Exploring the Backbone One Android Version - Assessing Its Shortcomings in Console-Like Play

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Key Takeaways

The Backbone One PlayStation Edition for Android allows gamers to play high-quality titles on their Android smartphone through cloud gaming.
The controller enhances the mobile gaming experience, especially for AAA games, by providing responsive buttons and zero-latency gameplay.
The Backbone app allows easy access to multiple streaming services, captures and edits gameplay videos, and offers additional features like voice chat and lobbies.

Gaming on the go is an old concept, but cloud gaming increases the library of high-quality titles available to play. The Backbone One PlayStation Edition for Android easily converts Android-powered smartphones into cloud-based PCs capable of streaming games from PlayStation, Xbox, and other sources.

If you’ve ever tried to play a game with full mechanics on a mobile device, you know the touchscreen isn’t a suitable controller. It’s floaty and often over-responsive, resulting in incorrect inputs and poor targeting. Games like “Call of Duty Mobile”can work without a controller, but they can be a nightmare to get a hang of with their multitude of inputs crowding the screen. It doesn’t get much easier with most of PlayStation’s library.

Thankfully, the PlayStation Edition Backbone One for Android makes it possible to comfortably play AAA games on your mobile device. By connecting to your Android smartphone and utilizing the PS Remote Play App, you can actually enjoy many of your favorite PlayStation titles on a portable medium. Backbone One is far from a replacement for the DualSense or any console or PC controller , but it works well to enhance mobile gaming so you can enjoy your PS4 or PS5 library without being tied to a console.

Before getting too deep into this review, I should note that, yes, there is an Xbox version of Backbone One for both Android and iPhone. The only real difference between the two is the branding and customized Backbone App. For the PlayStation Edition Backbone One, the face buttons match what you’d find on the DualSense. Conversely, the Xbox version has the same face buttons as any standard Xbox controller. Additionally, this USB-C model does work with iPhone 15 .

Backbone One (PlayStation Layout) for Android

8/ 10

The Backbone One PlayStation Edition for Android is a PlayStation-branded option for a cloud-friendly mobile gaming experience. Link with PS Remote Play and other streaming services to take AAA gaming away from the console and into the palm of your hands.

Compatible Systems

Android

Connectivity

USB-C

Headset Support

3.5mm

Extra Buttons

Screen Capture, Backbone App

Weight

4.9 oz (139 g)

Pros

Zero-latency and responsive buttons
Can connect to PCs, tablets, and Google Chrome
Backbone app links to multiple streaming services
Easily capture, edit, and share gameplay videos

Cons

Smaller button size takes getting used to
Overall build quality feels flimsy
High-speed Wi-Fi required for optimal performance
PS Remote Play requires console to be on

$99.99 at Backbone $99.99 at Amazon

Attempting to Emulate the PlayStation Experience

Backbone One does its best to appeal to PlayStation fans with an aesthetic pulled right from Sony’s collection of accessories. The white and black color scheme and accurate face buttons read like a PlayStation peripheral, but that’s where the similarities end. While the Backbone One is far from low quality, its buttons and triggers definitely felt like they belonged on a third-party accessory.

Jason Montoya / How-To Geek

Small face buttons threaten accidental inputs for anyone with marginally larger fingers and the triggers and bumpers have a flimsy quality to them. While they may feel like they’re lower quality, each input was responsive and lended itself to latency-free gaming. I pushed the controller with combo-heavy fighters and didn’t once feel like I was being handicapped by a poor response time. I do wish there was some haptic feedback and, to drive home the PlayStation branding, adaptive triggers, but their absence is understandable considering the thinner profile and mechanical simplicity.

The biggest hurdle I came across, which I also struggled with while using GameSir’s X2 Pro controller , is the size. Everything is scaled down, and it took some time to get used to the button size difference. Granted, when I did finally get comfortable with the Backbone One, I had a hard time putting it down. Zero latency cloud gaming is more and more common, but it’s always impressive to play a game as intensive and as visually beautiful as “God of War Ragnarok”on a mobile device without so much as a hiccup.

AAA Gaming on the Go—So Long As There’s Wi-Fi

This particular Backbone One is designed to appeal to PlayStation fans and emphasizes the PS Remote Play app (available on Android and iPhone ). It’s a great way to access your library of PS4 and PS5 games without being on the console, so long as it’s powered on and connected to high-speed Internet. And that can be an issue at times. I always remembered to boot up my PS4 when testing the Backbone One, but when being more casual about it and not approaching the device for a review, I can see forgetting to power on the console.

There’s also the matter of Wi-Fi and broadband connections. You’re not always going to have access to one, and practically all of Backbone One’s services require it. I took my Backbone One and a Google Pixel 6 just beyond my Wi-Fi range, and gameplay was very spotty and inconsistent on Verizon’s supposed 5G network. Even on public Wi-Fi at Starbucks and in the airport, the streaming services struggled to deliver a quality gaming experience.

Unfortunately, the mobile controller relies way too heavily on something that you’re really only guaranteed to have at home. And even then, it’s not a guarantee for all pockets of the world. Backbone One faces many of the same issues that Sony’s PlayStation Portable will unless you’re okay with sticking with mobile games downloaded directly to your phone and shell out more for a high-speed connection. If you’re picturing taking the Backbone One and your Android device everywhere to play games like “Marvel’s Spider-Man,” you may be a little disappointed.

The Backbone App: A Necessary Companion

Despite being PlayStation-branded, Backbone One works with any streaming service compatible with an Android phone. That doesn’t fix the Wi-Fi issue, but having access to services like NVIDIA GeForce Now, Steam Link, Xbox Cloud Gaming , and Amazon Luna expands the library of games you can play on your Android device. The core app is free, giving you access to firmware updates, button remapping, and calibration. There is a premium option, Backbone+, but it’s not available on Android.

Backbone even simplifies accessing these services with the integrated app. When connected to your controller, your phone has access to Backbone, an app that virtually has it all. Through the Backbone app (available on Android and Apple devices), you can quickly load into a game on any service for a seamless transition that doesn’t require navigating through a ton of menus. Backbone was responsive and worked well, crashing only once while I was tinkering with the built-in video editor.

More Than a Streaming Service

Backbone created its app to be the ultimate gaming companion. Along with booting up games, the app can instantly capture clips that you can edit and share directly to social media platforms. These aren’t grainy little snippets either. On Android 13 and a phone that’s two generations old,I was able to grab 1080p 60fps clips to share.

I had less of a use for it, but the app also makes it easy to squad up with friends. There’s a built-in voice chat and lobbies, which add even more value to Backbone One. The minimal time I spent with both resulted in a fairly seamless and smooth experience, though my phone was on the hotter side by the time I got around to testing multiplayer functions.

Should You Buy the Backbone One PlayStation Edition for Android?

If the idea of taking your console gaming to a smaller screen or to a different room in your house appeals to you, then the Backbone One PlayStation Edition for Android should be on your radar. If you’re lucky enough to have access to high-speed Wi-Fi beyond your home, then it’s an even easier sell. Though the buttons may be on the smaller side, they are, for the most part, responsive and satisfyingly clicky. The triggers could have a little more weight to them, but it’s no surprise that the Backbone can’t fully emulate the DualSense controller.

If you can get over the size difference and the limitations that come with cloud and remote-play gaming, then there’s a lot of fun to be had with the Backbone One. The dedicated app goes beyond PlayStation, offering immediate access to other services like Xbox Cloud, Steam Link, and NVIDIA GeForce Now. Playing AAA games developed for larger screens on a mobile device does feel weird for a bit, but it’s something you grow accustomed to.

The Backbone One features latency-free controls, but don’t expect the smoothest gaming experience all the time. Even on high-speed Internet, some apps like PS Remote Play, can lag. It was very infrequent across remote play and Xbox Cloud, but more intensive gaming experiences did seem to push my phone to its limit. That may very well change with the iPhone 15 Pro and future more powerful smartphones, though.

There are quite a few Android-compatible gaming controllers on the market, but the Backbone One is among my favorites. While I enjoyed the feel of GameSir’s X2 Pro and the Razer Kishi and could overlook some of the RiotPWR Cloud Gaming Controller’s pitfalls, the Backbone One PlayStation Edition has a clear advantage—its user-friendly, dedicated app.