Backbone One – PlayStation Edition is here for your iPhone, and it promises better gaming

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The Backbone One – PlayStation Edition could make Remote Play on iOS much easier

backbone one playstation edition
(Image credit: Backbone)

Depending on how you look at it, The Backbone One – PlayStation Edition is either an extremely niche peripheral, or a harbinger of Sony’s future cloud gaming plans. On its surface, the device is pretty simple. It’s a mobile controller that attaches to an iPhone, and resembles a PS5 DualSense. With it, you can use Sony’s Remote Play app on iOS without having to use a DualShock 4 or DualSense controller. But, more interestingly, the device suggests that Sony may be about to take cloud gaming much more seriously.

Sony revealed the Backbone One – PlayStation Edition on the official PlayStation Blog. The accessory will cost $100, and start shipping soon. Maneet Khaira, the CEO of Backbone, explained the new device’s utility:

It’s worth noting, however, that the Backbone One – PlayStation Edition is still limited in what it can do, at least for now. Unlike Microsoft, Sony does not stream games directly from its servers to mobile platforms. (Sony does stream games via its PC app, but the app isn’t very good.) Instead, Remote Play streams games directly from your own PS4 or PS5 to your phone, using your own home network to upload data.

As such, it’s a bit of a pain to stream games outside of your own home, particularly since it means you have to keep your PS5 in Rest Mode and ready to boot up at any time, even when you’re not around. 

Still, the Backbone One – PlayStation Edition is a big overture toward mobile cloud gaming from a company that, up until now, hasn’t made that many. We’ll have to wait and see whether Sony capitalizes on its momentum, or lets cloud gaming fall by the wayside again.

Marshall Honorof
Marshall Honorof

Marshall Honorof was a senior editor for Tom's Guide, overseeing the site's coverage of gaming hardware and software. He comes from a science writing background, having studied paleomammalogy, biological anthropology, and the history of science and technology. After hours, you can find him practicing taekwondo or doing deep dives on classic sci-fi.