The mobile controller company Backbone unveiled its Backbone Pro controller this week, which brings iOS and Android gaming experiences to the next level.
A successor to the Backbone One controller, the Pro features full-size joysticks, re-mappable buttons, and Bluetooth compatibility, making for a more premium gaming setup. Unlike its predecessor, the Backbone Pro doesn’t need to be attached to a phone to work, meaning that you could use it as a wireless controller. That functionality gets extra useful when using cloud gaming services like Xbox Game Pass. You can play a game with the Backbone Pro controller on your TV, then plug your phone into the controller and instantly pick up where you left off on mobile.
“Our thought is, gaming should be a lot more straightforward,” founder Maneet Khaira told TechCrunch. ”It needs to be really simple and work more like AirPods when you connect to screens.”
Backbone is betting big on the growth of mobile gaming, which has only been accelerated by expanding cloud gaming options, but so far, Backbone seems to be cementing itself as the top hardware maker for mobile gamers. It also helps that Backbone is teeming with celebrity investors like Ashton Kutcher, The Weeknd, MrBeast, Post Malone, and Amy Schumer, as well as gaming insiders like Discord founder Jason Citron.
But as someone who doesn’t use Xbox Game Pass or similar cloud subscriptions, I never quite understood the hype around using a smartphone as a gaming device. I already have a Nintendo Switch, a device specifically made for gaming, as opposed to my iPhone, which is designed for a bazillion other things. So to test the Backbone Pro, I downloaded some games on my phone that I already play on the Switch, solely for the purpose of comparing the gameplay experience.
The verdict? I have logged about 13 hours of gameplay on the iOS version of Stardew Valley over the last three days. I’m not fully sold on mobile gaming — answering texts while playing a game is kind of annoying — but I have to say, I’d much rather sit on the couch with the Backbone Pro than the Nintendo Switch, which prioritizes screen size over comfort.
The Backbone Pro shines in its ergonomics. Sometimes, when you pick up a new iPhone, it feels familiar, yet slightly off, and it takes some time to get used to the feel of the new device before the differences stop being noticeable. This was the experience I had playing the Nintendo Switch 2, as opposed to the original console.
But the Backbone Pro’s design feels so naturally intuitive that I didn’t even experience those few minutes of discomfort. Seconds after plugging my phone into the controller’s USB-C port for the first time, I could play Hades — a game rife with chaotic button mashing — just as easily as I do on the Switch. I find the Nintendo Switch Pro Controller uncomfortable for games like Hades, so that’s saying something.
“Meta, when they were designing the Quest, they would do multiple iterations of a headset [prototype] in a week, because they could print them and then rapidly test them, get feedback, and iterate,” Khaira said. He took inspiration from that technique when developing the Backbone Pro, investing heavily in the same kind of technology.
Backbone 3D-printed over 9,000 different parts before landing on the model that ultimately shipped, making microscopic tweaks to every facet of the controller before arriving at something that makes Joy-Cons feel like Fisher-Price toys.
This level of precision and versatility comes at a cost. The Backbone Pro retails for $169.99, which is a bit steep considering that you could buy a refurbished Nintendo Switch Lite for the same price. But for serious players who need that cross-device functionality, the Backbone Pro could be worth it.
If you’re not moving back and forth between Xbox Game Pass on your TV and your phone, you could probably be fine with the original Backbone One, which is $99.99.
