Don't miss out on this Backbone One game controller for iPhone deal — 40% off

The Backbone One game controller in hand
(Image credit: Backbone)

The Backbone One is one of the best portable game controllers available. It allows you to play all kinds of mobile games with a console-like experience. For games like Call of Duty, Roblox, Minecraft, and Genshin Impact, physical controls take the fun to the next level, and the Backbone One is a great option to consider.

Currently, Amazon has the Backbone One mobile game controller for iPhone on sale for $59. That's a generous 40% off the regular $100 price tag, which is an all-time low price for this particular controller, meaning this is absolutely the time to buy if you’ve been in the market for a way to make playing iPhone games more pleasant.

Backbone One (Lightning): was $99 now $59 @ Amazon
Price check:

Backbone One (Lightning): was $99 now $59 @ Amazon
The Backbone One works with all of the most popular controller-supporting mobile games along with game streaming from Xbox, PlayStation, Steam, and NVIDIA. It has all the buttons you could ever need and a speedy Lightning connector for latency-free gaming fun.
Price check: $100 @ Apple

For the controls, the Backbone One offers four face buttons, two joysticks, a directional pad, four triggers, and four buttons for pausing and other functions. Basically, the button layout is similar to an Xbox controller, including the offset joysticks. 

Outside of standard phone games, you can also use the controller to play cloud-based gaming services from Xbox, PlayStation, NVIDIA GeForce Now, and the Steam Link App. A controller like the Backbone One will make your smartphone as close as possible to a full portable gaming console. 

One of the key selling points of the Backbone One is the lack of latency. Because it runs through the Lightning port instead of over Bluetooth, you won’t have to worry about delayed controls. You don’t need to run a wire to the phone since the Lightning port is built right into the controller housing. And if you’re worried about charging, it has a passthrough feature. 

This model is for the iPhone 14 and older smartphones with Lightning connectors. If you have an iPhone 15, which switched to USB-C, you’ll need to snag one of Backbone’s models with that connector. Unfortunately, that model isn’t as heavily discounted, but it’s still on sale for $80, which is $20 off the regular price.

Dave LeClair
Senior News Editor

Dave LeClair is the Senior News Editor for Tom's Guide, keeping his finger on the pulse of all things technology. He loves taking the complicated happenings in the tech world and explaining why they matter. Whether Apple is announcing the next big thing in the mobile space or a small startup advancing generative AI, Dave will apply his experience to help you figure out what's happening and why it's relevant to your life.

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