Phone controllers have come a long way. Gone are the days of clip-style controllers or external clips that snap on to Xbox controllers. We finally get dedicated, high-quality telescoping controllers that feel like a premium console controller. The Backbone has been at war with the Razer Kishi for a couple of years now, and so far, the Backbone has remained king of the phone controllers. The licensing partnership with PlayStation just drives home how much they want console gamers on their phones.

The backbone feels incredibly sturdy in the hands. The buttons are precisely where they should be, and the thumb sticks have a great feel. The software is actually quite interesting, and it is one of the better game launcher apps that supports Backbone natively. With a full list of controller-compatible games, you can launch them from the app without any issues. Here, you can also adjust a few settings and check for firmware updates. It’s miles better than Razer’s app for the Kishi.

This is the single best dedicated mobile controller I have ever used. We have made significant progress since the early 2010s, when Wish and AliExpress offered subpar controllers. Even the Moga controllers were pretty bad. Remember the iPega series of Chinese controllers? The PG-9023 was one of the most popular controllers up until Moga started taking over the market, and then PS4 and Xbox One controllers took over. This controller feels as though it could have been designed by Sony itself. The buttons feel premium; they don’t have obnoxiously loud clicks; the analog sticks aren’t stiff or overly sensitive; and the hand ergonomics are just right.

The backbone can fit phones as large as they come, and it doesn’t have the Kishi’s weird folding design. It doesn’t fold down as far, but it’s small enough to fit into a bag without taking up much room. Overall, the Backbone One is a fantastic controller, made even more so with the PlayStation branding. This fits right alongside all of your PS5 accessories.