Credit: Engadget/Mat Smith
The controller’s namesake, the spring-loaded backplate, ensures everything feels solid and unified once your phone is in place. The controls are not pulled away, nor is there any chance of your phone slipping out. So I spent all the more playing through Alan Wake death loop, as well as Apple Arcade titles like Fallen Knight and Fantastic, the more it blurs into a handheld – one with a high-resolution OLED screen. Unfortunately, you’ll have to remove all of the casing to make sure it fits in the controller case.
The companion app has a few useful tricks. It can capture, edit, and upload game content and is pretty intuitive. I don’t usually record gameplay unless it’s for work, but I’ve used Backbone’s implementation to send short clips to friends. The company has also announced a Backbone+ subscription service that integrates Twitch streaming and even allows for wired connections for keyboards and more. (You get the service free for a year with the purchase of the controller.) There’s also the option to join chat groups and lobbies, which are populated with other backbone gamers, but compared to Discord, Reddit, or other existing gamer spaces it is not very lively .
The app also serves as a sort of games library for all the games you can play with the Backbone One across Xbox, Stadia, Apple Arcade, and individual games on Apple’s App Store. Unfortunately, it’s literally all compatible games, including unobtrusive game clones, and Xbox and Stadia titles you might not even have a subscription to. It’s a shame the app couldn’t interact with the games I already had installed – which admittedly would be impossible for PlayStation Remote Play. If you tap the backbone button during a game, the title will at least be checked into the library for more convenient access next time. There is deeper functionality here, but your mileage may vary. Recommendations of popular titles appear, but it’s the incredibly familiar sights of Among Us, Genshin Impact, and Minecraft.
Engadget/Mat Smith
The Backbone One is a capable iPhone gamepad, so much so that I sometimes actively choose to play Stadia and even play PlayStation remotely when I’m in another room. However, it is an expensive one. For $100, you can buy a couple of PS5 controllers or a whole box of third-party Bluetooth gamepads and smartphone clips.
But for this price you get a refined experience that goes well with your iPhone. Visiting family over the holidays, I could easily (aside from reading the tiny text) play Deathloop while hundreds of miles from my console. Like several existing split gamer pads for smartphones, it’s like a tiny switch. The app also attempts to consolidate all of your iOS gaming experiences into a single place, which is a neat idea, even if Backbone doesn’t quite nail the execution.
All products recommended by Engadget are selected by our editorial team, independently of our parent company. Some of our stories contain affiliate links. If you buy something through one of these links, we may receive an affiliate commission.
