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

Engadget has been testing and reviewing consumer tech since 2004. Our stories may include affiliate links; if you buy something through a link, we may earn a commission. Read more about how we evaluate products . Since arriving in 2020, the Backbone One has helped popularize dedicated mobile game controllers, the kind you might use for streaming services like Xbox Cloud Gaming and NVIDIA GeForce Now, remote play apps, emulators or any smartphone game you’d rather play with buttons and joysticks instead of your fingers. While you can always clip your phone to a PlayStation or Xbox controller paired over Bluetooth, telescopic gamepads like the One tend to be more ergonomic, creating a Nintendo Switch-style shape by clamping around your device at both ends. Backbone is far from the only company making these things now, but the One is still among the most frequently recommended options on the market — Engadget’s own Mat Smith gave it a favorable review back in 2022. After releasing sever ... Read full article.