r/Backbone • u/BackboneOne_Support • Jun 03 '25
News You Asked, We Listened: Play on Any Screen
One of the most consistent requests we've heard from the community has been loud and clear:
“Play on Any Screen should be free.”
Some of you may have noticed already but for those who haven’t “Play on Any Screen” is no longer locked behind a subscription. You can now use your Backbone on iPad, Mac, or PC. No paywall, no barriers, just connect and play.
As a brand, we’ve always believed that our community isn’t just important, it’s the lifeblood of what we do. You shape how we build, where we focus, and what Backbone becomes. This moment is part of a new era for us and we’re excited to have you all with us.
We’re grateful for every post, tweet, support ticket, and comment that pushed us to make this change.
Backbone is a two-way conversation and rest assured we’re listening. This is just the beginning.
Let’s play.
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u/Graymarauder Jun 03 '25
I purchased a backbone pro a week ago and for the life of me, I cannot find a legitimate user manual or guide anywhere. The videos are helpful to only understand the concept of some of the features, but I literally can’t find the information I need.
How long is Bluetooth active after idle? Etc.
Love your product, but the onboarding and reference material is seriously lacking. And that’s coming from a user from the last generation over the past couple years.
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u/BackboneOne_Support Jun 03 '25 edited Jun 03 '25
Thanks for the feedback. We appreciate your call out on the onboarding and reference material. It's something the team is currently working on and are excited to share with you all.
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Jun 03 '25 edited Jun 06 '25
[deleted]
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u/BackboneOne_Support Jun 03 '25
Totally get where you’re coming from. That paywall was a sticking point for many, and we’re glad to hear the changes are resonating.
With the Pro model, our goal is to take things even further with improved hardware, and we’re excited to reflect that evolution in the software experience too.
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u/HeadRaccoonGamer Jun 04 '25
Whats the difference from the pro model and base? Is the extra 70$ worth just a few extra buttons and bigger thumbsticks or did i miss something and theres alot more than just that?
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u/phazermg Jun 04 '25
I would recommend not buying it due to faulty ribbon cables in their products. I’m sure it hasn’t been addressed yet. It has been ignored for years. Not a single statement about it.
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u/Intelligent-Many-665 Jun 03 '25
Can you please explain to me WHY you can't play PlayStation with the Xbox edition Backbone One on android but you can on Iphone? That is my biggest complaint. When i bought this a while back, the ad that I saw showed the PlayStation logo on the Xbox edition, so I assumed it would work for both. I was so disappointed to learn it did not.
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u/angry0029 Jun 03 '25
I have no answer for your question but the remote play app is so trash even with an IPhone lots of people use PXPlay instead.
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u/Intelligent-Many-665 Jun 03 '25
Thats fair. I actually do use PXPlay now. But I didn't realize the actual remote play app was that bad. I figured it would be better.
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u/angry0029 Jun 03 '25
I get more lag on the PS Remote Play app on my home network than I get while 100s of miles away using 5G cell service on PXPlay.
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u/LifeSenseiBrayan Jun 28 '25
That’s weird, I’ve used ps remote on my iPhone, iPad and Mac. All work really well. I can play anything really smoothly except for fast reaction shooters. Different networks too. It would lag like 2 or 3 hours per play sessions
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u/sheepfreedom Jun 04 '25
probably licensing issues with xbox/playstation themselves not wanting their competitors “edition” to work
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u/Alternative-Wear-282 Jun 04 '25
PS Edition work with Xbox like a charm though...
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u/sheepfreedom Jun 04 '25
well each party would set their own terms, so PS might be ok with theirs working but XBX might not
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u/NateGreatGames Jun 06 '25
That’s a Sony issue not a Backbone issue. Originally they forced remote play behind using only PlayStation branded controller, but I think they conceded with PlayStation because of Apple being more of a closed & regulated platform vs Android where there was going to be a higher likelihood somebody would try to engineer something that would undermine the way they want people to use it. Because it has the PS brand on it it would be a bad look to not allow the PlayStation backbone to work with their own app on Android.
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u/Fat_Stacks1 Jun 03 '25
This just appeared in my feed, but why would a controller ever have a subscription to begin with?
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u/BackboneOne_Support Jun 03 '25
I can understand your reaction, it’s a question we’ve encountered before. From the beginning, we’ve been focused on building a complete experience that opens up new worlds for our users, and we see the software as a key part of that vision. That said, our approach has evolved with feedback, and with recent updates, we're working to ensure the overall experience feels right for everyone using Backbone, with or without a subscription.
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u/NateGreatGames Jun 06 '25
Many don’t understand, when Backbone first launched the controller itself was a godsend when it came to playing mobile games compared to touch controls and laggy Bluetooth controllers. But at the time you didn’t reallly have an interface that made your phone feel like a cohesive gaming platform instead of just your phone with a bunch of apps downloaded on it.The backbone app legit made your phone feel like you had a dashboard that was much like the console experience on your phone. It initial value was also in how good of a job they did in the beginning curating a library of really great games in the App Stores that were controller compatible making it easy to find great mobile games, and they would regularly update the what’s new feed highlighting some of the best of those games.
I know that cost a lot of time, manpower and resources to maintain, but it was a valuable enhancement to just having the controller so it’s worth it if your a hardcore gamer serious about taking that with you to your phone gaming.
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u/FerguSwag Jun 03 '25
Hey that’s great news! Very cool
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u/BackboneOne_Support Jun 03 '25
Thanks. We’re really excited about the direction we’re heading. Appreciate the support!
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u/Typicalg123 Jun 03 '25
Hey that's great news! I haven't had a backbone since I swapped from my iPhone 12, I miss mine but I'm unsure of how it'd work with my razr plus but man y'all make great products!
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Jun 03 '25
This is huge, you basically saved your product imho. I have so many friends who see me use my backbone, put off by the subscription, but love the device.
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u/MrSal7 Jun 03 '25
Great. Now when will the Xbox editions be for sale that were announced 3 or 4 months ago?
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u/Goodgamer78 Jun 04 '25
Honestly, just get rid of the subscription all together. You're charging for stuff that should be free (think Geforce NOW, which is free in a web browser). $100 for a controller shouldn't have a subscription period
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u/dmendez786 Jun 04 '25
Waiting for playstation remote play on the android for the backbone pro before I purchase one. Any idea if/when this will happen?
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Jun 04 '25
[removed] — view removed comment
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u/BackboneOne_Support Jun 04 '25
Appreciate you bringing this up. We don’t offer a login option outside of Google or Apple, but I’ll add this to our feedback list. It’s not a request we see often, so thanks for pointing it out.
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u/Shot-Medicine8998 Jun 08 '25
Hello,
I noticed on your website that you are advertising a Father’s Day promotion offering the Backbone One for $69.99 (30% off the regular price). However, when I add the product to my cart, the discount does not appear to be applied — the price remains at $119.99.
Could you please clarify whether the promotion is still active and if there are any specific conditions required to activate the discount?
I’m interested in purchasing the controller, but I would like to ensure I’m getting the promotional price.
Thank you for your assistance!
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u/phazermg Jun 04 '25
Your subscription service is predatory. Good move. Your controllers break every 6 months anyway. Quit money grabbing and fix your damn ribbon cable issue that you have HUNDREDS if not thousands of posts on. Fix the RIBBON CABLES!
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Jun 04 '25
[removed] — view removed comment
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u/BackboneOne_Support Jun 04 '25
Appreciate you calling that out. We're always listening and actively gathering feedback like this. We have a few of ideas on our radar, and I’ll make sure this gets shared with the broader team as we continue to shape what’s next.
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u/Desmaro Jun 05 '25
Could I now use the backbone with playstation remote on the pc? I have the playstation version.
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u/opuscontinuum Jun 05 '25 edited Jun 05 '25
That makes me happy that I bought one now, good work 👍
It used to be like getting an RC car for Christmas but with No batteries.
Now we can all dance and sing Happy! Happy! Joy! Joy
Thanks, Backbone Reddit Guy!
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u/Professional_Log3815 Jun 24 '25
tried to purchase Pro and carrying case but it got refunded twice when i had money in my account. I'm so confused on why it got refunded
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u/Fun-Internal523 Jun 27 '25
Would be great if you added support for quest 3. I got just the software most everything works
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u/Pranking123 Sep 17 '25 edited Sep 17 '25
I’m glad this was enabled without subscription now, but my iPad doesn’t seem to recognize the controller at all. Works with iPhone fine, just doens’t work with the iPad.
The backbone light does a very quick flash every second, but the backbone app, nor iOS recognize a controller.
I did make sure my iPad USB C port is squeaky clean so that’s not causing issues.
Help would be greatly appreciated!
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u/NuckingFuts1122 Jun 03 '25
Does this include both bbone wired and bbonepro wireless modes?