Backbone Pro hands-on: A pricey controller for more than just your phone

Since arriving in 2020, the spinal cord has helped popularize dedicated mobile game controllers, the way you can use for streaming services such as Xbox Cloud Gaming And now the NVIDIA GeForce now, remote play apps, emulators or any smartphone game you want to play with buttons and joysticks instead of your fingers. While you can always do Clip Your phone is folded on a Bluetooth, telescope game pad for a playstation or Xbox Controller, such as a more aergonomic, which creates a shape of the Nintendo Switch Style by clipping around its device on both ends. The spinal cord is only far from the only company to make these things, but one is still one of the most recommended options in the market – Angit’s own Matt Smith gave him a conducive review in 2022.

After issuing a multiple repetition of one, the backbone is now exposing its first real follow -up: The spinal cord pro. It comes with many design upgrades that you can expect, from comfortable grip and smooth joy sticks to big stimulation and quiet face buttons. But it also supports Bluetooth, which means it can fully bounce from your phone and work with PC, iPads, smart TV and so on. Backbone also developed some new features for his fellow app, including a “flu estate” that lets you quickly connect with a menu -pre -pair devices. New Controller is available today to order back bone dot com and Buy the best And will start shipping on May 20.

“(Pro) means a premium device for everyone who wants to play a game on any screen,” said Manate Khara, CEO of Backbone during a briefing in New York City last month. “We really thought, we all want to make a device for gaming.”

After using the spine pro for the past few days, I have in Skyra’s mind and can see about the future, and the controller itself feels more premiums than its $ 100 predecessor (who will have Be available) But at $ 170, the device will be expensive for something. It is approaching the Xbox Elite area for a controller, which aims to mainly aimed at smartphones. In addition, like a one, some people of the app have been locked behind one Spinal cord+ subscriptionWhich competes more than $ 40 every year.

A better spine

For the Eungajit for Jeff Dun

Creating a maximum meaning as a purchase L you really need to buy backbone pro as a multi -device controller. Used strictly with a phone, however, this is a final upgrade over the spinal cord. This is the most obvious in the grips, which are more thick and more drain than ever before. As a result, they fill your palms more naturally and hug, which makes the design comfortable over time. They are also coated in a soft, lightweight fade plastic that is better known to prevent sweat.

The Joyce Sticks are significantly long and the above is a gripier “color”. They do not use magnetic hall effect sensors to grow long -term, which is disturbing at this price, but they are strict and solid. Well, the pro uses the same Joyce stick component such as Microsoft’s Xbox Elite Controller and Sony’s Double Sense Age. In fact, the sticks do not feel different from the things on the whole size game pad. Like other “Pro” controllers, you can also reproduce the buttons and fix the Joyce Sticks’ and the triggers. Dead zone In the backbone app, then assign these opportunities to different profiles.

The spinal cord

Facial buttons are still not very calm but easily feel less and tight, with ease and deep sense of travel. With these letters, the motivations are wide and rich-my big fingers can rest without hanging on them, which was not with it. Shoulder buttons are also long, while the menu buttons are less flush and easy to reach. The DPP is like that strong and exact but now it has a spoonful of coating. There is also a pair of customized backback buttons, which is fine against the fingers of your thumb, but my test does not cause any accidental press.

Thick grips make the design one to one, but not too wide, and it is still lighter in 199G from a normal Xbox or PlayStation pad. Like before, comes with a Pro Indeopter who places different sized phones in a stable space, With or without a case. I have not experienced any rotating with Apple using iPhone 15 Plus Clean case But there is still a built-in headphone jack and pass throw charging port, though the original connector is only USB-C, so the controller will not work with old electric-based iPhones. Since Pro needs its battery to play wireless, whenever you upset an attached phone, you eat a small amount of electricity to recharge. Overall, Backbone says pro can continue for 40 hours. I have not been able to conduct a full roundown test, but the battery has not given me a doubt that I have guessed this estimates in a few days I spent with this device.

Looking to the phone toward the past

For Jeff Dunn for Anggate / Spine

Pairing the backbone pro with other devices is wirelessly straightforward. The bottom of the controller has a dedicated button that puts it in the pair mode, and the app indicates you to connect to all your other screens after setting up. Once you first contact a new device, Pro remembers it, and this information is released in the app. When you want to play again on one of these devices, you easily tap a menu in the app, select the device and target “Contact”. As long as Bluetooth is active in this device, it will be re -connected immediately. Changing devices through the app you You need to tie your phone into the Pro’s USB-C port, but I have something hicker from the screen to the screen.

You can see how the Pro line is moving with multi -screen vision brands like Xbox. I can launch a Game Pass Stream Clear tools On my phone when my wife has a TV, then when she is fully ready, move it to a fire TV stick. I can start a Upper Session on my computer and take it to your iPad via a steam link. I do not need to change my controller at any point. I don’t need to slip with any buttons to connect with the next thing – I just pop in my phone, choose the device and want to go. Even here I can get up where I left the cloud stream, provided I replace the devices in a few minutes. Pro is not the only controller that certainly allows you to play like this, but his phone friendly design and high -speed pair tech especially invites such a “play” approach.

For the Eungajit for Jeff Dun

Once you look closely, there are some problems. Only one is that pro has a lack of proprietary tech to be paired with Xbox, PS5 or switch. It is not necessary to have a backbone error, but when it prepares a supporter for “all gaming” as a supporter, many people really have to ignore the important ways of playing games.

Second, as much as I like the pro compared to other mobile game pads, it still can’t help but feel tight with more traditional alternatives. For example, the right Joyce Stick brushes the bottom of my thumb, as it has to sit under the face buttons. Stimulations may be deep, but they do not have a standard console pad. Pro is still comfortable, still good capital-n is good, and if you use your phone for gaming often, it’s great. But an Xbox or PlayStation Controller has more scope to work.

Third, all of this can be expensive in a hurry. The pro price tag is already standing. You have to pay a subscription fee to take full advantage of cloud services like Xbox Cloud gaming or Jeffour. He goes for Apple Arcade. You can’t play remote without making a console or gaming PC owner. The backbone limits the features of some app to its membership program, especially the ability to launch cloud -based games directly from the app. So there are questions like what the market for such a device is actually: hardware gamers, people who buy the $ 170 controller, play on their phone? How much do they need a multi -device controller when they already own an Xbox or PS5 pad? Who really wants subscription with their video game controller?

For Jeff Dunn for Anggate / Spine

On this side, the app still looks clear, and it still allows you to manage your sports or streaming apps in a central center. The search function works well, so that you can filter sports through different platforms. When you choose a game, it shows you with the help of which platform you can play.

Backbone is also adding a new built -in emulator with its next update. It can play NES, SNES, game boy, game boy advance and Nintendo 64 today, though the company says it is checking PlayStation 1 and PlayStation Portable Core. Opening the room in the app is easy enough, and once you do, it will appear in your center along with the rest of your library. That said, using the emulator You You need a spinal cord+ subscription, and it is a considerable extent of naked bones compared to the app. ReturnsThere is no way to adjust the resolution, or manage the resolution. I also tested some worms with some sports, which does not completely load a title. This is still a clear idea, and it is good that the backbone usually adds new features to the app. But seeing that other prominent emulators are available for free, I can’t say that it is worth paying today.

In an ideal world, the supporter of the spinal cord will be the next generation version of one instead of a step -up model, which costs $ 70. Hardware is better than meaningful ways, and it is really easy to be able to use it in devices. But this is certainly not cheap. President Trump has a reasonable opportunity to affect the price of Trump’s tariff policy, but this is still beyond the device. Top mobile game pads Today, if you’ve got cash and spend hours gaming in your phone and other screens, Pro is still able to see. This is a great one in his niche. It is difficult to call it a huge price.

This article was originally published on Enoget