Sony has teamed up with the company Backbone and officially introduced the Backbone One, an officially licensed PlayStation controller. The controller, which was built to work with iPhones, is constructed to look similar to the PlayStation 5’s controller, the DualSense, and even comes with its trademark translucent letter buttons. The Backbone One is also available to purchase right now and costs $99.99.
The controller is designed for Sony’s signature Remote Play, which allows players to enjoy specific PlayStation titles for both the PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 5 on their mobile devices. This is done by streaming the games directly onto their phone wirelessly, usually through the PlayStation App. The Backbone One also comes with the support of its own app as well, the Backbone App. Backbone also made the reveal on their YouTube channel with a very brief reveal video, that in essence is a commercial for the controller.
Backbone is no stranger to the mobile gaming market as they’ve been making controllers for several years. This is their first official collaboration with Sony, one of the industry’s biggest gaming giants, and a huge win for Backbone in general. Speaking of the controller, it has two sides, each with an analog stick and buttons, and a holder in the middle which is for the iPhone itself. The controller also plugs into the iPhone directly to draw power, so it doesn’t require a separate charger thankfully.
The controller also has Apple’s proprietary Lightning Cable Port, which gives players the chance to charge their phones when they’re playing. It also has the universally beloved 3.5mm headphone jack for headphones and headsets. While there is an Android version of the Backbone, the PlayStation Edition will only work with an iPhone device. It’s unclear if Backbone will make a version compatible with Android devices, but for the time being it’s only available for iPhone users.