Over 10 days of intensive testing, the app accounted for just 3 percent of my battery drain, though playing Stardew Valley with the screen on for 43 hours did have me searching for my charger more than once. Videos can be saved to your camera roll or shared on Snapchat, Instagram Stories, Messenger, or other social apps-without the typical eyesore mobile touchscreen controls making an appearance.ĭespite these features, Backbone didn't make a noticeable impact on my phone's battery life. You can edit footage within the app and share 30-second snippets as Highlights to your Backbone friends within an internal newsfeed. When you're done, navigate to the Captures section of the app, where your videos and photos are stored.īackbone One does a great job showing you where the action is within your clips. Press the button again to end your recording.

A light on the controller glows red when you're recording, so you don't need to second-guess whether it's actually working, and it will record audio from your party too. You can press the Capture button twice to take a screenshot, or once to start a screen recording. This feature won't be as enticing if your friends aren't gaming with Backbone, but it works well if they do. Press the ellipsis (.) button twice to mute yourself. You can speak and hear responses clearly, with minimal noise from buttons or joysticks (no headset needed). If you want to join up, tap the push notification, press A, and you'll join their party. If you have a friend who owns a Backbone and starts a game, you'll get a push notification.

Backbone button, A, boom-I'm in the CoD lobby or on my Stardew Valley farm. Then press 'A' and it will open the last game you played. Attach the controller and press the bright orange Backbone button to open the app. You can launch your games in it, and it adds social features and screen capturing. The Backbone app is powerful and user-friendly. For now, at least, Backbone is iOS only.īackbone One as a stand-alone controller is good, but in conjunction with its required app, the experience can rival gaming consoles. It also doesn't yet come in additional colors.Īndroid phones are not supported, and at this point, the company isn't sure whether it will delve into that world. I don't mind slipping my iPhone 11's thin silicone case off, but if you use something like an Otterbox, the removal process might be too cumbersome. It's also incompatible with phone cases and grips. It's too awkward to keep it on your phone between gaming sessions. I mostly use it at home, but you'd need a bag to carry it with you on the go. The left-hand side has a headphone jack, making it more audio-friendly than the iPhone itself. On the bottom right-hand side, there's a Lightning port, which enables pass-through charging without the cord getting in your way. It has the exact buttons, triggers, and joysticks you find on a console controller, with a plastic design that feel similar to a PlayStation pad, but with very clicky, snappy buttons like the Nintendo Switch. ( Find out if your iPhone is compatible here.) It fits snugly around the phone, and attaching it is fairly foolproof. The gadget works with any iPhone that has iOS 13 or newer. You fit the built-in Lightning connector to your iPhone's charging port and stretch the sides of the device to clamp. The Backbone One adds console-style controls to your iPhone.

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