Backbone Pro Hand-on: A controller worth more than your phone

Since arrival in 2020, the spine has helped to popularize dedicated mobile game controllers, you can use for streaming services Exbox Cloud Gaming And and Now Envidia GiforsRemote Play Apps, Emulators Or any smartphone game for you to play with buttons and joysticks instead of your fingers. You can always do Clip Bluetooth and telescopic gamepads are more ergonomic for your phone to playstation or Xbox controller, creating the nintendo switch-style shape by tightening your device around the end of the two. The spine is now away from the only company that makes these things, but there is still one of the most frequently recommended options in the market – Egadget’s own mat Smith gave it to this A positive review Back in 2022.

Afterwards Release Many Repetitions One, the spine is now unveiling its first true adaptation: the Spine Pro. The new device comes with many design updates you expect, from comfortable grips and gentle joysticks to large triggers and quiet facial buttons. But it also supports Bluetooth, which means it can completely disassemble from your phone and work with PCs, iPads, smart TVs and the like. The backbone has built some new features for its companion app, called “Flustate”, which allows you to quickly connect to the previous devices from a menu.

“(Pro) means a premium device for anyone who wants to play games on any screen,” said Manot Khaira, CEO of backbone, during a briefing in New York City last month. “Our idea is really. We want to make a device for all gaming.”

After using the Backbone Pro for the past few days, I can see that Khaira has in the future in the future, and the controller feels clearly premium than its $ 100 ancestors (it becomes Available). But at $ 170, this device is expensive for some. That’s it Exbox Elite The territory for the controller is still aimed at smartphones. Plus, as with one, some gamepad’s perks are locked behind A Spine+ subscriptionThis will solve another $ 40 per year.

A good spine

You really need to buy a Backbone Pro as a multi-dev controller. It is accurately used with the phone, however, it is a perfect upgrade on the spine. It is very clear in grips, which are very thick and more grown than the previous one. As a result they fill your palms and make it more natural, which will keep the design comfortable over time. They are also coated in soft and lightly shaped matte plastic, which are good in preventing sweat.

The concave joysticks are significantly long and have a grippier “ring” on the top. They do not use the magnet Hall effect sensors To prevent the long -term termination of the drift, it is annoying at this price, but they are tight and clearly sensitive. Khaira says that Pro uses the same joystick as Microsoft’s Exbox Elite Controller Sony’s DualSense Edge; Of course, sticks do not seem different than those in the full-sized gamepad. Like other “Pro” controllers, you can remap buttons and tune the joysticks and triggers neat ‘ Dead zones In the spine app, assign those tweaks to different profiles.

The spine

Face buttons are still not very quiet, but less clicking and tight, with a sensitive finish and deep journey. In those paths, the triggers are widely and full-my large-ish fingers can rest on them without hanging, not in one case. The shoulder buttons are also long, the menu buttons are less flushed and easy to reach. The D-Pad is similarly visible and accurate but now the glosier coating. There are also customizable back buttons, which will rest against your ring fingers but my test has not caused accidental presses.

The grip of fat makes the design taller than one, but not very widespread, and it is 80 grams more than a simple exbox or playstation pad at 199g. As before, the pro comes with adapters that keep the pro-sized phones fixed, With or without the case. I am not using iPhone 15 Plus with Apple The obvious case On. There is still a built-in headphone jack and pass-throw charging port, but although the original connector is only USB-C, the controller does not work with old lightning-based iPhones. Since Pro needs its own battery to play wireless, it sips a small amount of energy to recharge the connected phone whenever you top the phone. Overall, the spine is up to 40 hours; I was unable to do a full rundown test, but the battery did not tell me the reason to suspect that assessment in a few days after I spent time with the device.

Looking beyond the phone

Jeff Done for Egadget / Spine

Wirelessly attached to the spine pro with other devices is very straightforward. The controller has an dedicated button that is placed in mode that is attached to the bottom and the app will ask you to connect to all other screens after setup. Once you are connected to the new device for the first time, the Pro will remember it and that information is transmitted into the app. When you want to play in one of those devices again, you press the menu in the app, select the device and press “Connect”. As long as the device is Bluetooth active, it will be immediately reconnected. To exchange devices through the app you have hooked your phone into the Pro’s USB-C port, but I am bouncing some hiccups from the screen to the screen.

You can see with Saa Lines Multi-screen focus Brands like Xbox are pushing. I can start the game Pass Stream Clear When my wife has a TV to my wife on my phone, and then move it Fire TV Stick When she is all set. I can start Balarutra Take it to my iPad by session and steam link on my PC. I don’t have to change my controller at any time. I do not have to fidel with any buttons to pair with the next thing I want to use – I will pop on my phone, select the device and go. I can pick up where I left it on the cloud stream, and I exchanged the devices in a few minutes. Pro is not the only controller that allows you to make such a game, but its phone-friendly design and fast-paced technology will make this kind of “play anywhere”.

Jeff Done for Egadjet

If you look closely there are some problems. One, Pro does not have the ownership technology required to pair with Xbox, PS5 or switch. This is not necessarily the fault of the spine, but when it pitches the Pro as a controller for “all gaming”, it must ignore the main way to play games.

Second, I like the Pro compared to other mobile gamepads, which still does not make a narrow feel next to traditional alternatives. The right joy stick constantly brushes against the bottom of my thumb, for example, it should sit down under the face buttons. The triggers may be deep, but they do not have the same journey as a standard console pad. Pro is still convenient, the capital-n is good, and it is great if you often use your phone for gaming. But there is more space for the Xbox or PlayStation controller.

Third, all of this is expensive in a hurry. Pro’s price tag is already upright. Now you have to pay a subscription fee to completely use cloud services such as Xbox Cloud Gaming or Jifhorse. The same happens Apple arcade. You can’t play remote without having a console or gaming PC. And the spine limits some application features to its own membership program, especially the ability to start cloud-based games directly from the app. So there are questions about what the market is like for a similar device is actually: hardcore gamers, how much people buy $ 170 controller on their phone? How much do they need a multi-dev controller when they already have an Xbox or PS5 pad? Who really wants to subscribe for video game controller?

Jeff Done for Egadget / Spine

Putting it aside, the app still looks clean, and it allows you to handle your games or streaming applications in a single central hub. The search function works well, allowing you to filter games through different platforms. When you choose the game, it will show you what platforms you can play.

The spine also adds a new built -in emulator with its next update. It can run NES, SNES, Game Boy, Game Boy Advance and Nintendo 64 games, although it is testing PlayStation 1 and PlayStation portable cores. Opening the ROM in the app is easy, and after you have done it, it will appear in your hub along with the rest of your library. You need the spine+ subscription to use the emulator, and it is very barebones compared to an app RetroRCTo rewind, without the way to adjust the resolution or to maintain multiple save conditions. I have also experienced some bugs with some games, a title is not completely loaded. It is still a fine idea, but one is given More featured emulators Are available for free, I can’t say that it is worth paying today.

In the ideal world, the spine pro is the next-general version of one rather than a step-up model with $ 70 higher. Hardware is better in meaningful ways and is really convenient to use it on devices. But this is definitely not cheap. It is a good opportunity to affect the price by the raging effects of President Trump The tariff approachBut it still leaves the device on top of the other Effective Mobile GamePads Today. If you get cash and spend hours gaming on your phone and other screens, Pro is still worth looking at. This is one of the best of its niche. It is very difficult to call it a great value.

This article first appeared at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/gaming/Backbone-pro-Hands-on-a-proy-controller-pro-toon-toan-Sour-yyyy-3003439.html?srcs.

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