Backbone Pro Review: Smartphone Game Controller, Will Spend You

A game controller to rule all of this? Not yet, but backbone professionals are starting out on the way and covering a considerable ground – a price of $170 (thanks for the tariff), and an optional subscription of $40 per year to make the necessary features work.

I tested the iPhone version of the app; Android is coming soon.

The original (still available) backbone is designed to run with a phone captured only, which eliminates the need for built-in wireless or battery; the Pro has its own Bluetooth radio and battery, so it can run independently like a typical Bluetooth controller. For Pro, use the backbone back to try the original function as “handheld mode” and distinguish Bluetooth into “wireless mode”.

This is the functional difference between the two controllers. The pro has also redesigned from the original version, which can accommodate new features and make it feel more upscale. Sorry, old iPhone owners, it will only come with USB-C, not the Lightning connector (so iPhone 15 or later). This is all based on the software, especially its subscription upgrade, Backbone Plus.

In my supervisor briefing, Backbone’s CEO Maneet Khaira explains his philosophy on moving forward in the corner of the game. “Our view is that in the future… all you have to do is buy just one device and you can play games on any screen. Maybe you can be a kid who doesn't have a console, you can play Fortnite on TV because that's just a TV you can buy in Best Buy, where you can play a screen so that we can do the screen on the screen so that we can do the screen on the screen. People expand like the addressable market for games.

But it is the subscription software that enables what he describes – the hardware is good, but there are a lot of competing controllers – and it's the hardest part of all game launchers and service snippets.

More traditional organic design

One problem with the initially generated mobile phone controllers (such as main chains) is that they are designed to be as small as possible. This means that feelings and traits are often sacrificed. With the help of professionals, the backbone tries to keep it small, but restores many of the design features players want, such as the grip you can actually hold, full-size thumbs, rear buttons and Hall effect triggers.

The backbone also changed the switch type on the ABXY button (carbon pellet) to make it quieter than the switch type on the old controller. They had a deeper trip, and for me the response was slightly lower, but I was a button masher, so after a while I got used to them. In local games, I don't have much lag – practitioners like Carrion and Hades – but on wireless, I do think I have occasional lags (in P lies on Mac, dead cells on iPad, etc.). Bluetooth is much better, but it's still not perfect. If it becomes a problem, you can still connect to wired.

The grips provide a solid handle, and they have a little more texture than the backbone, but less than the Xbox wireless controller and are softer than the rest of the controller. The gameplay is very comfortable for a long time.

I'm not crazy about left and right buttons – I don't have to consider them hard to use due to the controller and button sizes – which makes the rear button very useful for me. These are hard to press to prevent accidental activation, but I can't operate them with weak fingers (my ring finger), so I repositioned them to default values ​​in the software.

That said, they are still a little larger than the triggers on the backbone, and the triggers are relatively high. I have a different feeling about triggers, though. They have a relatively deep appeal, which may be very useful for aiming, but not as responsive as I like to shoot. The software allows you to set virtual trigger stops and Deadzones (and joystick Deaders), but this is only partially valid for me if there is no physical stop. But if you want to give it a try, you can have control.

There is a dedicated Bluetooth pairing button and analog jack on the left grip, and audio and USB-C charging on the right. In addition to recharging the battery in the controller, you can also charge your phone and when it charges the phone, it charges the controller battery. (The backbone scored the battery at 40 hours, but I somehow rank the battery to drain it faster on the first charge. Now, draining is slower.) However, like the backbone board, you can't use the USB-C port for audio, video, or data.

When you pair the controller with another device but connect the phone, it can choose which device you want to control. However, once you have the profile set up through your phone – I hope it can loop through the profile in the hardware so that the phone won't be deleted – you might want to delete it. For example, I found that when I use the touch screen to enter the backbone application, it disconnects the Bluetooth.

Software and $oftware

Free backbone software offers some of the basic features you get with most mobile controllers, although that includes basic features than “You Can Use It” and button mapping (it transfers you to system settings anyway). Everything else requires a $40 annual subscription, which means you can end up spending $210. There is a one-month free trial.

The Backbone Plus subscription does offer a lot. In addition to the backbone types you have previously obtained (such as support for streaming, chat, unified game launchers, perks and discounts), the backbone adds retro games and emulators to the hub, as well as pro-specific game profiles that feature button deletes and Deadzone/DeadZone/Deadzone/Deadzone/Trigger stops set.

It also allows you to save different device connections in the app to simplify switching (Backbone calls it “FlowState”), one of the smoothest aspects of the software being specific to Pro. For example, once I paired my iPad, I then just go to the list of paired devices and select it for connection and control. You can also select the configuration file you want to use. After that, remove the phone from the controller.

It's as seamless as I've seen, not because when you have to set up how content or services work on your Apple device, web app shortcuts can play with Xbox Cloud Gaming and GeForce, and GeForce's now painful login process surfaces.

I usually like the software, but I want the option to turn off the audio while scrolling through the game thumbnails, which is automatically played. If you are sensitive to sound (in a nerve-wracking way), it's like a cat walking through the brain and grabbing it with its paws. I had to mute my phone to browse. Ironically, the company redesigned the buttons to operate more quietly, but the software is still noisy.

Compatibility claims can also be confusing. For example, Backbone claims it can be used as an Xbox controller, but there is no Bluetooth support in the console: you have to use remote gaming or cloud gaming, which is not always possible. In my case, my network configuration (dual NAT setup) doesn't support remote gaming, and the cloud gets hit or missed (even Xbox Cloud Gaming lightweight games like Blue Prince are good for a while, then start lowering and Expedition 33 barely runs). These are not within the control of the backbone, but will affect the experience of the backbone Pro.

If you like the phone controller concept, or want to bring something smaller to your Bluetooth gaming, the hardware is compelling – you don't need to subscribe to this – but that's certainly not out of budget certainty, as you can find alternatives to a small portion of the price. But if you play on many Bluetooth-equipped devices and are willing to go out for another subscription, the Backbone Pro is probably the sleekest option out there.