Here is our review of the Backbone Pro.
Backbone Pro is built for players who demand more — more precision, more comfort, more freedom. Designed with full-sized ALPS joysticks, rear buttons, and a larger ergonomic shape, it delivers pro-level control for every session. FlowState technology lets you move seamlessly between mobile, tablet, PC, and smart TV, unlocking an open world of play. With up to 40 hours of battery life and customisations in the Backbone App, Backbone Pro lets you play your favourite games — on any screen, anywhere.
The Backbone app transforms your phone into a universal hub for gaming, allowing you to access all your games in one place. The app supports multiple gaming categories including App Store games (including Apple Arcade, Netflix games), Remote Play services (Xbox Remote Play, Steam Link), cloud gaming platforms (Nvidia GeForce NOW), and—for the first time—retro games through a built-in emulator. With new features like Smart Search, you can discover and launch games across platforms seamlessly, all from a single place. The Backbone app is one of the most popular gaming apps on the App Store–it was #4 in its category on the App Store this past holiday season. It’s free and works with any Backbone device, even when you don’t have a device connected.
What’s in the box?
The box contains the Backbone Pro, instructions and extra adapters for phones without cases.
A Closer Look
Final Thoughts
For anyone who may have used or owns a previous Backbone product, the Backbone Pro has bigger joysticks, configurable back buttons and wireless mode making it a significant improvement on the previous version, along with a built in battery.
Pairing the Pro with your phone or tablet (or even SmartTV) is as simple as pressing a button the Pro and then following the steps.
As mentioned, one of the new features is Wireless mode – this means you don’t have to plug in your device to use the Pro as a controller – it works really well, especially if you want to use it with a larger screen like a tablet or Smart TV.
Fitting your phone into the Pro is easy, just pull the Pro apart, slide the phone in and start playing. The adaptors in the box help insure your phone has a nice snug fit whether it’s in a case or not.
Using the Pro is really comfortable – it actually feels like a proper controller rather than something not quite a controller, which means it really feels like something you are used to playing with!
The Pro is configurable as well – using the Backbone app you can adjust the sensitivity of both the joysticks and the triggers making sure it’s perfect for your gaming needs. You can also configure the new back buttons and map any control you want onto them very easily.
Several features in the app require you to have a Backbone+ subscription which was a little disappointing considering the Pro costs nearly £170, you don’t expect to then pay extra to use some of the features, although for some users these features may not be needed.
When fully charged you can get around 40 hours of play time from the Pro. You can also use the Pro whilst it is charging if you really want to, in fact when plugged in the Pro will also charge your phone too!
If you like gaming on the go then the Backbone Pro is for you – check it out, you won’t be disappointed.
The Backbone Pro is available now priced around £169.99.
