There are tons of great mobile games (and gaming phones to play games on), from mobile versions of mainstream hits like Call of Duty, Fortnite, and Resident Evil to cool gems like Cut The Rope and Grindstone. With options to stream both Xbox games and PlayStation games, the list of games you can play on your phone is becoming more and more competitive with any console.
That said, playing on a phone as-is can be frustrating at times. But for just $70, you can grab the Backbone One mobile controller. For my money, this is the best mobile controller around, and Amazon is knocking $30 off its usual cost (typically $100) for Black Friday. It’s prime time to get gaming accessories right now at big discounts, and this is no exception.
Get the Backbone One at Amazon for $69.99
Why Buy the Backbone One?
For starters, the form factor and the slim design don’t sacrifice comfort. Having had a repetitive stress injury (RSI) in my right wrist (thanks Hades and Dragon Ball FighterZ), I have to be deliberate about which controllers I use. The less comfortable they are, the more quickly (and more severely) my pain will resurface. While the Switch can aggravate my RSI, the Backbone One is comfortable even on longer playing sessions.
Another pro of this mobile controller is the button quality. Walking the line between squishy and clicky, every button press registers without requiring too much (or too little) force. I was also surprised at the quality of the triggers, which felt good to use. Overall, splitting the difference between size, comfort, and quality usually means failing to deliver on one or more of those axes. However, the Backbone One sticks the landing, which is why it’s the only mobile controller I held onto.
What We Said in Our Review
In our 8/10 review of the Backbone One, we said, “The Backbone One’s unique expanding controller connects directly to your iPhone for a low-latency gaming experience that feels great to use. Despite some lackluster buttons on the controller itself, it manages to create a seamless experience that blurs the lines between console and mobile gaming by producing a true “home screen” experience in the Backbone app.”
“The tight integration between hardware and software makes it feel like a real platform, and one that will only continue to evolve through updates as time goes on.”
More Black Friday Deals We’ve Found
For more handheld deals, Nintendo has a bunch going on forSwitch deals for Black Friday. The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom is just $30 at Walmart, Super Monkey Ball Banana Rumble is heavily discounted for Black Friday, and new Chroma DualSense controllers, which can also work on mobile devices, are also $25 cheaper.
Black Friday has also brought us the best console deal ever on Switch and Switch OLED, and we’ve also created a place to find the best Nintendo Black Friday deals.
A grab bag of great daily deals are also on offer, and we’ve got other gaming hubs to keep an eye on to see the best PlayStation Black Friday deals and Xbox sales. The incredibly popular (for good reason) Calvin and Hobbes Complete Hardcover box set is down to just $83.33.
More Controller Deals for Black Friday 2024
When Is Black Friday 2024?
We’re in the home stretch: Black Friday falls on November 29 this year. All month long, retailers have been rolling out sales, ramping up to massive discounts on Black Friday and through the weekend into Cyber Monday. There are already some fantastic deals available on PS5 consoles (including PSVR2) and controllers, video games for all platforms, AirPods Pro, and tons more.
Brian Barnett writes reviews, guides, features, & more for IGN, GameSpot, & Kotaku. You can get more than your fair share of him on Bluesky & Backloggd, & enjoy his absurd video game talk show, The Platformers, on Spotify & Apple Podcasts.
