Backbone Pro Review: A Costly Smart Mobile Game Controller

One game controller that rules them all? Not yet, but Backbone Pro has set that pass and covers a fair amount of foundation – in addition to a price tag with no price of $170 (thanks for the tariffs), you’ll need a subscription to the option for $40 a year.

I tested the iPhone version of the app. Android is approaching.

The original – and still available backbone is designed to run only with the phone snapped, removing the need for built-in wireless or battery. The Pro has its own Bluetooth radio and battery, so it can work independently like a typical Bluetooth controller. In the case of PRO, the backbone distinguishes the original function from “handheld mode” and Bluetooth from “wireless mode.”

This is the functional difference between the two controllers. Pro has also been significantly redesigned from the original to accommodate new features and feel more luxurious. Sorry, the owner of the old iPhone, it comes with only USB-C, not a lightning connector (iPhone 15 or later). And what really stands out is Backbone Plus, a software, especially subscription upgrade.

In my pre-announcement briefing, Backbone CEO Manito Kyla explained his philosophy as to where the corners of his game are heading. “In our view, in the future… all you have to do is buy just one device and play the game on any screen. And you can become a kid who doesn’t own a console. You can also play Fortnite on TV. It expands like an addressable market for people and games.

But it’s subscription software that enables what he describes – the hardware is great, but there are plenty of competing controllers – the most difficult part thanks to the fragmentation of all game launchers and services.

More traditional and organic design

One of the problems with initial generation of on-phone controllers like backbone is that they are designed to be as small as possible. It meant that the feel and features were frequently sacrificed. For the pros, the backbone tried to make it smaller, but actually revives many of the design characteristics players would like, such as grips, full-size thumbsticks, rear buttons, and grips. Hall effect trigger.

The backbone also changed the switch type of the abxy button (carbon pill) to make it quieter, rather than the crisp clickness of the old controller. They have a deeper trip, but for me it’s a bit less sensitive, but I’m a button masher so after a while I got used to it. I didn’t feel much waiting time in my local games – actions like Carion and Hades on my phone – beyond wireless, I think I’ve experienced occasional delays (P lies on Mac, dead cells on iPad, etc.). Bluetooth has been much better, but it’s still not perfect. If that’s the problem, you can still connect a wired connection.

The grip provides solid handheld and has a little more texture than the backbone texture, but less than the Xbox wireless controller and feels a little softer than the rest of the controller. It’s quite comfortable for long gameplay.

I’m not into left and right buttons – due to the controller and button sizing, I’m struggling to use them without thinking about it – it will be very useful to me. These are a bit difficult to press to prevent accidental activation, but they are not that difficult, so I rematched them as default in the software as I can’t manipulate them with weaker fingers (my ring).

That said, like the trigger, it’s a little bigger than the one on the backbone and is still relatively clicking. But I have mixed feelings about the trigger. They have a relatively deep pull. This is great for aiming, but it doesn’t respond as much as I like to shoot. With the software you can set up virtual trigger stops and dead zones (and joystick dead zones), but without a physical stop, it’s only partially effective for me. But if you want to try it, you have control.

There is a dedicated Bluetooth pairing button and analog jack for the left grip and USB-C charging audio. In addition to charging the battery in the controller, you can also charge your phone, and when you charge your phone, the battery on the controller will be charged. (The backbone evaluates the battery in 40 hours, but on the first charge it somehow drained it much faster. It’s now draining more slowly.) However, like the ones on the backbone, you can’t use a USB-C port for audio, video, or data.

If you have paired the controller with another device but the phone is connected, you can choose which device to control. But once I set up a profile on my phone – I want to cycle through the profiles in the hardware so that the phone is no longer needed. You probably want to delete it. For example, I found that Bluetooth gets disconnected when I go to the backbone app using a touchscreen.

Software and $ manyware

Free backbone software offers some basic features you get with most mobile controllers, but includes more basics than basics like “can be used” and button mapping (for iPhones it refers to system settings anyway). Everything else requires an annual subscription of $40. This means that for Pro, it could cost $210. There is a free one month trial.

Backbone Plus subscription offers a lot. In addition to what I got with the ones for the backbone before, it’s unique to the game profile, with support for streaming, chat, unified game launchers, perks, discounts and more, including support for backbone retro games and emulators, added to the hub, and with button re-reports and dead zone/trigger stop settings for each game.

It also stores different device connections in the app and easily switches them (the backbone calls them “flow state”). This is one of the smoothest aspects of Pro-specific software. For example, once it was paired with an iPad, I had to go to the list of paired devices and select it to connect and control. You can also select the profile to use. Then remove the phone from the controller.

It’s seamless as I’ve seen, and when it’s not Byzantine, how to set up things on an Apple device and how the service works – shortcuts on web apps playing Xbox Cloud Gaming and GeForce remind me of the painful login process right now.

I generally like the software, but I wish there was an option to turn off audio while scrolling through the thumbnails of autoplay games. If you are sensitive to sounds (in a neural style way), it’s like a cat walking through the brain and grabbing its claws. I had to mute the phone just to browse. I think it’s ironic that the company redesigned the buttons to work quieter, but the software is still loud.

Compatibility claims can also be confusing. For example, it claims that Backbone could function as an Xbox controller, but the console does not have Bluetooth support. Remote play Or cloud gaming is not necessarily viable. In my case, remote play is not supported by my network configuration – Double nut Setup – and Cloud is a hit or miss (even lightweight Xbox cloud games like Blue Prince ran well for a while, then deteriorated, and Expedition 33 barely started running). Neither of them are within Backbone’s control, but they can affect the Backbone Pro experience.

The hardware is appealing if you like the concept of an on-phone controller or want something a little smaller for Bluetooth games. You don’t need to subscribe to that, but it’s not for your budget given that you can find a small substitution for the price. However, if you play on a variety of Bluetooth-equipped devices and are willing to avoid yet another subscription, the Backbone Pro is probably the smoothest option.