On the back of handheld devices like Valve’s Steam Deck and, more recently, the ASUS ROG Ally, I’ve found myself gravitating more and more to small-screen gaming. When it comes to powerful little units, I kept forgetting about the 6.12” in my pocket—my iPhone 15, that is. For the first time in what feels like ever, mobile phones are pretty much a comparable and very viable way to consume video games. This is thanks to both technological advancement and infrastructure such as cloud first and foremost, but gaming on a phone has always been hamstrung by one aspect which is controls. Thankfully, the Backbone—now in its second generation—deftly circumvents those woes and brings mobile phone gaming up to a console gaming standard.
Straight out of the box, the Backbone looks like a product built around an easy user experience and that all begins with its packaging. Staged in a sleek black case, the first thing you’ll see is a QR code for the game’s companion app. However, odd as it is, the code directed me to the Backbone’s official website rather than the app’s store page, leading to a bit of needless navigation on my part. That said, the Backbone’s dedicated app manages to streamline the oft-cumbersome mobile gaming experience by providing a congregation point for shortcuts to other dedicated apps, including the likes of Xbox Cloud Gaming and PlayStation’s Remote Play.
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Not only does it provide a shortcut to each respective library, downloading or booting a game places it in a tiled timeline similar to what you’d see on Xbox’s dashboard. It elegantly provides a jumping back in point for games you’ve been sinking time into, meaning you don’t have to constantly pore through an enormous library to hop back in. I did find, as I was downloading and queuing up the first handful of Apple Arcade titles I’d hoped to sample, that the face buttons would stop responding as though there was a disconnect with the controller. Only after I’d close and reopen the app would it work again. Fortunately, it never failed mid-game and I suspect it’s a simple in-menu bug that will be ironed out.
As useful as the app can be right off the rip, the disappointing thing is that a lot of its key features and selling points, such as the overhauled game library and capture button, are locked behind a paywall. They’ve nullified the sting for previous adopters, but it’s hard to say that the juice would be worth the squeeze for first-time purchasers of the Backbone because, ultimately, there are other routes to the apps you’re after that don’t cost you over fifty dollars annually.
Even without the features of the app, there’s no question that the device provides an industry-leading, tactile way to enjoy video games on your mobile device. I’ve used Razer’s Kishi in the past and, fine as it is, I felt the Backbone felt a little more durable and workmanlike. This is thanks, mostly, to its support mechanism for your device being a solid bridge that protracts to meet your phone’s length and lock into the USB-C port. While I believe this has been improved for newer Kishi models, I can really speak to my experience with the earlier version which doesn’t provide close to comparable stability, which it traded at the time for transportability.
In terms of form factor, the Backbone feels great in the hand. It’s light enough that it feels like you’re carrying the phone’s weight only, but still feels amazingly tactile and responsive. In terms of its layout, it feels inspired by the Xbox controller with identical face buttons and off-set sticks providing a pretty reasonable facsimile of what I believe is the best-feeling controller on the market. It’s very comparable in terms of cost versus its direct competitors, which includes other plug and play devices and Bluetooth controllers across the board. For the retail price of $179AUD, it is the right balance of premium and affordable for mine.
Another reason I’d happily keep away from gaming on my phone pertains to battery life. It’s an issue that has plagued handhelds for as long as I can recall, and while the Backbone doesn’t magically buff your phone’s battery performance, it does offer USB-C pass-through charging which, despite being a dangerous practice for the well-being of your battery, is a game-changer in terms of prolonging play time.
As far as changes go from the original go, the brackets on either side that hold your phone now snap off magnetically with two slimmer ones included in the box that allow you to use the Backbone with your phone in a case, which is obviously a huge improvement over needing to take it off each time you wanted to use it. It’s said that the d-pad and buttons are more sturdy, which I’d have to believe on face value. You can also now get a matching case which fits your Bakcbone inside.
I’ve always seen myself as a kind of purist for console gaming, but these last couple of years have turned that antiquated way of thinking on its ear. Phones are powerful enough to cater to the core gamer, delivering high-quality experiences like Resident Evil 4’s remake, and it’s devices like the Backbone that make the feel of mobile gaming palatable where touch controls have failed time and again.
