Backbone Pro Review

Is it the Swiss Army Knife of Gaming Controllers, or just another overpriced toy?

Backbone has returned, with an addition to their gaming ecosystem. The Backbone Pro, sits a tier above the market defining Backbone One smartphone/tablet controllers – adding Bluetooth LE wireless connectivity and Flowsync technology. The latter lets you pick up where you left off in a game on different devices AND platforms.

Adding the ability to switch from phone to tablet to PC in a matter of seconds is pretty darn impressive, and helps the Backbone feels more like a gaming platform in and of itself.

The Backbone Pro has a bigger footprint than the original Backbone One, and the back has an laser-etched texture that enchances grip – giving it a more serious “e-Sports player” in-hand feel.

Adding Hall effect triggers, tactile rear buttons with customizable mapping, and a decided Flowsense button for wireless connectivity to smart TVs, PCs, Laptops, or gaming consoles – the Backbone Pro doubles as a back up controller any platform. One glaring omission from the the controllers is hall effect sticks, which the Razer Kishi V3 Pro has.

The Backbone App

The Backbone app serves as the gaming hub for all the services installed on your phone. It combines your PS Remote Play, XBox Game Pass, Nvidia GeForce Now, Amazon Luna, Apple Arcade, and Google Game Pass library into one cohesive place. It’s the only other platform that I’ve used that managed to do this better than the Steam Launcher. It’s pretty cool.

There’s a social features, with the ability to add and game with friends, save screenshots and more.

Aside of connecting various different gaming platforms to the Backbone app, the is a subscription tier to the platform – Backbone Plus. For $29.99/year you can save in-game screen recordings, live stream to Twitch, get extended warranty on your controller and more.

There are also, in-game rewards and free exclusives available only to Plus members.

Conclusion

While $169 may seem steep for casual gamers, it’s pricing is perfect for a mid-tier gamer who can’t justify commiting $400+ to a dedicated gaming console. When you measure it against other options on the market, it’s priced neck and neck with the XBox Elite, the Switch 2 Pro, or the latest PS Dual Sense Controllers. And if you don’t think you’ll be needing all the bells and whistles of the Backbone Pro model, you can always get the Backbone One for $99.99.

They come in standard, or cool Xbox and Playstation editions (pictured below).

Use code LABFREQ to get 10% off on your first purchase, or click link below:

https://backbone.com/labfreq

For someone who feels like mobile gaming has gotten good enough to compete with consoles, the Backbone Pro is more than enough to satisfy my appetite for a quick byte. Although for dedicated and serious mobile gamers – the Razer Kishi V3 Pro is a strong . alternative.