Since the birth of game consoles, handheld devices that allow players to play games anytime and anywhere have become one of the most popular product categories among gamers. From the explosive popularity of the Switch to the high demand for the SteamDeck, it can be seen that game consoles still have a strong appeal to consumers today.

In terms of performance, smartphones are undoubtedly the most powerful portable smart devices currently available. Both the evolution speed of SoC computing power and the matching storage and memory specifications are among the best. Based on the performance upgrade, mobile games are also constantly innovating in terms of graphics and experience. However, the combination of smartphones and game attributes is still in a relatively early stage.

The emergence of "gaming phones" is also an attempt to enhance the gaming experience of products. On the Red Magic 8 Pro+, in addition to the conventional "mobile game enhancement", it also gradually approaches the "game console" through the connection and adaptation of peripherals.

People who are familiar with or have seen the Red Magic gaming phone series products must have a deep impression of the fan installed inside the body, which rotates at high speed and has a very cool overall effect with the light effect. After several generations of product evolution, the Red Magic ICE 11 magic cold cooling system not only uses a fan with a speed of up to 20,000 revolutions per minute and a VC with an area of 2068mm³ but also adds "3D ice step dual-pump VC" technology to increase heat dissipation capacity through stacking.

A good cooling structure is the basic preparation for fully releasing performance and also makes the Red Magic 8 Pro+ a "performance squeezing machine" like previous Red Magic products. In terms of running scores, AnTuTu, Lu Master, and 3Damrk are 1317690, 1375993, and 3744, respectively. The second-generation Qualcomm Snapdragon 8+ full-blood version LPDDR5x+UFS4.0 top hardware undoubtedly allows the Red Magic 8 Pro+ to have a performance that can top various rankings.

At the same time as the release of the Red Magic 8 Pro+, peripheral accessories that can be applied to the product were also introduced: the  RedMagic Shadow Blade Game Handle Gamepad. From the overall appearance, it has a great difference from traditional mobile peripherals. First of all, the overall design, in addition to the dual joysticks and common control buttons on the front, has four function buttons, plus four top buttons and back buttons, and the overall layout and quantity are in line with game consoles.

Moreover, the RT and LT on the top also use linear triggers, which were previously more commonly used in host controllers. Through the USB-C interface on the controller, it can be connected and adapted to the Red Magic 8 Pro+, and the built-in X-gravity platform of the system can quickly recognize the connection of the peripheral and automatically complete power supply, driver, and connection.

For supported games, REDMAGIC OS 6.0 can automatically map the controller's buttons according to the built-in scheme. For example, when opening the original God of War mobile game, you can see the default button layout. However, for people who are accustomed to touch screen operations, this set of control logic has a certain learning cost, and the advantage of more precise skill release and movement in button interaction can be brought out only after getting used to it.

With the enhancement of smartphone performance and display capabilities, the graphics quality of mobile games has made significant progress in the past two years. Among them, there are many games with excellent graphics quality, such as Genshin Impact, which uses advanced graphics engines. The emergence of these high-quality games has further blurred the boundary between smartphones and game consoles. So how does the Red Magic 8 Pro+ perform in high-quality "3A" games?

Firstly, in Genshin Impact, when playing continuously for 25 minutes with the highest graphics quality and 60 frames per second option, the Red Magic 8 Pro+ can achieve full-frame operation throughout the game. When combined with a controller, the overall experience is very similar to that of a handheld gaming console, with both button feedback and rich and smooth game graphics.

In addition to mobile games, by installing third-party apps, the application space of the controller can be further expanded. Many people may feel that the overall layout of the Red Magic 8 Pro+ is very similar to the Nintendo Switch at first glance. After installing emulators available on the market, the Red Magic 8 Pro+ becomes a "gaming handheld" that can provide a similar experience from appearance to content.

In summary, if the previous Red Magic products focused more on developing mobile products around "mobile games", the overall ecosystem of the brand has presented a preliminary "game blueprint" since the release of the Red Magic 8 Pro+. With the previously launched console mode and Red Magic Cast, smartphones can provide a pivot for large-screen games. The newly launched  RedMagic Shadow Blade Game Handle Gamepad peripheral realizes the ability to evolve towards a handheld gaming console.

For senior players who want to remove the hardware bottleneck of "leveling up", the Red Magic 8 Pro+ provides stable game frame rates and good touch response. If you are a gaming enthusiast who wants to experience various gaming ecosystems in your spare time, this product is also a good choice.