Sony hasn’t really done that much in the mobile space since the demise of the PlayStation Vita. Thus, it is quite interesting that the company has now announced an officially-licensed controller for iPhones—the Backbone One – PlayStation Edition.
Inspired by the DualSense controller for the PS5, the new Backbone One PSE was created as a joint project between Backbone and the engineers at PlayStation. This is why it resembles a DualSense so much; that’s because it was created with the same “elegant colors, materials and finishes” in mind, as Backbone’s CEO, Maneet Khaira, puts it.
This iPhone controller will allow users to take advantage of the PS Remote Play app (compatible with both PS5 and PS4) and play their favorite PlayStation titles on-the-go. Additionally, it also functions as a great controller for native iPhone games on the App Store.
The Backbone One – PlayStation Edition sports dual thumbsticks, a D-Pad, the classic PS triangle-square-cross-circle face buttons, along with two triggers and two shoulder buttons. Thus, it effectively morphs the user’s iPhone into a smaller DualSense, albeit with a built-in screen. The controller also has its own 3.5mm headphone jack to make wired audio easy to use, and an additional Lightning port for charging passthrough. This means that you’ll be able to enjoy the gameplay experience without worrying about the battery life of either your headphones or your phone.
While the Backbone One was made to take advantage of the PS Remote Play app, there’s also the dedicated Backbone App (which has its own button on the controller itself) that houses all of your iPhone and PlayStation titles in one, centralized location.
On that note, PS Remote Play isn’t the only streaming solution available for iPhone. Nvidia GeForce Now and Google Stadia are also easily available, and Backbone endorses the controller’s compatibility with those services, too.
The Backbone One – PlayStation Edition can be nabbed right now for $99.99 (USD).
You can also visit the official Backbone site to get all the nitty-gritty details on the new iPhone controller.
