I don't think the Backbone One is worth $100, but I can recommend its early Black Friday price

For once, it's cheaper than the alternatives

Backbone One PlayStation Edition's right hand button configuration up close
(Image credit: Future / Duncan Robertson)

The Backbone One has had a tough year. As if it wasn't bad enough that seemingly every tech brand under the sun has launched a portable gaming PC, this popular mobile controller started a wave of rivals that have improved upon it. In truth, as someone who tests mobile controllers for a living, it's b🐽een really tough to recommend the Backbone becau🍸se although it once was the best device out there for portable play, it's now just a pricey, fairly limited option.

And yet, for the first time this year, I'm about to recommend it to you, and that's because Best Buy has started the Black Friday꧙ party early. Right now, you can get the Backbone One (Lightning version) for , which is a return to the cheapest price we've seen it at.

Now, I've done the hard part for you. Since I'm happier recommending the Backbone's rivals, I've checked the prices of the 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:best mobile controllers already to make sure this is a deal worth recommending. The GameSir G8 Galileo Plus is currently $79.99 at Amazon, which isn't far away, but still more expensive for a change. The Scuf Nomad and GameSir X4 Aileron are both snoozing at their $99 MSRP, and the USB-C Razer Kishi Ultra is still above them all at $149.

For once, the Backbone One is actually the most affordable option, and that ♔makes it worth buying.

Backbone One Lightning iOS PlayStation Edition |
Save $40 - This is a return to the lowest-ever price we've seen the Backbone drop to. Annoyingly, Best Buy is only listing the iO♈S edition for this price, but hopefully, as we get closer to Black Friday's official start, we'll see the USB-C model get there too. For now, it's cheaper than the other mobile controllers I've tested and liked better, so it's an easier recommendation.

Buy it if:

✅ You have an iPhone with a lightning port
✅ You need a mobile controller
✅ You want something that's capable of PS5 remote play

Don't buy it if:

❌ You want the best mobile controller available
❌ You have larger hands
❌ You have a USB-C device

USB-C version:

Price check: |

Should you buy the Backbone One?

Backbone One Apple Arcade

(Image credit: Future)

You may think I'm being hard on the 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:Backbone One, which arguably revolutionized mobile gaming. There's a reason PlayStation officially licensed this brand to make a version for Remote Playing PS5 games, and it's because its controller is practical, pla♐ys great, and provides such a huge improvement over touch screen controls. For those reasons alone, it's everything the🎃 average player would ever need in a mobile controller.

That said, it isn't the only option. It tends to be a popular recommendation from people because it's the one everybody knows best, but in the last year, there have been so many viable options join the market. If you've got larger hands, the Backbone isn't ideal. If you want more utility from the likes of back buttons, then the 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:GameSir G8 Galileo is a better fit. Similarly, if you like symmetrical thumbsticks, then the 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:Scuf Nomad is going to be better for you.

Of course, if you have a lightning-connecting iPhone, your options are a bit more limited. Thanks to the latest round of iPhones abandoning it in favor of USB-C, there aren't any new controllers with this connection type coming out - which is maybe why Backbone's stock is going cheap this early before 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:Black Friday gaming deals begin.

If you have a USB-C device, I'd strongly recommend against buying a Backbone now. In a few weeks, when more and more Black Friday offers hit the sh🦋elves, there will be plenty of choice around this price range.