Customer Ratings & Reviews

Wow. Where has this thing been my whole mobile life. I am middle aged and normally buy the largest iphone I can get every few years. Right now I have a 12 pro max. I play several games on it but playing games on a phone brings up several issues. One, your thumbs are literally on the screen. For someone like me with bigger thumbs it could be blocking 1/4 of the screen. When I play call of duty online I find myself missing things in the corner or not being able to precisely hit that one spot on the screen to activate something. All first world problems, but we don't pay thousands of dollars for a phone just to "make it work". Enter the Backbone One at a hundred bucks. This thing feels like it was made by Apple. It feels robust and well made but light weight. The buttons feel great and have good responsiveness. It feels good in your hands. Besides the actual control buttons there are 4 more buttons for recording, muting, opening the backbone app and a button to see if friends are online. There's a 3.5 jack on the left and a charging pass thru on the right. It works with any game that works with a controller. The Backbone app is actually free for a year, then $49.99 a year after that. Pretty sweet deal. I don't know if I'll keep the app after the initial year, but the good thing is that it's not needed to play games you have. Negatives are few for the Backbone. One you have to take off your case when using it. I know I know, that's not a big deal. But for me I would love to have the ability to play with the case on but I also know that would be tough to design. The only other issue is the trigger buttons are really small. So going back to having fat fingers...you get it. It's not terrible, but it's definitely not using a PS5 controller. Are you a mobile gamer with an iphone? With the price and value you get from the Backbone One it's really a no brainer. Go get it.

I am very impressed with the Backbone One Mobile Gaming Device. I have been looking for a way to play Cloud Gaming on my Iphone recently and I believe I've found my answer. I had tried using a xbox bluetooth controller but the lag time made the games virtually unplayable. Especially ones that required quick responses or good timing. With the Backbone the lag is very much better and just a joy to use. Initial setup took less than a minute or two just install the app and you are up and running. Immediately the backbone works seamlessly with cloud gaming. The controllers buttons feel very well made, joysticks are placed in the right place and the trigger buttons feel good as well. The unit just feels solid in your hands. Games like the MLB show which require precision timing for pitching and hitting work great. The screenshot button and recording for twitch is a nice touch but something I will never really use. I love that it even has a headphone jack in the bottom of the controller. This is by far one of the best accessories I've ever come across. It literally turns my iphone into a portable Xbox and I couldn't be happier. There are additional features with the app so you can play stadia games as well but not something i've taken advantage of yet because of the robust Xbox gaming catalog. If you're looking for a portable solution to play xbox games I highly highly recommend this.

Purchased as an early Christmas gift. Played for about an hour. Can’t play all Xbox games maybe 2 or 3 in all of game pass. My boyfriend was very disappointed I did return it

The Backbone controller is smooth and comfortable. Feels like an "actual" controller when in your hands. I used it with my IPhone 12 Pro Max and after removing my case (required) it attached easily and immediately launched the app. I'm not a console gamer so this was a great item for me. It allows me to play some of the latest games like Call of Duty and some racing games, without investing tons of money in a console gaming system. The graphics through my phone were great, and the controls were smooth and precise. I will admit that the small screen makes it difficult to read some of the on screen info but that's to be expected. The backbone includes a free 30-day subscription to X-Box Game Pass and a full year of gaming with Backbone.(subscription rates apply after this). Was a little surprised that it did not come with any type of carrying case, but it's not really necessary. It seems to be well built, rugged, and durable. Includes an adapter for use with IPhone 13, but it works with any IPhone 6 or later. This is a really cool gadget and I highly recommend it!

I really enjoy the number of game platforms I can connect to. It’s compact enough to take anywhere and still have the advantage of playing games traditionally only available on xBox. I find the plug in the base of the backbone very useful feature.

This is a great creation and simple to use. I love how the gaming world is evolving. I no longer have to bring my Xbox and controllers to play away from home. I simply connected the Backbone controller to my iPhone and that was it! Thought it would be more complicated but it wasn't. Then I opened the app. I just had some trouble with Xbox on starting the remote play but figured it out and then everything worked great. It pretty much resembles my regular Xbox controller and was easy to adjust. The size is also great, not too big to carry around but not too small so that it's difficult to use. Also really like the play record and screenshot functions, it was fun to record your favorite moments of the game. I found that it doesn’t use much phone battery and love that I can charge my phone through it when needed. Definitely would recommend. As a matter of fact a couple of friends are impressed and are planning to purchase.

The Backbone One is a serious controller for people who are interested in iOS gaming or taking advantage of their Cloud gaming subscriptions. Out of the box, Backbone One touts its support for Xbox cloud and remote game pass. It's as simple as logging into your microsoft account and within moments you are ready to play your favorite Xbox games from anywhere. It's also a great combination with Apple Arcade, which has many titles with controller support. An important thing to remember is that Xbox cloud gaming doesn't even require an Xbox and other services like Stadia and Steam Link make console gaming possible right on your iPhone without having to own any consoles at home. Great user experience, I just wish I didn't have to take my phone out of the case each time to play, but that might always be the downside unless a company develops a custom case just for these controllers.

It works as advertised. I’ve used it for games pass and remote play, and it’s great. No need to Bluetooth a controller when you plug this baby in. Buttons are great.

The Backbone is the perfect upgrade I needed for iPhone gaming. My phone fits snugly in the springloaded casing and the controller is perfectly sized, fitting nicely in my hands with all the buttons in reach. It works best with Xbox Remote Play and Steam Link. I had an incredible lag-free experience with Steam Link and was able to play some of my favorite games as if my phone was running them and not just displaying it. I haven’t noticed a strong battery drain other than the display and the screenshot and record features are very easy to use. This opens up a whole new world of possibilities for mobile gaming and I am browsing the App Store by “controller enabled” now! The Backbone is awesome.

First off, there's no difference between the black one and the white one. The white one is Playstation branded, that's all. That's the big question I had. You have to take the case off your phone to use this. That was a bit of a bummer. I got used to it, though. So just one star ding for that. Good product.

Bought this as a gift. The gift was received excitedly. I dont play Xbox but for those who do, this appears to be the thing to have.

Got this for my daughter. Took a little bit to figure it out so it would do what she wanted it for. But once we did everything was great.

Been using this for about a week and I love it! There are SO MANY games the Backbone is compatible with, and it honestly is a game changer for gaming on my iPhone! The touch screen controls are a mess on phones, and this totally solves that issue! I have been looking for the perfect solution to mobile gaming for a long time and this has provided it. Setup is easy, just snag the app and slap the backbone on your phone and you are good to go! The app setup process is easy, but I am dinging one star because the app does cost $49.99 a year after the first year which is a little silly. Overall though there is no better solution for gaming on your iPhone or Android device than this!

Excellent control I am recommend because don’t need buy a console game just the control because take with every where

Does exactly what I wanted and more. Excellent integration into iOS. Looks great, feels good, the app is excellent. Buy it!

I like this gift very much and i recommend this gaming controller because the razar kishi broke

Its pretty for a quick and easy use. I loce everything about it.

Love it works great and just what my husband needed

Love the controller, I haven’t played games since I was a teen, now I’m playing all the time.

My wife loves this! She can sit next to me on the couch and play all of her favorite Xbox games. Best gift ever.