Technologies
Backbone Pro Review: A Smart Mobile Game Controller That’ll Cost You
It’s slick, comfortable and clever, but you pay the premium for it.
Our Experts
Pros
- Bluetooth plus some in-controller processing means you don’t have to play with your phone inserted
- Software now provides access to emulators for retro games
- Much better, ergonomic grip than Backbone One and other «flat» controllers
- Rear buttons
Cons
- Expensive, especially if you need the subscription
- Can still only use USB for charging (now both controller and phone), not audio
- A lot of features, including the unified game hub and launcher, emulators, live streaming and more require a $40 annual subscription
One game controller to rule them all? Not yet, but the Backbone Pro sets out on that path and covers a fair bit of ground — for a nontrivial $170 price tag (thank you tariffs) plus an optional subscription at $40 a year to bring the necessary features into play.
I tested the iPhone version of the app; Android is forthcoming.
The original — and still available — Backbone is designed to run only with a phone snapped into it, which obviates the need for built-in wireless or batteries; the Pro has its own Bluetooth radio and batteries, so it can operate independently like a typical Bluetooth controller. For the Pro, Backbone retronyms the original function as «handheld mode,» differentiating the Bluetooth as «wireless mode.»
That’s the functional difference between the two controllers. The Pro was redesigned significantly from the original as well, both to accommodate the new capabilities and to make it feel more upscale; sorry, old iPhone owners, it will only come with USB-C, not Lightning connectors (so iPhone 15 or later). And underpinning it all is the software, notably its subscription upgrade, Backbone Plus.
During my preannouncement briefing, Backbone’s CEO, Maneet Khaira, explained his philosophy about where his corner of gaming was heading. «Our view is that in the future … all you have to do is buy just one device and you can play games on any screen. And maybe you could be a kid who doesn’t own a console, and you could be able to play Fortnite on a TV, because that’s just the TV you can buy at Best Buy, right, and you can play games on it. So our goal is to make one device that works at every single screen, so you can move from can move from screen to screen, and that way we can bring gaming to a lot more people and expand like the addressable market of gaming. And that really is what we try to accomplish with Backbone Pro in a nutshell.»
But it’s the subscription software that enables what he’s describing — the hardware is nice, but there are a lot of competing controllers — and the most difficult part to pull off thanks to all the game launcher and service fragmentation.
A more traditional, organic design
One problem with the initial generation of on-phone controllers, like the Backbone One, was that they were designed to be as small as possible. That meant feel and features were frequently sacrificed. With the Pro, Backbone tried to keep it small, but reinstated a lot of the design characteristics that players want, such as grips that you can actually grip, full size thumbsticks, rear buttons and Hall Effect triggers.
Backbone also changed the switch type on the ABXY buttons (to carbon pill) to make them quieter rather than the crisp clickiness of those on the older controller. They’ve got deeper travel, which to me registers as slightly less responsive, but I’m a button masher so after a while I got used to them. I didn’t feel a lot of latency in local games — actioners like Carrion and Hades on the phone — but over wireless I do think I experienced occasional lag (in Lies of P on a Mac, Dead Cells on an iPad and more). Bluetooth has gotten a lot better, but it’s still not perfect. You can still connect wired if it becomes an issue.
The grips offer a solid handhold, and they have a little more texture than the Backbone One, but less than the Xbox Wireless controller, and they feel a little softer than the other parts of the controller. Pretty comfy for long hours of gameplay.
I’m not crazy about the left and right buttons — because of the controller and button sizing I have trouble using them without having to think about it — which makes the rear buttons so useful for me. Those are a little bit harder to press to prevent accidental activation, but not so hard that I can’t operate them with weaker fingers (my ring fingers) so I remapped them as default in the software.
That said, they’re still a little bigger than those on the Backbone One, as are the triggers, and still relatively clicky. I have mixed feelings about the triggers, though. They’ve got a relatively deep pull, which can be great for aiming but not as responsive as I like for shooting. The software lets you set virtual trigger stops and deadzones (as well as joystick deadzones), but without the physical stop it’s only partially effective for me. But you’ve got the control if you want to try it.
There’s a dedicated Bluetooth pairing button and analog jack for audio on the left grip and USB-C charging on the right. In addition to charging the batteries in the controller it can charge your phone, and when it’s charging your phone it trickle charges the controller battery. (Backbone rates the battery at 40 hours, but I somehow drained it a lot faster on the first charge. Now it’s draining more slowly.) But as with the Backbone One, you can’t use the USB-C port for audio, video or data.
When you pair the controller with another device but the phone is connected, it gives you a choice as to which device you want to control. But once you’ve set the profile via the phone — I wish it were possible to cycle through profiles in hardware so the phone wasn’t necessary — you probably want to remove it. I found that it disconnected Bluetooth when I went to the Backbone app using the touch screen, for example.
Software and $oftware
The free Backbone software delivers some basic capabilities that you get with most mobile controllers, although that includes more-basic-than-basic stuff like «you can use it» and button mappings (for the iPhone it refers you to system settings, anyway). Everything else requires the $40 annual subscription, which means for the Pro you can end up spending $210. There’s a month free trial.
The Backbone Plus subscription does offer a lot. In addition to what you’ve previously gotten for the Backbone One — such as support for streaming, chat, a unified game launcher, perks and discounts — Backbone’s added retro games and emulators to the hub, and specific to the Pro, game profiles with button remappings and deadzone/trigger stop settings on a per-game basis.
It also lets you save different device connections in the app for easy switching (which Backbone calls «FlowState»), which is one of the slickest aspects of the software specific to the Pro. For instance, once I’d paired to my iPad, I subsequently simply had to go to the list of paired devices and select it to connect and control. You can also select the profile you want to use. After that, remove the phone from the controller.
It’s as seamless as I’ve ever seen, and when it’s not it’s because of the Byzantine ways you have to set up things on Apple devices or how the services work — web app shortcuts to play Xbox Cloud gaming and GeForce Now’s painful login process spring to mind.
I generally like the software, but I wish there was an option to turn off the audio while scrolling through the game thumbnails, which autoplay. If you’re sensitive to sound (in a neurodivergent way), it’s like a cat walking across your brain, gripping with its claws. I had to mute my phone just to browse. I find it ironic that the company redesigned the buttons to operate more quietly but the software is still noisy.
Compatibility claims can get confusing as well. For instance, Backbone claims it can work as an Xbox controller, but there’s no Bluetooth support in the console: You have to use Remote Play or cloud gaming, which aren’t always feasible. In my case, Remote Play isn’t supported by my network configuration — a double NAT setup — and cloud is hit or miss (even an Xbox Cloud Gaming lightweight game like Blue Prince ran fine for a while and then started to degrade and Expedition 33 barely ran). Neither of those is within Backbone’s control, but can affect the Backbone Pro experience.
The hardware is compelling if you like the on-phone controller concept or want something a little smaller to tote for your Bluetooth gaming — you don’t need to subscribe for that — but it’s certainly not for the budget minded given you can find tons of alternatives for a fraction of the price. If you play on a lot of different Bluetooth-equipped devices, though, and are willing to shell out for yet another subscription, the Backbone Pro’s probably the slickest option out there.
Technologies
I Played With the ROG Xbox Ally, the Upcoming Xbox Handheld
The new handheld console was revealed during the Xbox Games Showcase, and I got to spend some time with my hands on it.
Microsoft revealed its long-rumored Xbox handheld console running Windows 11 during the Xbox Games Showcase — two models called the ROG Xbox Ally and ROG Xbox Ally X — and I spent a short time playing around with one soon after.
Unfortunately, I wasn’t allowed to take any pictures or videos of the demo since the hardware we got to test wasn’t final. That became evident when our designated guide had HDMI connection issues with the unit. I was able to play around with the Xbox full-screen experience and the various settings menus and play the beginning minutes of Gears of War Reloaded, which comes out this summer.
The device is quite comfortable to hold, with slightly textured grips. The face buttons, triggers and analog sticks all felt familiar, very similar to what I’m used to on an Xbox controller.
What’s really exciting is that you can download your games, remote play from your Xbox or stream from the cloud, making this more useful than PlayStation’s Portal, which can only stream and play remotely. That’s one of the major benefits of being inside Xbox’s ecosystem: You can play a game on any of its devices, regardless of where you bought it, whether that be Xbox consoles, PC, cloud or this new handheld. This more open-platform approach makes the Xbox Ally closer in spirit to a Steam Deck compared with a Nintendo Switch, which can only run Nintendo games.
When it ships — expected in time for the winter holidays — you’ll be able to navigate via a full-screen Xbox app, which combines your Xbox game library with installed games from several other marketplaces into a single Xbox experience. The company specifically mentioned Xbox, Game Pass, battle.net (owned by Microsoft) and «other leading PC storefronts,» which I’m hoping includes Steam. Much like on an Xbox, each game has icons depicting which platform they’re from. In my demo, the only example of a different storefront was Hearthstone, which had a battle.net icon.
The Xbox Ally consoles use the Game Bar, and if you’ve used the Xbox app on PC, then you’ll find it familiar. In fact, pressing the new Xbox button opens an almost identical version of the guide when playing Xbox games on PC. However, there’s also a new Command Center tab on the far left to adjust settings for power consumption and performance, similar to what we’ve seen on Steam Deck.
In Game Bar, you can quickly jump to the home screen, your library, launch games, open apps, chat with friends, adjust settings and more. And this Game Bar works alongside Asus’s Armoury Crate overlay. This is a little worrisome, as Armoury Crate has usually felt more like unnecessary bloatware, but when we get to test the device later this year we’ll see if Asus has stripped it down to the relevant functions rather than just added more on top.
Since it’s a Windows 11 device, you’ll also be able to launch and use apps like Discord and Twitch and access game mods. The Xbox Ally boots directly into the «Xbox full screen experience» similar to how a Steam Deck launches into Big Picture mode. The full-screen experience is optimized specifically for handheld gaming, and Xbox told me the device minimizes background activity and allocates more system resources to gameplay like Game Mode does on Windows. This means more memory and potentially higher framerates for your games.
The ROG Ally and Ally X have been out for a bit now, but the Xbox models have some unique features. In addition to the Xbox button, the ROG Xbox Ally also has larger, contoured grips. The previous ROG Ally is more rectangular; the Xbox Ally is closer to the design of the PlayStation Portal, with dedicated, slightly separated hand grips that mimic the look and feel of a standard game controller. They also have upgraded components over the Asus versions.
The handheld comes in two options, a white Xbox Ally and the more powerful Xbox Ally X that comes in black. The lower-end Ally is powered by an AMD Ryzen Z2A processor, comes with 16GB of RAM and 512GB of SSD storage, weighs 23.6 ounces (670 grams) and has a 60Wh battery. The Ally X has an AMD Ryzen AI Z2 Extreme processor, 24GB of RAM, 1TB of SSD storage, weighs a bit more at 25.2 ounces (715 grams) and has an 80Wh battery.
Both models are equipped with a 7-inch,120Hz 1080p screen, the same as on the original Asus versions of the devices. They also have RGB lights surrounding the analog sticks, something I hope I’ll be able to turn off when I spend some real time playing on the device. The Ally X did feel on the heavier side, but then again, the recently released Switch 2 and my Steam Deck OLED are also pretty heavy, so I think that’s just what handhelds weigh these days.
Xbox hasn’t yet revealed the pricing or release date, aside from «this holiday.»
Technologies
Everything I Suspect Will Be Announced at WWDC 2025 Monday
We could see new iPhone, Mac and Apple Watch software called iOS 26, MacOS Tahoe and WatchOS 26. Apple is rumored to overhaul all of its OSes with a unifying visual interface.
Apple’s developer conference, WWDC 2025, kicks off Monday at 10 a.m. PT. At its last two WWDC events, Apple launched itself into new territories, jumping into both AR/VR and generative AI. There’s pressure on the company to match, if not top, what it’s done in the past. CNET has editors and writers attending in person to report on live WWDC 2025 developments as they break.
There was the Vision Pro in 2023, and then Apple Intelligence in 2024. What big announcement is coming in 2025? With both the Vision Pro and Apple Intelligence having faced slow and heavily criticized starts, the big message at this year’s WWDC doesn’t seem clear at all. Apple might focus on operating system redesigns and gradual improvements across the board.
WWDC is usually a showcase for Apple’s future-forward ideas. It’s also where the company discusses its developer tools, as you’d expect. And it’s where previews of all the new OS versions are revealed, giving an early look at what’s coming to the iPhone, iPad, Mac and other Apple devices.
It’s possible Apple will reveal a new home device — a display-enabled HomePod — or even a new Apple Pencil with a calligraphy mode. But the biggest rumors so far suggest a new cross-OS redesign and renaming that could be Apple’s way of deflecting some attention away from not having big new AI features to show off.
OS by year: Will it be iOS 26?
Recent reports from Bloomberg’s often-correct Mark Gurman say Apple is going to ditch the existing numbered OS convention it’s used for years and instead go with another approach to naming: labeling all annual OSes by year number. Instead of iOS 19, we’ll have iOS 26. And iPadOS 26, and MacOS 26, and WatchOS 26, TVOS 26, VisionOS 26. Samsung made a similar move in 2020, jumping from the Galaxy S10 in 2019 to the Galaxy S20 in 2020.
Apple’s numbering has felt pretty disjointed as the numbers have gone ever-higher across multiple device categories. A yearly number would at least help people know if they’re on the current version.
Glass as the new look
The WWDC invites, featuring a hazy transparent ring, hint at a reported redesign of all the company’s software to a new «glass» look. Bloomberg’s Gurman reported on a large incoming cross-OS design shift, calling it a dramatic redesign and one of the biggest Apple’s done in years. The design may mirror the Vision Pro’s VisionOS feel, which has lots of frosted glass panes, layers of transparency and circular app icons. Front Page Tech’s Jon Prosser showed a preview of the expected design based on information from his sources, and it definitely looks VisionOS-esque.
Beyond a coat of paint, will the OSes start to feel more similar in function too? I’m particularly curious about how iPadOS and MacOS start to close in on each other even more. Apple’s iPad has slowly inched toward acting like a computer, with features like Stage Manager for multitasking, and it’s felt inevitable that the tablet line would eventually provide a comparable experience to the MacBook.
WatchOS should get Apple Intelligence, and the Health app may be part of it
One of the devices that’s missed out on Apple Intelligence so far has been the Apple Watch, and that should be changing soon. Apple is expected to put more AI on the next Watch OS, which could help with message summaries, translation and maybe even composing messages. It could also bring overdue health and fitness upgrades. Reports say Apple could be working on adding generative AI insights to its Health app data and even using AI as a medical service, with a launch target of 2026. Health could possibly get a paid subscription tier, similar to Fitness and what many of Apple’s current services are adding. This could be like what Google is doing with Wear OS, which has long used Fitbit Premium as a health subscription (a broader Gemini rollout is on the way too).
I like AI coaching and insights on a watch, but I don’t like subscriptions. We’ll see what happens, and if Apple gets into any of these future plans at this WWDC.
Battery life boosts
Another recent report (again, Gurman) says AI will help Apple improve battery life on its devices. How many devices? The iPhone, but hopefully the Apple Watch, too — these are the products in the lineup that I find I need to charge more than I’d like. For me, at least, iPads and Macs are mostly fine on battery life as is, but I’ll never refuse longer battery life for anything.
Apple has made gradual boosts to its battery features over time, but maybe there will be more intelligently applied power modes this time.
Game news?
Apple may be pushing the importance of games again, just as the Nintendo Switch 2 debuts. Bloomberg reports that the company could release a new app to act as a hub for games and game services including Apple Arcade, becoming an overdue overhaul of Game Center.
A number of game controller accessories, like Backbone, already have app hubs that function as game launchers, but Apple has never done much to help organize games on its devices in a way that feels more like what you find on a console. A new app seems like a good fit for those types of controllers, too.
Apple just acquired its first game studio: RAC7, the developers of hit Apple Arcade game Sneaky Sasquatch.
Apple could also have VR gaming news, if older reports come true: PlayStation VR 2 controllers have been expected to work with Vision Pro headsets, in a push to expand gaming on Apple’s VR/AR headset. Maybe that’ll be part of a push to get more developers onboard, as Apple could be readying a less expensive version of the Vision Pro in the next year. Right now the headset can’t compete with Meta’s more affordable Quest headsets in the gaming department.
AI: Live translation, and maybe Vision camera advancements
Apple opened up camera access to enterprise developers last year, and now it’s time for AI tools to emerge for everyone else — tools that could help describe what you’re seeing, or help you remember things too. Apple has already added assistive support for some camera-enabled functions on the Vision Pro and other products, suggesting more to come.
Though Apple’s WWDC keynote presentation isn’t expected to include many announcements of AI strides, the company still needs to compete with Google, Open AI, Perplexity and many others who are making such strides. Reports say live translation will come to some AirPods models, which would mirror what Google and Meta have been doing on glasses and earbuds and on phones.
The biggest VisionOS move I’d expect to see is some introduction of camera-aware AI. Apple Intelligence debuted on Apple’s VR/AR spatial computer headset earlier this year, but none of the AI can take advantage of the system’s cameras to «see» what you’re seeing. At least not yet. Google’s use of Gemini to access the cameras on upcoming headsets and glasses, and Meta’s support of camera access for Quest developers (and its expanding AI tools on Ray-Bans), suggest Apple needs to move this way now to begin paving a way for camera-aware AI to work on future headsets and eventually glasses.
Apple Pencil
We could see either a brand-new Apple Pencil or updated features that make the current device feel new, according to a report from Bloomberg. Expect to see a new a digital reed calligraphy pen feature unveiled. It’s unclear whether this new software will be for both the original Apple Pencil and the Apple Pencil 2, or if we’ll actually see a brand-new version of the stylus.
A new HomePod-slash-iPad?
There could be a new product emerging at WWDC: a look at a long-expected screen-enabled HomePod that may be part of a bigger push into smarter smart home tech. Reports suggest it’ll be something like a HomePod now — speaker-enabled, with an array of mics — but with a touchscreen. Would it be a screen big enough to act as a photo frame, or something more like a control panel? Where would this thing live, exactly? And what would it cost? Originally, reports of this device even suggested a robotic arm that would allow the screen to follow your face, but those plans seem to be off the table for now.
Of all the wild-card product ideas Apple could announce at this show, this seems the most likely.
WWDC/Gurman potpourri
There are, of course, a number of other rumors from Gurman. Here are some that caught our attention:
- Messages app: iOS could get the ability to add backgrounds to chats and group chats.
- iPadOS: Apple may reveal an iPadOS version of the Preview app.
- iPadOS: MacOS-like multitasking might come to the iPad.
- iPhone Camera app: The interface could get an overhaul focused on making it simpler to use.
We’ll know more soon
WWDC is happening June 9, with the keynote video presentation streaming at 10 a.m. Pacific. We’ll be there at Apple Park, too, covering it in person. We’ll know more about how all this software could be hinting at new products, and get a check-in on where exactly Apple is with its AI strategies. And maybe we’ll get a bit of product news, too — you never know.
Technologies
Today’s NYT Strands Hints, Answers and Help for June 9, #463
Here are hints and answers for the NYT Strands puzzle No. 463 for June 9.
Looking for the most recent Strands answer? Click here for our daily Strands hints, as well as our daily answers and hints for The New York Times Mini Crossword, Wordle, Connections and Connections: Sports Edition puzzles.
Todays NYT Strands puzzle features a bunch of mysterious words. Some are a bit difficult to unscramble so if you need hints and answers, read on.
I go into depth about the rules for Strands in this story.
If you’re looking for today’s Wordle, Connections and Mini Crossword answers, you can visit CNET’s NYT puzzle hints page.
Read more: NYT Connections Turns 1: These Are the 5 Toughest Puzzles So Far
Hint for today’s Strands puzzle
Today’s Strands theme is: What you see isn’t what you get
If that doesn’t help you, here’s a clue: Hiding in plain sight
Clue words to unlock in-game hints
Your goal is to find hidden words that fit the puzzle’s theme. If you’re stuck, find any words you can. Every time you find three words of four letters or more, Strands will reveal one of the theme words. These are the words I used to get those hints but any words of four or more letters that you find will work:
- CALL, CALLS, FALL, FALLS, SAME, SEAM, LAND, ROSE, COVE, CANE, CANES, FLUME, FLUMES, DIGS, MEAL, COLA, CARD, CASE
Answers for today’s Strands puzzle
These are the answers that tie into the theme. The goal of the puzzle is to find them all, including the spangram, a theme word that reaches from one side of the puzzle to the other. When you have all of them (I originally thought there were always eight but learned that the number can vary), every letter on the board will be used. Here are the nonspangram answers:
- MASK, CLOAK, COVER, FACADE, DISGUISE, CAMOUFLAGE
Today’s Strands spangram
Today’s Strands spangram is FALSEFRONT. To find it, start with the F that’s two rows over from the far left and two letters down. Wind around into a question mark.
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