BACKBONE One Mobile Gaming Controller for iPhone 14, Lightning, 2nd Gen

The Backbone is nearly perfect for what it's designed to do. The controller is comfy, lightweight and the buttons/analogs feel snappy and responsive. It attaches and detaches to the iPhone simply and quickly, and immediately goes to work once attached. I gave this five stars because I am loving it and having a blast, but there are actually a few (very minor) drawbacks: 1. Even with the adapters that come with the Backbone, I have to take my phone out of its case. I'm even using a low-profile Spigen hard case, and the lightning plug just won't reach all the way with the case on. Not a huge setback but a little disappointing. 2. The "Start" and "Select" buttons (ellipsis and stacked lines) are accompanied by an orange system button and a screenshot button on the right and left sides, respectively. If you're doing Xbox Remote Play and you try to pause a game or bring up a menu in-game, you're very likely to hit one of the Backbone buttons (orange or screenshot), which immediately kicks you over to the Backbone app and ends your Remote Play session. I accidentally do this about half the time. It's REALLY annoying. As I get used to the Backbone I am doing this less, so it's really a personal preference thing, but still. I kill my Remote session constantly and have to reconnect while I'm in the heart of the action playing a game. You might be able to re-map these buttons but I haven't gotten that far yet. Overall, I love the product and recommend it. Worth the money and very very fun!

I'm going to preface this by saying my son has only been using this for 4 days so I can't speak to durability, but so far, it seems to be a good product. I bought this on Black Friday for my son after his the screen on his Switch went out as a cheaper alternative that would allow him to play more of the games he enjoys as he gets older. A couple of things I want to clarify because it either wasn't addressed in the reviews I read or there was back and forth in the reviews I read: 1. My son has an iPhone and X-Box, so those are the devices and platforms he's working with. 2. You DO NOT need the Backbone app or subscription to use the Backbone. 3. You can play SOME games like Fortnite and Roblox by just connecting your phone and opening the game. 4. To use this with the X-Box gaming app, you DO need an X-Box Game Pass *Ultimate* subscription to have cloud gaming. 5. My son has not had any issues with lagging once the game is open, but does sometimes have issues getting the games to open with the Backbone connected. We haven't really figured out why it's doing this, but closing everything out, disconnecting, and reconnecting *usually* works.

Great gaming device. Super compact and easy to travel with. I just wish I would have gotten the USB-C one instead of the lightening one because I upgraded my phone after I received my backbone. You have to pay for their backbone subscription if you want to play most games. Thankfully Fortnite is an apple app now so you can play that free but the backbone server is faster than regular service. Overall great product with no complaints. I usually play games on XBOX and the buttons and sticks translate well. Great price.

Nice while it lasted but sticks got drift after about 5 months of use

Waited a little to review to ensure the most complete feedback. Backbone is perfect for phone gaming! I had the opportunity to use the controller for two months mostly with Retroarch gaming. After taking a couple weeks off, plugged the controller back on to play and there were issues. The main issue is the right drift that automatically happens which prevents any game from being played. After ensuring all my apps / phone is up to date, the right drift remains and sometimes all the controller buttons do not work. Hear good things about their customer service but no response from my email request to fix the situation. $100 is a little rich for less than two months of fun.

Actually I bought it to make a gift, and what do you think? 😊 My husband installed it on his phone and has not stopped using this wonderful game. Easy to use and pair with your mobile, it works very well, it has many games but you can download the ones you love, and the screen is spacious and sharp, you will not regret buying it😊💯💯

I’ve had a few of these phone controllers and they always feel like McDonald happy meal toys. The backbone feels like an actual Xbox controller and not just a cheap knock off. It may be more expensive than the other phone controllers on the market. But non of the other controllers have a market place like the backbone. The option to play my PC games on my phone is also incredible, they don’t look as good as they do on the PC. But it’s nice to have the option. Overall I would say this controller was worth what I paid for it. I was pondering buying it for year because I wasn’t sure if it was worth it, but I can say it was.

So I really wanted to love the Backbone One controller. It feels decent in-hand and seems to be of a good build quality, but there is one glaring issue. I’m not sure if the problem lies with a defective unit or a somewhat incompatible phone. I use the iPhone SE3 (2022) without a case (because the case I currently own is incompatible with the Backbone One, that’s fine) and have noticed that even when using the larger inserts meant for using no case that the side with the Lightning port doesn’t even touch the insert. My phone only makes contact with the riser that the lightning plug sticks out from. This causes intermittent disconnects due to an unstable seating of the socket. My phone basically free floats on the right side. Literally everything else about this controller ranges from pretty good to great. The buttons are a soft click, Nintendo Joycon style joysticks, what seems to be a satin-like texture to the plastic allowing grip but not rough. I have a case that is officially supported on the way. If that fixes my issue with connectivity I will update my review to reflect the new information.

excelente

Good! Recommend!

Très confortable, même pour de longues sessions de jeu. La connexion Lightning est instantanée (pas de latence Bluetooth), ce qui fait toute la différence pour les jeux rapides. L'application Backbone est aussi super bien faite pour centraliser tous ses jeux. Très satisfait de mon achat, la qualité est au rendez-vous.

Su iPhone funziona benissimo, è riconosciuto da quasi tutti i giochi e cambia totalmente l'esperienza di gioco. Molto solido e di qualità. Per gli appassionati è un acquisto imprescindibile.

Gamepad sensacional, deixa nada a desejar comparado com os controles do Playstation, Xbox e Nintendo. Na minha opinião o único ponto "negativo" são os botões não serem retro-iluminados, mas isso não interfere em nada na experiência do jogador! O controle é facil configurar, tem excelente ergonomia, tamanho vai cada um, pra mim está ótimo! Estou muito muito feliz com a minha, no início achei que era mais um daqueles controles Xing-ling mas eu surpreendi totalmente! Com certeza eu recomendo esse produto, estou muito feliz com minha compra!