The Backbone One with USB-C is just $50 for today only

2 weeks ago 5

As good as the Backbone One is (read our review of the original version), it can be hard to justify earmarking $100 for a mobile gaming controller. Even at its common $70 sale price, you’re entering pro controller territory. That said, a 50 percent discount for the second-gen Backbone One (USB-C) seems worth jumping over the fence for. Today only, you can get it for $49.99 at Best Buy, which is a record low price and just in time for the Resident Evil 2 remake that’s soon launching on the iPhone.

The Backbone One’s USB-C connector means it works both with Android smartphones and iPhones 15 or newer. It’s sleek with a bubbly grip sized just right to comfortably reach any of its face buttons, triggers, bumpers, or analog sticks. Ergonomically, it’ll lose to bulkier controllers, but should feel pretty good in most hands and is infinitely better than pecking away at the screen. The controller also has USB-C passthrough charging and 3.5mm for headphones and headsets.

The Best Buy-exclusive Warzone Mobile edition on sale here is mostly a spiritual tie-in: it’s visually and functionally identical to the standard Backbone One, but comes with free in-game rewards. You can use it with any games or apps with controller support, including cloud streaming services like Xbox Cloud Gaming and GeForce Now. The purchase includes a free one-month trial of Backbone Plus ($40 a year afterward), which unlocks more app features like gameplay recording, live streaming, and Play on Any Screen (the latter enabling wired gaming on PC and tablets). You’ll also get three months of Apple Arcade ($7 a month value).

The Backbone One (second-gen) with USB-C can connect to Android phones and iPhones 15 or later. It’s a fully featured controller complete with dual analog sticks, a 3.5mm headphone jack, and its own software for capturing screenshots and connecting to game streaming services.

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