Android gamers have had it good with the availability to use MOGA game controllers for quite some time. iOS users however have had to sit on the sidelines and use sub par game controllers with very limited features and game compatibility. That has all changed however with the introduction of iOS7 and the standardization of “Made for iPhone” game controllers. What that means is that future iOS7 games can be implement with these MFI api’s to add game controller functionality that will work with any MFI game controller. One of the first officially supported game controllers comes from MOGA and it’s the MOGA Ace Power for the iPhone 5/5S/5C and iPod Touch 5th Gen. We were lucky enough to get one of the first available units here for review and put it through its paces. Does it make gaming on the iOS7 any better? Read on to find out.

Design and Build

At first glance, the MOGA Ace Power looks very similar to the MOGA Hero Power. It too has a slim design but with much flatter analog sticks. The Ace Power is also almost entirely black with orange accents for the extender piece. Though it looks similar to their previous controllers, there are some fairly big differences that sets it apart from its Android counterparts.

I’ll start with the differences you can see. First, the action buttons here are now colored with a familiar red, yellow, blue, and green scheme. The colors aren’t quite the same as what Nintendo used for the N64, but they do remind you of them. Also, the directional pad is now a circular design instead of a cross. The analog sticks are flat discs instead of the more traditional joystick looking designs.

The biggest difference is that this new gamepad forgoes the extended arm that their other gamepads used and instead, the Ace Power expands horizontally so that your device can sit at the center of it. This is mainly because the Ace Power needs to connect to your device via the Lightning port and id does so directly without the need for an extended cable. Your device is held securely in place with MOGA’s patented S.M.R.T. technology which locks the gamepad in place so that your device will not fall out.

Another key addition to the MOGA Ace Power is the inclusion of sound channels on the right side of the controller. What this does is it directs the sound form your devices speakers upwards towards you so that you can hear audio from your device better. Since the controller covers the audio jack too when your device is on, the controller also includes it’s own audio jack that works with your devices.

Key Features

Portable, expanding design for gaming on the go

MOGA Boost technology helps your battery last longer

Setup is as easy as 1, 2, 3

Precision, console-style controls

Secures your device with S.M.R.T. Lock technology

Connects to your device via Lightning™ connector

Includes a Micro-B charging cable

Compatible with iPhone 5s, iPhone 5c, iPhone 5, and iPod touch (5th generation)

What makes the Ace Power unique though from basically every other older style iOS controller or even Android controller is that there is no longer a need to connect the controller to your device using Bluetooth. That means set up is a breeze as all you need to do is connect the controller to your device using the Lightning port, and that’s it. Done. The Lightning will transmit the date from the controller to your device. Not only that, it also acts as a battery charger for when you want to extend your gaming time. Since it features a 1800mAh battery, it should extend your battery life by one full charge.

Usage

Of course all these features don’t mean a thing if the controller doesn’t work well with games. At the moment, there are only a handful of games that currently support MFI controllers, so those are the ones I have tried them on. I was able to test out the MOGA Ace Power with Dead Trigger 2, Galaxy On Fire 2 HD, Trial Xtreme 3, and Respawnables.

Dead Trigger 2 as you know is on Android too and I also used the game to test out the MOGA Hero Power and MOGA Pro Power. For the most part, the experience on iOS is the same with the MOGA Ace Power working quite well with this game. You do however need to adjust the control sensitivity in the settings menu because the defaults are way too twitchy. Drop the sensitivity to the lowest setting for the best experience.

For Galaxy On Fire 2 HD, the controller worked way better than trying to play using touch screen controls. I had never played this game before and trying to play it via the touch controls is not a pleasant experience. Same goes for Trials Xtreme 3. Both these games are difficult to play via touch and are only playable once you start using a real controller. Mainly, it’s because there are just too many on screen controls present and without real buttons, it’s hard to really remember what part of the screen is what. At least with a controller, all the button are in the same position, you just need to know what button does what.

Lastly, Respawnables is also a new game I’m playing because of the MOGA. It’s a 3rd person shooter, similar to games like Battlefield Heroes on the PC. This one I played entirely with the controller and for some reason, it seems like the controller really gives you an advantage in this game. I was literally winning every match by huge margins mainly because playing these types of games cone naturally with a controller.

Those were the only games I’ve really tried so far. I’m hoping that more of my regular games I play become MFI compatible because there are a ton of games I can think of right now that would benefit from it.

Unlike its Android counterparts, there is no accompanying MOGA app for iOS yet so there’s no real way of telling which games work and don’t work with the controller yet. The only thing you can do is go to the MOGA site here and view a list of what is compatible so far. There will be an app available soon, but it’s just not out yet. I will say that if you do get the Ace Power, I highly recommend playing Dead Trigger 2 and Respawnables.

Final Thoughts

I’ve been waiting a long time for a real gaming controller for my iPhone. These new MFI game controllers are exactly what I’ve been waiting for, though they aren’t perfect just yet. The MOGA Ace Power works great, but there are still not that many games that support Apple’s MFI api’s yet, but since they are official api’s, we should start seeing a flood of supported games soon. Also, there still isn’t an easy way of telling which games work with it, but hopefully Apple will make it easier by labeling them in the App Store of having a special section for them in the future.

On the hardware side, the MOGA Ace Power seems sturdy enough and I like the way it integrates with the iPhone more so than using an extended arm that holds your device like the Android versions do. It gives it a PSP type of feel to it feels pretty good in your hands. It does come with included spacers so that it will fit an iPod Touch as well. If you have an iPhone 5 with one of those glass screen protectors on it, you must remove all the spacers or else your device will not fit. The glass will not clear the plastic border unless removed. You must make sure that you push your device all the way in or it will not recognize the controller.

The only real downside to the MOGA is its price. At $99, it’s not cheap, but at least it has a built in power supply for recharging your device which makes up for most of the cost. I would think of it more like buying a backup battery with the added benefit of also being a game controller.