Transform your iPhone into a gaming console anytime and anywhere with help from the new Backbone One controller.
Using your iPhone to play your favorite games is fine as the app typically adjusts to taps and other gestures on the screen. However, you can make the experience more immersive when you use the Backbone One controller along with its companion app. The accessory transforms your iPhone into a gaming console that will make your iPhone gaming experience more exciting.
Backbone Labs, the creator of Backbone One, said that the game controller takes the iPhone closer to its console counterparts like the Nintendo Switch. In just a few short steps, you can turn your iPhone into a gaming console, making your playtime more immersive and enjoyable. The accessory, which was launched on Tuesday, comprises two components, the physical controller and its companion app. You can purchase the controller through its companion app, which is sold in small "drops" to consumers, instead of through conventional retailers.
In its compact state, the Backbone One controller is about 7" long but can expand up to 10." It uses an ingenious sliding mechanism that can accommodate new iPhone 12's all the way back to the good old iPhone 6S. Using the Backbone One controller on an iPhone will make you feel like you are holding a real gaming console, with controls found on either side of the accessory which is very much similar to the Nintendo Switch. The Backbone One's controls consist of a d-pad, two analog sticks, dual shoulder triggers, and four conventional game buttons. At its base, you can find a slot for your 3.5mm headphone jack, as well as a Lighting port that you can use for pass-through charging. A lightning connector inside the controller is designed to slot into your iPhone.
This controller will make you forget you're playing on your phone. https://t.co/71XgeyU8fy — WIRED (@WIRED) October 27, 2020
There are also four other buttons you can use to control the companion app of the Backbone One controller. They help bring your iPhone gaming platform nearer to the gaming console experience. On the inside edges of the Backbone One controller, you can find acoustic tunneling scoops that propel sound forward from the speakers of your iPhone. Backbone Labs revealed they are currently working on how to cancel out the sounds produced by the buttons on the Backbone One controller so users will not hear them while playing.
To take your iPhone closer to the gaming console experience, the Backbone One controller has a bright orange Backbone button that launches the companion app on the iPhone, which also displays all available games on your device, as well as other Apple Arcade games that have external controller support. There is also a dedicated button for users who may wish to take screenshots or record gameplay videos. Backbone Labs announced that the controller's price point is at $99 though its initial stocks are now sold out. They said the next release of the controllers is set for October 30.
