Amkette EvoFox Deck Review: Why do we buy handheld gaming consoles? For starters, we’d like to carry our games with us. Secondly, if you are a Snorlax like this author, you might want to enjoy a quick stream of FC24 from your PS5 while lying cosily on your bed. Now, some might argue that top-tier handhelds such as Steam Deck, Asus ROG Ally, or even the Nintendo Switch bring great visuals and PC-like muscle power. But my counter-argument is this: Now that almost every console and PC offer cloud streaming on your phone, do you really need to dish out upwards of 30,000 to enable handheld gaming?
Amkette’s EvoFox Deck offers a solid NO to the above question. Priced at just Rs 2,799 on Amazon, it is way cheaper than its true rivals such as Razer Kishi (Rs 3,499) and Ninjadog Astra One Ultra (Rs 3,498), while bringing a premium build quality, great grip, and a must for all gaming accessories - animated LED lights.
ALSO READ: Steam Deck Vs Good-Ol’ PC: Can Handhelds Give Traditional Rigs A Run For Their Money?
Amkette EvoFox Deck Review: Quick Pointers
What we love:
- Solid grip on smartphone
- Click-y buttons that don’t wobble
- Premium Steam Deck-style design
- LED Lights
- Extremely easy to pair
- Cross-platform compatibility
What we don’t:
- Slow charging speed
If You Build It, They’ll Come
Now, having said all of the above, I can understand why Valve or Asus is asking for big bucks for their products. After all, they are giving you a premium build that will not be available in cheaper handhelds.
However, since both my iPhone 15 and Google Pixel 7 Pro come with Super Retina XDR (Applespeak for OLED) and AMOLED screens, I am sorted on the display end. If you have a solid gaming phone, you don’t need to worry about issues like refresh rate, heat dissipation, and all that hoopla.
So, what you need now is a console that not only fastens your smartphone in place to avoid slipouts but also offers premium click-feels and a good ergonomic design.
Amkette EvoFox Deck brings a great build quality, complete with a firm silicone pad to place your phone, a trusty spring lock that made sure my 6.7-inch smartphone didn’t fall off no matter how much I shook the controller and a texturised surface that allowed great palm grip even when sweating.
I must admit I wasn’t expecting much from the two hall magnetic joysticks, especially since I intended to put it to the test by streaming my PS5 games onto my smartphone. But I was pleasantly surprised when Jin Sakai responded just like a veteran ninja when I asked him to walk, run, or sprint with slight variation and taps on the right joystick.
Lastly, let’s talk looks. I certainly am not a fan of most smartphone gamepads where you have to place the mobile on a floating stick on top of your Xbox-type controller. With the flat design of the EvoFox Deck, I found it much easier to enjoy gaming even when I was lying completely horizontal on my bed. Plus, the Steam Deck-like design is also pretty alluring.
EZ Fit
Setting up the controller and pairing it with my smartphone was EZ-er than I thought. All I had to do was download the Dojo app, which is available both on Google Play and App Store. Once I ran the app, it showed clear instructions with proper labels and illustrations on what I needed to do after that.
All I needed to do was follow the instructions and keep on tapping to allow accessibility, connectivity, and notification permissions, finally with a thorough vibration on the device, I was informed that my pairing was ready.
The Dojo app is pretty handy, too. Not only does it offer direct download links to supported games on app stores, but it also helps keep all my installed games in a single segment.
The recommended lists keep on changing on Dojo, giving you options of exploring new games (free as well as paid) regularly.
When I used my PS Remote Play app with the controller, the buttons acted exactly like a typical DualSense controller, allowing me to continue playing my PS5 games without having to take a while to learn my way around a new button layout.
Of course, if you are an Xbox or PC player, you will find yourself even more at ease with the X-Y-A-B button layout and the diagonal dual joystick positions. The shoulder buttons and triggers also responded fine no matter which game I played, be it Asphalt Legends Unite or Call of Duty: Mobile.
The controller comes with Bluetooth v5.0, which meant there were almost no lags in terms of connectivity or response speeds.
Leave Nobody Behind
There are several mobile games that don’t come with native support for the EvoFox Deck. These include the likes of BGMI, Free Fire Max, Genshin Impact, and FC Mobile. The Dojo app explains what you need to if you wish to play such games.
All you have to do is download ShootingPlus V3, or any other key-mapping app, and then assign the keys to the controller for the various functions and you are all set.
This makes sure that you get to play whatever game you wish to play. This could especially come in handy if you are a professional BGMI or FC Mobile player as you no longer have to depend on finger sleeves to ace over rivals.
Slow Charging’s A Dampener
Amkette EvoFox Deck comes with a 600mAh battery, which offers up to eight hours of gameplay on a single full charge, which isn’t a bad deal.
However, charging up the device fully takes over a couple of hours. With support for USB-C, fast charging support would have been the cherry on the cake.
Having said that, you can easily play on the EvoFox Deck while plugging to your charging cable. So, it’s not a deal breaker in any sense.
Amkette EvoFox Deck Review: Final Verdict
Now, let’s circle back to what we talked about in the beginning. If you have a good gaming phone or a PS5/Xbox Series X that you can stream from, do you need to burn a sizeable hole in your pockets for handheld gaming? Perhaps not.
Amkette EvoFox Deck offers support for cloud streaming apps. And as a bonus, the controller itself feels great to hold and use. When you are in a dark room, the animated LED lights definitely put you in a gaming mood, without being too bright or distracting.
The EvoFox Deck also works great on native gaming apps and offers support for keymapping for nearly every other game worth playing.
And all of this at an affordable price of just Rs 2,799 (for both the Black and White colourways). Well, I’d highly recommend that you check out Amkette EvoFox Deck if you’re as fine a couch (read: bed) potato as I am.