Backbone — Next-Level Play 12+

Accessories please?

I received my backbone about a month and a half before Christmas, to say the least it’s a very functional controller and does what it is supposed to do. 100% recommended product.

I would like to see a phone locating bumper which holds the phone(top end) more securely as my phone does move ever so slightly in the controller which causes momentary disconnection.

Being I like my shooter game’s running high sensitivity I prefer longer thumb-sticks for the minor movements. The Short throw thumb-sticks on the controller are very good but maybe a genuine thumb-stick riser add on would help dramatically! Nintendo switch stick extenders fit but bump on the controller body reducing the overall thumb-sticks throw just enough to hinder gameplay.

Hopefully in the future there may be some genuine long L1/L2 triggers more for a comfort aspect that would become something that can be purchased alongside with controller grips.

All very picky yes but as an overall concept to market these are and incredible add on to mobile gaming!!! Job well done on fit and finish!

An Odd Experience

UPDATE: The generic response of the app being optional doesn’t change the fact that the app’s subscription cost is too high and unreasonable. “Pouring love” into the app does not means it’s free from scrutiny. Even if you want to claim that BackBone+ is objectively a good app, the pricing model makes little to no sense. Also, the argument that the controller is 100% usable without the app, makes the price of the subscription even more questionable…

The controller is good, an 8/10 on its own. The subscription cost to use the app is unreasonable to say the least, so the experience is overall 4/10. Yes, the controller can be used without the app, but the app is part of the package being sold to you and i would lying if I said the app isn’t nice. The problem is, it can feel like a scam, as I do not believe there is value for money here at all. The app should be free considering it is a glorified menu for a pricey controller to begin with, or worst case, permanent access for what is currently being charged as a yearly subscription. (No one cares about the “rewards”, just get rid of them). Also, poor implementation of the PlayStation Edition, as every game just recognises the Backbone One like an Xbox controller, so all button prompts are presented with the Xbox layout (A, B, X, Y).

Developer Response ,

Hey there! Backbone+ is entirely optional and you don’t need it to play games on Backbone One. Any game or service listed on our website will work without it—just plug in your Backbone One controller and play. That said, we are giving a free trial of Backbone+ to every user right now. My team and I put a lot of love into it so we think you might like it (you can always cancel). Unfortunately, it's up to the game developers to implement support for changing the glyphs in-game to the correct icons. We hope you decide to give Backbone a try! Let us know if something isn’t working right. Hope this is good news & Happy Gaming! :D

Insanely overpriced subscription

This controller is advertised as having a terrific app to go with it. No mention of the insanely overpriced subscription. If I’d known I would not have bought this controller. At least give a free version for us who just use it as a games browser. But really, it should be $5 a year not this enormous price. In a few short years the app will have cost more than the controller.

Edit to respond to developers: Yes I understand that your controller will work without the app. However your site and advertising clearly uses backbone+ app as a major selling point. However it does not disclose that it will cost this enormous subscription fee. The only mention is hidden way down the bottom of a page, inside a FAQ, and that doesn’t even disclose this ridiculously high price. It’s misleading advertising and everyone should be made aware that in merely 3 years of subscription using the app will cost more than the device.

It’s a key part of the advertised backbone experience. It’s not fair to then hit us for this subscription, especially for those of us who don’t use 90% of the features and just want to use the games browser functions.

It’s particularly galling that previous purchasers aren’t charged the subscription. Though new buyers aren’t told of the subscription fee.

Developer Response ,

Hey there! Backbone+ is entirely optional and you don’t need it to play games on Backbone One. Any game or service listed on our website will work without it—just plug in your Backbone One and play. That said, we are giving 1 year free of Backbone+ to every user right now. My team and I put a lot of love into it so we think you might like it (you can always cancel). We hope you decide to give Backbone a try! Let us know if something isn’t working right. Hope this is good news & Happy Gaming! :D