Backbone’s New Phone Gamepad Has an Xbox Twist

Thanks to game streaming, you can now play your favorite console games right from your smartphone—provided, of course, that you have a good Internet connection so that the stream actually works well. If you want an actual console controller on your phone, Backbone’s latest offering might just be what you need.

Backbone has just released the Backbone One Xbox Edition, a version of the Backbone One controller that is themed to look like an Xbox controller for the most part. For the most part, it shares a lot with the regular Backbone One. It’s a physical attachment that clamps onto the sides of your smartphone, effectively transforming the phone into a handheld gaming device with physical buttons, triggers, and analog sticks.

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The whole button layout didn’t need to be changed since the standard Backbone One already used the “Xbox layout” that’s present on basically every third-party controller currently on the market. We do, however, have a dedicated Xbox button, mirroring the one found on standard Xbox controllers. Pressing this button provides quick access to the Xbox dashboard interface, letting you start games or switch between games easily.

Aesthetically, the controller incorporates design elements inspired by the Xbox brand, most notably using a translucent green plastic reminiscent of the original Xbox console launched in 2001. But other than the green shell and the Xbox button, this is very similar to the standard Backbone One. For Apple users, it supports iPhone 15 models and later which utilize the USB-C port. On the Android side, it is compatible with devices running Android 6.0 Marshmallow or newer, though physical fit may vary depending on the phone’s dimensions and camera bump design. As it’s usually the case (no pun intended), case usage can be problematic, and while you might be able to get away with a slim case, some thicker cases might make the phone not fit properly.

This is not the first time Backbone has released a product like this. We also have a PlayStation Edition of the controller, which was released almost two years ago. That one did require Backbone to deviate from the standard layout on the base model of its controller, since it features a PlayStation layout with cross, triangle, circle, and square buttons. It still worked for whatever games you threw at it, but the layout made it especially good for remote play with your PlayStation 5. This particular product, on the other hand, didn’t need a layout change since the Xbox already uses the same button layout. So, all Backbone needed to do here was make it green, throw in that Xbox button, and that was pretty much it.

The Backbone One Xbox Edition is now available for sale in the United States for $109.99, right from Backbone’s website. It will probably also arrive later down the road at retailers such as Amazon. The company has announced plans for expansion into additional markets starting next month, so if you’re reading us from outside the US, you’ll want to keep an eye on your retailer of choice. As part of an introductory promotion, you can also get a free one-month trial of Xbox Game Pass Ultimate.

Source: Microsoft