The controller doesn’t require any power, drawing everything it needs from your phone. On the iPhone, as soon as I started hitting buttons on the controller, it immediately prompted me to install it. You’ll need to install the Backbone app for it to work. A connector on the right hand side should be aligned with your phone so that it slots in. You place the phone in between the two side controller sections and the spring mechanism will then grip the phone securely in the middle. To insert the phone, you pull the Backbone One apart – a sliding mechanism in the middle ensures this opens up smoothly. The controller won’t work if your phone is in a case or has anything connected to the back, such as a Pop Socket. Inside is a paper safety guide, a piece of card that tells you how to set up the Backbone One, the controller itself and, if you have the iPhone version, an adapter (more on this later). Everything inside is cardboard, bar three blobs of foam, which is great to see. Inside the flashy outer box is a simple, matt black box that opens up to reveal the controller. The packaging for the Backbone One is very nice. The Remote Play app, for those of you unaware of it, allows owners to remotely sign in and stream games from their PlayStation.Īll models of the Backbone One retail for £99.99. However, if, like me, you want to use the Backbone One in combination with the PS Remote Play app, then the changes are welcome. Mobile games will refer to the side buttons in terms of the usual ABXY arrangement, rather than PlayStation symbols, so the latter may be confusing. Whether to buy the standard or PlayStation version is a personal choice. For this review, I’m testing the iPhone PlayStation Edition, although images shown in this article are for the standard iPhone version. Apart from the colour, the main difference is that the ABXY buttons are re-labelled with the equivalent PlayStation symbols. The Backbone is a games controller into which you slot your smartphone, so you end up with the controller buttons on either side of the phone’s screen.Ĭompatible with both Android (with USB-C connection) and iPhone, there are two versions of the controller available – the black Standard model and a white PlayStation Edition. But is the gaming experience as good? Here’s our Backbone One review. Costing £99.99, it’s a damned sight cheaper than a full-blown console such as a Steam Deck or Nintendo Switch. But the Backbone’s accompanying app is the cherry on top of an already excellent package, creating a unified interface for your gaming apps, screen captures and social gaming options.The Backbone One is a controller that turns your mobile phone into a games console. With an iPhone’s Lightning port automatically picking up connectivity to Backbone One, the team would have been forgiven for calling it a day there, with many an app’s auto-recognition of an accompanying controller doing the rest of the work for them when it came to button mapping and the like. Our one concern would be the durability of the Lightning connector – unless you’re particularly nimble-fingered, the snap-back telescoping nature of the device can mean your phone may at times hold the connection at an awkward angle until you’ve had time to adjust it.īut with Lightning connection pass-through charging of the phone, and the presence of a 3.5mm headphone jack on the bottom, it’s about as fully-featured as you could hope for. But we’ve been testing with a large iPhone 13 Pro, and have found it to be comfortable throughout. There will be some difference from paired device to device of course, as the size of iPhones can vary. The sticks have just the right amount of travel (though they are on the smaller side), with a responsively-springy D-Pad and satisfyingly-clicky buttons. It’s a supremely comfortable device from our testing. Add into the mix services like Apple Arcade, and streaming platforms like Nvidia GeForce Now, Google Stadia and Xbox Game Pass Ultimate, and you’ve more choice than ever when it comes to taking games on the go with you. Whether you’re adventuring away in Genshin Impact, hunting the sus in Among Us, or headshotting to victory in Call of Duty Mobile, mobile games are now as detailed, social and competitive as their console and PC counterparts. There’s never been a better time to get into mobile gaming. ❌ You have an Android (that edition is separate) ✅ You want extra controls for other mobile games ✅ You don't want to spend $200 on a PS Portal We've never seen this iPhone (or Android) mobile controller down to less than this before. Save $30 - The BackBone One makes for an excellent budget alternative to the $200 PlayStation Portal and now it's back down to its lowest ever price at Amazon. BackBone One PlayStation Edition | $99 $69.99 at Amazon
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