The new Backbone Pro is designed to let you play games on any screen, but at $170, it’s a pricy proposition.
are back with a new model that’s designed to be used with pretty much any screen you can play games on . Like the Backbone One , you can still dock your phone in the middle of the Backbone Pro with a physical USB-C connection for zero-latency mobile gaming.
But this new model, which costs $170, has plenty more tricks up its sleeve. Backbone hopes that this will be the only controller you need to play games outside of PlayStation, Xbox or Nintendo consoles . The big new thing with the Backbone Pro is that it has a wireless mode. You can connect it to phones without having to dock them in the middle of the controller, as well as tablets, laptops, desktop PCs, smart TVs and even virtual reality headsets like the Meta Quest and Apple Vision Pro. Backbone says that its FlowState tech allows the company’s mobile app to remember the devices you’ve previously paired the controller with. You can reconnect to any of those with a tap and avoid having to go through the tedious manual Bluetooth re-pairing process."Today, there are hundreds of millions of game controllers in the world, but they’re all designed to work primarily with a single console — and then slowly adapted to work elsewhere. That model hasn't changed much, even as the way people play games has completely shifted," Backbone said in a press release. "High-fidelity gaming on phones and cloud gaming — the ability to stream games from the cloud just like streaming music and TV — are growing fast, and more people are playing across platforms than ever before. Backbone Pro is designed for that world." Backbone founder and CEO Maneet Khaira told me that the battery should run for about 40 hours on a single charge. As with the Backbone One, the latest controller offers passthrough charging for devices that are plugged into its USB-C port. Through a feature called parallel charging, you can charge your phone and Backbone Pro controller simultaneously. The Backbone Pro can intelligently siphon a little power from your phone when it needs to, so you may not ever have to charge the controller by itself.mobile players could use for fast structure building. The Backbone Pro also has full-size joysticks. You can customize the inputs using the Backbone app, and you can have dedicated controller profiles for specific devices or games. There are built-in safeguards to prevent you from accidentally locking yourself out from using the controller if you customize the inputs in an odd way. The app is also designed as a hub for all your various mobile gaming options, from cloud gaming services and remote play options to games you’ve downloaded from the App Store or Google Play Store. The intention is for you to have a unified library that feels like a streaming TV interface.Subscribers to the Backbone+ service get access to extra features, including a rotating library of games. There’s also a built-in “super emulator” for retro games, but you’ll need to procure and install your own ROMs. When you move the Backbone app to the background, your retro gaming session will be saved automatically. The Backbone Pro supports emulators that are available in mobile app stores too.It took Backbone three years and a ton of iteration to develop the Backbone Pro. The team went through more than 9,000 part iterations. It also conducted more than 30 research studies that employed 360-degree video cameras to record thousands of hours of gameplay and analyze hand movements to help with optimization.There are three circuit boards on each side of the controller, and the rear buttons wrap around the battery to make the most efficient use of space. And yet, even with the changes, including the addition of batteries, the Backbone Pro weighs 199 grams and it’s only a little thicker than the Backbone One. The goal, Khaira told me, was to make the ergonomics of full-sized controllers available in as small a form factor as possible. The balance and weight of the device were important factors. Part of the design and revision process included shaving down parts by microns to meet that goal. Oh, and there’s a 3.5mm headphone jack. Glad that’s still around.Backbone sent me a review unit, but I haven’t had a chance to fully put the Backbone Pro through its paces, unfortunately. I’m planning to write a full review. For now, I’ll say that it feels like a clear upgrade on the Backbone One, especially when it comes to tactility and functionality. So far, being able to use the same controller for both my phone and Apple TV means I don’t need to have other gamepads cluttering my nightstand and I appreciate that. I haven’t been able to try out one especially cool feature that Khaira demoed for me. When you’re playing in wireless mode and want to switch to your phone , there’s an option to do that seamlessly via Xbox Cloud Gaming. In other words, you can dock your phone, fire up the Backbone app and, with a single tap, continue playing in the same instance. You don’t have to wait to reconnect to Xbox’s servers. To make this work, you’ll need to link your Backbone and Xbox accounts.For more gaming news, analysis and insight on things beyond the Backbone Pro controller, as well as word game guides,
Backbone Pro Mobile Game Controller Backbone Controller
United States Latest News, United States Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Where to preorder the Pro 2 controller and other Switch 2 accessoriesNintendo is releasing a host of accessories alongside the Switch 2, including a new Pro Controller, cases, and a camera. Here’s where you can preorder them.
Read more »
iPhone 17 Pro vs iPhone 15 Pro: Expected differencesMariyan, a tech enthusiast with a background in Nuclear Physics and Journalism, brings a unique perspective to PhoneArena. His childhood curiosity for gadgets evolved into a professional passion for technology, leading him to the role of Editor-in-Chief at PCWorld Bulgaria before joining PhoneArena.
Read more »
CMF Phone 2 Pro: what does going 'Pro' on a budget get you?Stan, also known as Stako, is a smartphone enthusiast who loves exploring the limits of Android customization. His journey with mobile tech began with the Nokia 5110 and evolved with devices like the BlackBerry 9350 Curve and Samsung Galaxy A4.
Read more »
Apple’s iPad Steals Another MacBook FeatureHEAD URL apple-ipad-pro-magic-keyboard-ui-menu-bar-macbos-macbook-pro-new-feature KEY apple,ipad,ipad pro,ipados,ipados 19,macbook mac,imac,mac pro,macbook pro,feature...
Read more »
Opinion: President Trump is not pro-fish and he isn’t pro-fishermenTrump’s defunding of NOAA puts Alaska’s fishing industry at risk.
Read more »
8BitDo’s Nintendo Switch Pro Controller Alternative Is Practically Free, Rated 4.5 Stars on AmazonSave 22% on the 8Bitdo Pro 2 Bluetooth controller for Nintendo Switch and PC.
Read more »