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Home / Hot Stuff / Backbone’s latest mobile controller is a nod to my favourite ever Xbox design

Backbone’s latest mobile controller is a nod to my favourite ever Xbox design

Translucent green colour scheme might make this the ultimate xbox mobile controller

Backbone One Xbox Edition hot stuff lead

If you’re an OG Xbox owner suddenly experiencing flashbacks of split-screen Halo multiplayer mayhem, don’t panic. A tasty translucent green makeover has turned the Backbone One mobile controller into a time capsule ready to take your flagship phone back to the early 2000s.

With black circuit boards encased in the same see-through outer shell as the limited edition original Xbox, the Backbone One: Xbox Edition controller is tailor-made for Xbox Cloud Gaming. The regular One’s screenshot button has even been swapped out for an Xbox button, for a truly authentic experience.

The controller otherwise sticks to Backbone’s usual formula, with a slide-out design that’ll swallow even the portliest of phones and a USB-C connection that plays nicely with both iPhones and Android handsets. The offset joystick layout will mean Xbox owners will feel right at home, and the A/B/X/Y buttons are in the ‘correct’ order (Sorry, Nintendo Switch fans). Left and right bumpers and triggers free you from unresponsive onscreen controls, while a dedicated share button is handy for screenshots and recording gameplay clips.

Backbone One Xbox Edition hot stuff front


Pass-through USB-C charging is on-board so you can keep playing long after your phone would’ve otherwise bitten the dust, and there’s still a 3.5mm port for plugging in a wired headset – even if your phone doesn’t have one itself.

Backbone has also bagged one month of Game Pass Ultimate from Microsoft as a pack-in, so you can get gaming straight away via the cloud. Current highlights include British post-apocalyptic adventure Atomfall, Nazi punch-em-up Indiana Jones and the Great Circle, and hard-as-nails remaster Ninja Gaiden 2 Black.

Want one to turn your phone into a portable Xbox? The Backbone One Xbox Edition is going on sale right now, for £110, directly from Backbone. US gamers will be able to bag one via Best Buy Drops for $110.

PlayStation gamers don’t have to feel left out, of course: the BackBone PlayStation Edition has been doing the rounds since 2022 with bespoke face buttons and a PS5-aping colour scheme.

Profile image of Tom Morgan-Freelander Tom Morgan-Freelander Deputy Editor

About

A tech addict from about the age of three (seriously, he's got the VHS tapes to prove it), Tom's been writing about gadgets, games and everything in between for the past decade, with a slight diversion into the world of automotive in between. As Deputy Editor, Tom keeps the website ticking along, jam-packed with the hottest gadget news and reviews.  When he's not on the road attending launch events, you can usually find him scouring the web for the latest news, to feed Stuff readers' insatiable appetite for tech.

Areas of expertise

Smartphones/tablets/computing, cameras, home cinema, automotive, virtual reality, gaming