Sony’s PlayStation 5 is an impressive console, but its experience is mostly confined to the living room. The new Backbone One PlayStation Edition controller aims to change that by bringing PS5-quality gaming to your Android phone.
Seamless PS5 Integration
The Backbone One provides a seamless way to play your PS5 games on an Android phone. Thanks to a partnership with Sony, it has been specially designed to integrate with the PS5’s Remote Play app. This allows you to stream games from your PS5 to your phone and play them using the Backbone One controller.
While streaming, the Backbone One provides a very PS5-like experience. Its controls and button layout mirror that of the PS5 DualSense controller. According to reviews, the buttons feel great and make playing PS5 games on your phone natural and intuitive.
Premium Design Inspired By The DualSense
In terms of design, the Backbone One PlayStation Edition controller beautifully evokes the PS5 aesthetic. Its two-tone white and black color scheme along with its transparent button accents make it look like a miniaturized DualSense controller.
Despite its small size, the Backbone One delivers a premium, high-quality feel. Its textured grips, clicky buttons, and smooth thumbsticks make it comfortable for extended gaming sessions. When not in use, it can collapse down into a compact, protective form.
Extra Features For Mobile Gaming
Being designed for mobile, the Backbone One includes some useful extras not found on the DualSense. It has a 3.5mm audio jack for lag-free game audio when using wired headsets. The controller can also charge your phone passively while playing thanks to its USB-C passthrough charging port.
To really round out the mobile experience, Backbone provides an app full of gaming-focused social features. You can chat with friends, browse games, and discover new titles, all from a polished central hub.
Great For More Than Just PlayStation
While being positioned as an ideal PS5 controller, the Backbone One works great for more than just Sony’s console. Its standard button layout allows it to work seamlessly with Xbox Remote Play and cloud gaming apps too.
So Xbox owners can also benefit from the Backbone One’s premium design and mobile-friendly features. The Backbone app even integrates tightly with Xbox Game Pass streaming for discovering, downloading and playing hundreds of games.
Room for Improvement
At $99 the Backbone One PlayStation Edition is not cheap, but it provides great integration with PS5 and mobile gaming. A few small downsides like occasionally needing to remove phone cases prevent it from being perfect.
It also lacks dedicated Home and Select buttons found on the DualSense controller. This requires using on-screen touch buttons in some PS5 games. But overall the Backbone One delivers a fantastic mobile experience for PlayStation owners looking to take their games on the go.
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