PowerA have made a bit of a name for themselves by trying new things with their MOGA line. It could be said that they are happy to run things that are quirky, attempting to fill a gap that no one knew needed filling.
For the most part they’ve succeeded too, mostly with a range of weird little mobile controllers and accessories, perfectly fitting into the cloud gaming ecosystems that power the likes of Game Pass.
A seriously unique controller
But this time they are going right out there and with the PowerA MOGA XP-Ultra they’ve created what could well be one of the most unique Xbox controllers of recent times. In doing so, they may well have stumbled upon the ultimate multi-platform wireless controller. But seeing as that is how they are selling this one, perhaps that was the intention all along.
No matter whether you are looking to immerse yourself in some hardcore sessions on your Xbox Series X, dip into the world of Xbox One, slave over a PC, or make the most of the power of Game Pass, taking your Xbox play onto mobile, you are covered with the MOGA XP-Ultra. It’s a really, really clever piece of kit.
But whilst PowerA are found jumping into all scenarios feet first with the MOGA XP-Ultra, we’re not sure it totally lands. You see, it’s certainly not going to go troubling the Xbox Elite controller or the many alternatives that are available. But then, it probably isn’t looking to match up there. Instead, this one wants to go everywhere with you, whether it be as a full size controller, or as a diddy little pocketable device. It fulfils those goals – at a price.
This could be seen as a standard Xbox controller
Out of the box, the PowerA MOGA XP-Ultra works as your everyday wireless Xbox controller. It looks like a wireless controller, and it feels like one too. But there are added bits of furniture here which hint at something a little different to the norm. And that comes as you slip off an outer casing, to be left with a little mini controller, one that could easily be chucked in a bag or pocket, taken on the road as you look to save space.
And just to accentuate those play anywhere vibes, a mobile phone clamp is included too. There really is little that the MOGA XP-Ultra cannot do.
Generally the PowerA MOGA XP-Ultra is a tiny bit bulkier than a standard Xbox wireless controller. And so that automatically means it feels good in hand. Laid out pretty much as you would expect, all the standards are in place – a couple of thumbsticks, a d-pad, face buttons, triggers and bumpers are all there, mostly within usual reach.
And all those components work well too. The thumbsticks are nicely concaved with decent grip around the edges to ensure your thumbs will never slip. The d-pad is equally well hollowed out, complete with well defined directional tabs giving a pretty good feel. The face buttons depress with urgency too and so not once have we been left wanting with the inputs on the front face.
It’s pretty similar for the bumpers and triggers as well. We’d perhaps prefer to see a bit more texturing on the trigger slips, but the overall feel and touch point levels are high. They are certainly responsive enough for our needs. Don’t expect any trigger stops or the like though – these are straight up and down pullers.
Programmable buttons are present
Around the back and a couple of programmable back buttons sit in place, right where your middle fingers look to grip. Honestly, these feel great, easily found even in the heat of the moment, no matter what addition you have added to them. Programming them to suit is a cinch too, thanks to a Program Button on the rear of the controller. In order to get things up and running how you see fit, a simple hold of that button for a few seconds will see a front-mounted LED flash, tapping your desired button of choice, followed by the programmable rear-mounted button, sees initiation made. Setting those buttons on the fly is most certainly possible.
A 3.5mm audio jack port is also present in the usual place, whilst the quadruple offerings of Xbox Nexus, Menu, View and Share buttonry are all found slapbang in the centre of the controller. They are placed slightly differently to the norm, and initially you’ll be scrabbling around for their placements, but it doesn’t take too long to reprogram your brain.
An addition that I do like is that of a battery status button and LED strip, front and centre. At any point, a quick press of this button will show the battery status of the MOGA XP-Ultra, running from 25% up to 100%. It’s not a necessary inclusion, but it is a valuable touch, especially considering where you’ll be going with this controller.
Everything that has been mentioned so far works as you would expect an Xbox controller, connecting in the usual way to an Xbox console, whether that be Series X|S or Xbox One. But the big moves come as you look to go portable, taking your Xbox gaming sessions to the small screen, utilising Game pass play on your mobile.
Bluetooth for mobile Game Pass play
The PowerA MOGA XP-Ultra comes with full Bluetooth capabilities and attaching to a phone is just as simple as connecting to a console. Pairing via the usual Bluetooth settings on your phone, a double tap of the pairing button on the controller switches between wireless console play and that of Bluetooth to a phone. It takes a matter of seconds for integration with a mobile device, even less once the MOGA XP-Ultra has been set-up the very first time. Indication of which device you are connected to is shown via a white or blue LED. And those connections are, generally, fairly solid.
We’ve not noticed a single drop in the Bluetooth side of things, however on the odd occasion the XP-Ultra has lost comms with our Xbox Series X|S; just for a second or two. We’re not sure why and there doesn’t seem to be any real explanation as to the droppage, but it’s not a massive deal-breaker.
The real magic comes when you look to use the MOGA XP-Ultra with a phone though, especially if you find yourself needing to stow it away in a backpack or the like. That’s because a simple switch on the bottom of the controller splits the device into two, taking off the usual ergonomic grip to be left with a compact mini-pad. In theory, that is a hell of a design choice, perfect for those looking to really make the most of mobile gaming. In reality, we’re not sold.
The XP-Ultra feels too small in mini-pad form
Don’t get us wrong, we could use the PowerA MOGA XP-Ultra all day long as a standard controller with our Xbox Series X and Series S consoles. But split things down to the mini-pad and – for us – it’s just too small. There’s no debating it can be used for a few minutes at a time, but we’ve found ourselves with a bit of hand cramp through this review process, condensing grips down to suit the tiny controller.
It certainly works as intended, and for someone with smaller hands, would feel perfect for Cloud Gaming through Game Pass. But we much prefer the MOGA XP-Ultra with the full grip in place. It’s then when this excels.
And so that is what we’ve mostly done – made the most of the MOGA XP-Ultra as a full sized controller, taking in both standard Xbox console play and mobile Game Pass fun with it set up in that way. Sitting here now, we’re not even sure why anyone would find the need to use the XP-Ultra in mini form. It’s not like it’s a hugely bulky device that will take up much space.
Need to connect your phone?
The issues are amplified in our opinion by the inclusion of a phone clip. Admittedly this is one of the better clips out there, slotting into the controller – either in standard or mini form – via a nicely sprung clip system. It can be slotted in within a matter of seconds, removed with ease when the time comes too. With a spring loaded clamp which holds your phone safely (don’t even consider this if you have a flip or fold phone, but any other standard ‘slab’ should be fine), there’s no denying that PowerA have nailed what is required.
Making the most of the clip is decent when with the full controller, but try and use it with the already uncomfortable mini-pad and you’ll discover a world of pain; weighting completely off. We’re sure there will be some use case scenarios in which gamers will find a need, but through testing this has been the least pleasant of all the options that the PowerA MOGA XP-Ultra allows. We’d much prefer to just stand our phone up somewhere and be done with it, as opposed to taking on the extra weight of a device.
Thankfully the PowerA MOGA XP-Ultra will be able to keep you playing however you decide to make the most of it. A huge 2000mAh rechargeable battery is in place and whilst we don’t specifically time power purges, the sixty hours of Xbox Wireless play and forty of Bluetooth feels about right. Recharging when the time comes via USB-C completes the standards you would expect.
Personal scenarios will dictate
So, the PowerA MOGA XP-Ultra multi-platform wireless controller for Xbox then. A jack of all and master of none? Well, not really, but it is certainly a tale of two halves. Or at least, four quarters. Take this as a standard sized controller that can easily allow you to change your gaming habits, moving from console to phone and back again, and it will flourish. Add in the phone clip and you can enhance those Game Pass capabilities a little. But strip it back to the mini-pad and struggles commence. Throw the phone holder in then too and you’ve got a recipe for disaster.
In fact, a recommendation of the PowerA MOGA XP-Ultra controller for Xbox changes immensely depending on your use case scenario. Unless you’ve got teeny tiny hands of course!
Huge thanks go out to PowerA for providing us with the MOGA XP-Ultra for review. You can grab one for yourself from PowerA direct.
