Backbone controllers how to#
Backbone controllers android#

Backbone controllers how to#

It can be a little fiddly learning how to get your phone into place. How comfortable that ends up being depends mostly on the length of your charging cable since functionally, it's out of the way of your hands during use. But if you're just one of those people who prefer to keep your phone charged, the right-side controller has a pass-through charging port that can keep your phone powered while you play. The controller doesn't appear to have much impact on battery life, aside from the standard power-sucking you'd normally expect from playing games on your iPhone. However, the A/B and X/Y buttons are reversed from the Switch interface, which I've found can cause some confusion simply because they look so similar. The result resembles a Switch, with your iPhone in the center flanked by the two controller halves. The central mechanism slides apart and then springs tightly back into place, so you simply dock your phone into the lightning port and then let the controller's grips lock around it. This is where your iPhone locks in-think of it as a Nintendo Switch with the two Joy-Cons connected. The Backbone One itself resembles a standard game controller, with a noticeable gap in the center. Backbone, a controller built from the ground up specifically for the iPhone, is a solution that matches Apple's famous simplicity, and a welcome (if pricey) accessory for iPhone owners. The experience as a whole is still less than ideal. While Xbox and PlayStation controllers are ubiquitous among gamers, some docks for them can feel unwieldy, and propping your phone up against a book isn't great. It’s smaller than the SteelSeries controllers, making it ideal for throwing into a small bag.Apple's addition of controller support on its family of iOS mobile devices was something of a concession-touch controls just aren't right for everything-but it has been a boon to the library by enabling games that need a controller to comfortably play. The Kishi’s biggest advantages - besides Razer’s high-end build quality - are its passthrough charging, so you never need to detach it to charge your phone, and the size it folds down to when you do take it off your device. But at least the direct connection it forms with the phone using USB-C (or Lightning if you're on an iPhone) is faster than Bluetooth. Luckily, Razer’s Kishi is a super affordable option that’s easy to slide your phone into - though the setup admittedly wasn’t as quick for me as the SteelSeries options. You don’t really get that with a phone clamp or table stand. They’re comfortable to hold, well-balanced and really put the screen front and center.

Let’s be honest, the form factor is a big reason that devices like the Switch are so popular.

Backbone controllers android#

Pros: More players are likely to be familiar with Xbox-style controllers both models include sturdy clamps for clipping your phone to the controller.Ĭons: You have to buy a different controller based on what OS you’re using the controller with the clamp attached is unwieldy For players who want to turn their Android phone into a Switch or Steam Deck-like device: Razer Kishi Unlike a clamp from a more generic company, the one SteelSeries provides with both controllers won’t fight you during the process of mounting your phone. They have shoulder buttons and triggers, the d-pad is the same, and they both include sturdy phone mounts for attaching your device at the top - the type that clamps in place automatically. The two controllers are, for the most part, identical. So it makes sense that there are a lot more mobile gaming options with that shape, and the best ones come from SteelSeries: the Nimbus+ for Apple-made devices and the Stratus+ for Google-based devices (Android and Chromebook). While the PlayStation’s DualShock design has gained its share of devotees over the years, the Xbox gamepad is the stereotypical image of the gamepad in many people’s minds (as well as the Discord logo).