Clip-on controllers didn’t help me improve in PUBG Mobile

But I had fun running around as a rock

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Clip-on controllers didn’t help me improve in PUBG Mobile

Xinmei Shen

Published: 8:45pm, 28 Sep 2018Updated: 8:40am, 20 Sep 2019

This article originally appeared on ABACUS

I’m a huge PUBG fan. But no matter how much I play, so far I’ve only mastered the important skill of, er, killing bots. If it’s a human player I’m against... I don't stand a chance.

This week, my colleague Josh got us some little clip-on buttons for the iPhone from a corner store near our office. They're supposed to make the phone feel more like a controller... which should make PUBG Mobile easier... which should mean I'd do better against human players... which means more chicken dinners!

The add-on I chose is supposed to take my thumbs off the screen so they won’t block my vision.

It consists of a pair of clip-on triggers that you attach to the side of the phone. By customizing the game’s buttons to fit directly under them, you won’t have to tap directly on the screen anymore.

It seemed like a great idea. But in reality, it didn’t really help me -- at least not in this game.

For the record, I’m not entirely blaming the controller. (I swear I’m not, Josh!) Part of the problem was that as a mobile gamer, I’m more used to holding a smartphone and using touchscreen controls than holding a controller and using real buttons. It felt strange in my hands!