Hurry! The BACKBONE One PlayStation mobile gaming controller is $70 today

    By Briley Kenney
Published December 13, 2024

Mobile gaming controllers transform your phone into a mobile or handheld console, like the Nintendo Switch, Steam Deck or an ROG Ally. The BACKBONE One PlayStation mobile gaming controller does exactly that. You connect it to your phone and it integrates a game controller, sometimes more. For instance, BACKBONE+ serves as a hub for all your games across several systems like PlayStation, Steam, Xbox, and beyond. You can also screen record, connect with friends, and cast to any screen. Of course, you can also just use it as a Bluetooth game controller. Why am I telling you all of this?

Because the BACKBONE One is currently discounted to $70, normally $99, saving you a cool $29. You could definitely use that money you save to grab a game in one of the big holiday game sales. But this deal won’t last long, so don’t waste time if you’re interested.

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Gaming on a touchscreen is just not that intuitive, and I wouldn’t describe it as fun either. You do it when you have to because you have nothing else around. But it’s really best for — you guessed it — low-lift mobile games. If you’re trying to play console-quality titles, or streaming your games to your phone, through something like PS Remote Play, touch controls suck. The best remedy is a mobile gaming controller unless you want to pay a little extra for a handheld console.

The BACKBONE One is, well, that’s what it is — a mobile gaming controller. It works with Android and iPhone 15 or 16 devices and connects via USB-C. Once attached, or rather once the phone is mounted, you can play games like a handheld. You get a full console-quality controller and low-latency feedback. It also offers pass-through charging, so you can charge your device while you play, and has a 3.5mm headphone jack so you can plug in a gaming headset or headphones.

You can play games on your phone as long as they support external controllers. But also, you can stream console-quality games from whatever system you have, whether that’s a PS5, Xbox, or gaming PC. There are respective apps to stream those games, and they work great with the BACKBONE. However, you can also spring for BACKBONE+ which conveniently ties it all together and gives you a mobile gaming hub right on your phone. You get a free trial of that with your purchase, by the way.

The real kicker is that BACKBONE One is discounted right now, down to $70. That saves you about $29 off the regular $99 price tag. That’s a great price for a mobile gaming controller, let alone one that’s this supported.

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