CONTROLLER GUIDE
Clip a pad on your phone and it turns into a handheld. Here's how to set up each one, with videos, what the reviewers think, and fixes when a controller won't show up.
FLIPPAD
ZERO 2
POCKET TACO
8BITDO FLIPPAD
- Connects
- USB-C PLUG-IN
- Pairing
- none: plug in and play
- Battery
- none, the phone powers it
- Phones
- USB-C: iPhone 15 or newer, Android
GAMESIR P1 POCKET TACO
- Connects
- BLUETOOTH
- Pairing
- two-step on iPhone (below)
- Battery
- 600 mAh, rechargeable
- Phones
- any iPhone or Android
8BITDO ZERO 2 + CLIP
- Connects
- BLUETOOTH
- Pairing
- R + Start, then pick it
- Battery
- built in, USB charging
- Phones
- any, in a clip (ours is free to print)
8BITDO FLIPPAD
PLUGS IN · FLIPS DOWN · NO PAIRING, NO BATTERY
The FlipPad plugs straight into your phone's USB-C port and folds down over the bottom of the screen. There's no Bluetooth and nothing to charge: the phone powers it. Flip it up mid-game to reach the screen without unplugging.
- USB-C plug-in
- iOS 26.2+ · Android 13+
- cases up to 2 mm
- phones 8–10 mm thick
- D-pad, ABXY + 6 extra buttons
SET IT UP
- Check your phone has USB-C. iPhone 15 and newer do, as do most Androids. A Lightning iPhone (iPhone 14 and earlier) can't take it: use a Bluetooth pad instead.
- Thin case, or none. 8BitDo says cases up to 2 mm work.
- Plug it in and fold it down over the bottom of the screen. That's the whole setup: no pairing.
- Open the arena and press A. The landing page says controller ready.
- CONTROLS → PHONE CONTROLLER AREA → 8BitDo FlipPad, then nudge it with − / + until the glowing edge meets the top of the pad. It's a Nintendo-style layout: turn on swap A/B if A and B feel backwards.
Flip it up during a round and the deck under it shows your music and effects volume and voice controls. Flip it back and keep playing.
WATCH
GAMESIR P1 POCKET TACO
BLUETOOTH · 600 MAH · A GAME BOY FOR YOUR PHONE
A Game Boy-styled Bluetooth pad that grips the bottom half of your phone, with a hollow base so it can charge while you play. It works with every phone, Lightning iPhones included, but iPhones need it paired a particular way.
- Bluetooth
- 600 mAh battery
- iOS · Android · Switch
- 4 shoulder buttons
- re-pair: M + Home, 2 s
PAIR IT WITH AN IPHONE
- Forget old pairings. In Settings → Bluetooth, forget any GameSir or DUALSHOCK entries for it.
- Pair it as Gamesir-Pocket 1_df first.
- Hold M + Home for 2 seconds. The light flashes fast: it's ready to pair again.
- Pair the second entry: DUALSHOCK 4 Wireless Controller. This is the mode the arena sees. GameSir's own tutorial lists it for iOS.
- Open the arena and press A, then choose GameSir Pocket Taco in CONTROLS → PHONE CONTROLLER AREA.
Shows as connected but nothing happens? It's usually paired in the wrong mode. The Gamesir-Pocket 1_G mode is for mapping touch games on Android and won't work here. Start again from step 1.
On Android, pair Gamesir-Pocket 1 and you're done.
WATCH
8BITDO ZERO 2 + THE ARENA CLIP
KEYRING-SIZED · BLUETOOTH · PRINT YOUR OWN CLIP
The tiniest pad in the ring. Clip it to the bottom of your phone (8BitDo sells a Mobile Clip, or print our gold ARENA clip for free) and you've got a pocket arcade.
- Bluetooth
- built-in battery, USB charging
- D-pad, ABXY, L/R, Select, Start
- firmware updates over USB
SET IT UP
- Clip it on. Download the ARENA clip (Bambu Studio, two phone sizes, three screw lengths) or use 8BitDo's Mobile Clip.
- Turn it on with R + Start, as 8BitDo's FAQ says for iPhone, then pick 8BitDo Zero 2 in Settings → Bluetooth.
- Open the arena and press A. Not seen? Hold Start for 8 seconds to switch it off, then try another mode (B + Start works for some players) and pair again. Update its firmware with 8BitDo's updater if it still won't show.
- CONTROLS → PHONE CONTROLLER AREA → custom: shrink the area with − until the glowing edge sits just above the clip.
WATCH
Print it in gold. Bring it to the ring.
This places the controller on the lower half of your screen.
The Smallest Gaming Controller Ever!!!
FLIPPAD OR POCKET TACO? WATCH THEM HEAD TO HEAD
The deck under your pad.
SIZED TO YOUR PAD
CONTROLS → PHONE CONTROLLER AREA has presets for the FlipPad and Pocket Taco, or custom. Fine-tune with − / +, or hold Select and press ▲ / ▼ any time. Every phone remembers its own size.
THE RAINBOW RING
With a pad connected, a ring spins in the arena's colours around it and flashes every time you take a hit.
FLIP FOR CONTROLS
Lift the pad off the screen and the deck holds music and effects volume and the voice buttons.
NO PAD? NO PROBLEM
The deck becomes an on-screen gamepad (D-pad, A B X Y, L R, Select, Start) that works everywhere a real one does.
Any pad your browser can see.
XBOX & PLAYSTATION
Pair over Bluetooth (or plug in on a computer) and press a face button on the arena's page. Xbox layout is the default.
NINTENDO LAYOUT
8BitDo and Switch-style pads put A and B the other way round: turn on swap A/B in CONTROLS.
KEYBOARD
Arrows or WASD and Space, plus each arena's extra keys. See How to play.
TEST IT
CONTROLS shows a live readout of every button you press: handy for checking a new pad, and for telling us what yours sends.
Controller not detected?
PRESS A FACE BUTTON
Browsers hide controllers until you tap the page and press A (not the Home or Xbox button, which goes to the system).
FLIPPAD
It's plug-in only: no Bluetooth. Check it's pushed fully into the USB-C port, the case is 2 mm or thinner, and the phone runs iOS 26.2+ or Android 13+.
POCKET TACO ON IPHONE
Connected but dead? Forget it in Bluetooth settings and do the two-step pairing: Gamesir-Pocket 1_df first, then M + Home, then DUALSHOCK 4.
BLUETOOTH PADS
Make sure it isn't still connected to another phone, tablet or console nearby. Switch it off and on, and pair again.
WINDOWS + XBOX PAD
Click the game window first: Chrome and Edge only pass the pad to the window you're using.
STILL STUCK?
Get in touch with your phone, browser and controller, and what CONTROLS shows when you press buttons.
Videos play from YouTube in privacy-enhanced mode only when you press play. Quotes are short excerpts from the linked reviews, product pages and video titles. 8BitDo, GameSir, Xbox and PlayStation are trademarks of their owners; JOINR ARENA isn't affiliated with them.