Mobile controller company Backbone has announced the Backbone Pro, a new controller whose stated aim is to let you play on "any screen with a single device".
The controller, which is out now via Backbone's website, is designed for a world in which "more people are playing across platforms than ever before", the company says. It's got two principal modes: Handheld and Wireless.
In Handheld mode, you'll connect the controller to a mobile device via USB-C for "zero latency and no need to charge", while in Wireless mode, the Backbone Pro will connect via Bluetooth. It'll work with devices like phones, tablets, laptops and PCs (with Bluetooth functionality), and VR headsets, as well as smart TVs.
Not only that, but the controller will come complete with an app that lets you change remembered devices with a single tap, allowing you to switch seamlessly between gaming platforms.
Backbone says it had to "rethink everything" to make the Pro work, "from industrial design to firmware". The company goes on to say that the controller constitutes "one of the most comfortable handheld gaming products ever built".
According to Backbone, the Pro will feature full-size console-style joysticks, and you can remap every single button on the controller, including its back paddles. You can also create specific game profiles and switch between them within the Backbone app.
Rather uniquely, the Backbone Pro also comes with its own "built-in emulator" that will feature a "rotating library of free games" if you sign up to the Backbone Plus subscription service. Backbone doesn't reveal what those games are, though.
Of course, since there's a USB-C port on the Backbone Pro, you can also hook it up to your PC for some good old-fashioned wired gaming. Naturally, though, the controller won't work as an Xbox or PlayStation peripheral, nor can you hook it up to your Switch or Switch 2.
The Backbone Pro is available right now via Backbone's website.
