller that attaches to a smartphone via MagSafe.

The original prototype that they sent me was certainly not review-ready. I found lots of issues with it and kindly refused to review it while offering a bunch of images and videos of the pain points that I witnessed to help with their product development.

They then sent me another unit a few weeks later, which they again believed was review-ready, and I was again introduced to the same issues and a controller that I believe is not customer-ready at all.

I shared my concerns with their team, which they appreciated, but it was quickly brushed off, and they then sent me their upcoming retro handheld to take a look at instead.

The only comment they made about my concerns was "our upgraded M6 magnetic controller will significantly improve the magnetic stability and user experience once it's ready this year".

Hold up, you're already designing a better snap-on controller that fixes the already known issues that you are eventually going to send to the 5,000 backers who have supported you? That left a bad taste in my mouth.

Okay, I thought, I'm super busy, I got better things to do than put time and focus into this...

But the handheld they also wanted me to take a look at, known as the "E1 Retro Handheld", was delivered with a broken screen, and it gave me an uneasy feeling about this company, even more so when I saw that the crowdfunding campaign for their M4 controller exceeded $300,000 in backing on Kickstarter.

A great achievement for sure, and I don't want to knock that, but I worry that Abxylute will ignore my recommendations and ship what I have here today... a pretty awful product.

They have told me this is a prototype unit, but I dunno... something inside me wants to share my opinions about it, and my concerns, in the hope that they ship a better product to those of you who backed it, but to also give you an insight into what they've built, as it may, or may not be for you.

The 2-Part Design

Let's go back to the M4. This is a small Bluetooth controller with retro handheld styled controls that can connect to your smartphone via Bluetooth, and attaches to your device via your MagSafe attachment to create a "more comfortable" gaming experience.

The idea is neat, and it's no surprise that many people have backed it, because it's useful and visually well designed.

However, the second part of the controller is the metal MagSafe attachment that is attached to the controller using two tiny, very thin plastic pegs that cannot hold the weight of a smartphone.

These pegs are what hold your smartphone securely, and let's be real, most smartphones with MagSafe technology are expensive. I have the latest iPhone, it costs $1,000, and here I am attaching it to a $49 controller that can't actually take its weight.

And I mean that. When my iPhone is attached, even the slightest bump or an angled lean will throw my phone off its plastic hinge despite the MagSafe attachment.

My iPhone is not even a Max version and weighs just 200g without a case, so there are smartphones out there that weigh even more and will be even easier for this thing to disconnect from.

It just baffles me that the most important feature of this device does not work well... to hold your smartphone securely.

And even when you have the controller hidden away behind your phone, it doesn't sit flush, nor does it fit securely if pressure is applied to the bottom of the controller. This makes it nearly impossible to put in your pocket or bag without it detaching.

This MagSafe system that they have designed simply doesn't work, and it risks customers breaking or damaging their very expensive smartphones.

I am truly hoping that they fix this before shipping; they're going to get a whole lot of returns and angry customers with potentially cracked screens.

Visually... It Looks Cool

Visually, it's a pleasant-looking device; I have very few issues with how it looks. I like that they've kept to the retro colours, it's compact, the buttons sit in the shell and don't protrude when attached, and they're even releasing more colours such as Atomic Purple and GameCube Indigo, and a Halo colour-way, which I dig.

This is a good-looking, miniature Bluetooth controller; the designers have done well in this area.

The plastic used is a little scratchy and feels a little cheap, but I understand this is a $49 controller and not a premium one, so it's to be expected.

The Connectivity

Connecting to the M4 controller is pretty simple. Hold the Bluetooth button on the side for a few seconds, and it will be seen by your smartphone. Sync it up, and it will automatically be recognised as a controller.

This is a smooth process, and was even picked up by Delta and other iPhone games automatically, too.

Installation

Once your controller is connected, you can snap on the M4 controller. The metal attachment features two grooves, and this is where the plastic part sits, which, as mentioned, isn't a good solution at all.

In the promotional materials, the controller can be slid up and down here to move it into position, but in reality, that's hard to do as you're moving the entire weight of your phone on a tiny piece of plastic, attempting to slide it into a small slot on the metal MagSafe part.

My only solution was pulling the phone off with the MagSafe part attached and balancing it on the edge of the controller to increase my accuracy, but again, it's not pleasant to do.

Most of the time, this sliding feature just causes havoc; it comes off entirely or slides around on the buttons, causing things to happen on your smartphone that you don't want.

The spinning part is fine, as you're technically spinning the phone, so this works well if you're using a case.

The Button Quality

The M4 has an array of buttons alongside not one, but two analogue sliders, for those using this with emulators and consoles that require them.

The sliders are thin, made from plastic, and have a very small amount of travel to them. I rarely use them in all honesty, and I would have liked to have seen Abxylute user rubber grips alongside the addition of R3/L3 functionality.

They can be removed for those who want to replace them, which I think many of you will do, as these are very mediocre analogue sliders.

The action buttons are not mediocre; these are slightly smaller than a typical GAME BOY button, but feel very similar when pressed, with good travel, a nice reactive click, and are highly responsive thanks to the fast latency connection.

The DPAD itself feels good, is nostalgic, quite large, and sits high out of the shell. It has a lot of movement, too, but upon testing, it shows that it has a little too much flexibility.

And what I mean by that is that I can press multiple directions by using one button. I can push up on the DPAD in such a way that it triggers left or right, which will annoy gamers who play fast-paced games like fighting games or RPG games like Pokémon.

Then there are the extra buttons, such as - and +, which act as start and select. There's also a home button, which awkwardly takes me to Apple Games, and a menu button, which I for some reason cannot get to work, nor will my phone recognise it. I guess this is a bug, or it doesn't work on this prototype.

Oh, and the shoulder buttons are very minimal, require light touches and respond with a loud click. As I say in many reviews, I prefer stacked shoulder buttons, but it makes sense not to use those here to keep it portable and as thin as possible.

Battery Life

Battery life lasts around 6 - 10 hours on a full charge, and can be charged in around 30 minutes, which is convenient if you are in a rush to take this out for the day.

It charges via USB-C at the bottom of the device. I wasn't expecting any more from this 300MAH battery, but it's nice to know it lasts a good while, so it could be something you keep in your gaming bag or sling.

Overall Opinion

I am disappointed with this product in all honesty, and I worry that backers will receive something that also disappoints them if Abxylute don't fix the magnet strength and redesign the area that attaches them both together.

Yes, it will stay on if you're playing it on a desk, but this is a travel controller, which means it's going to be transported around in vehicles, on planes, and in situations that may cause the magnet to disconnect and potentially damage your phone.

I feel like Abxylute hasn't done a good enough job with quality control on this. It could have been such a great $50 product, but for me, right now, I cannot recommend this product; it needs a lot of refining.

I'm glad I took a closer look at this, and to be honest, it was the moment that the handheld came with the screen hanging off that caused me to speak up. If Abxylute have shipped me 3 terrible review samples, perhaps they may ship the 5,000 backers something that still requires work?

Hopefully that's not the case, but I just wanted to make you all aware of the review sample sent to us; it's pretty awful.

You can pre-order the Abxylute on their website for $49; it ships later in January.