Backbone’s versatile pro controller is nearly matching its best price to date
Mobile gaming has come a long way over the course of the last decade or so, but we all know that smartphones simply can’t match the visceral, tactile feel you get while playing with a dedicated controller. Luckily, Backbone makes some excellent mobile options — including last year’s Backbone Pro, which is on sale at Amazon, Best Buy, and Target right now for $139.99 ($30 off), its second-best price to date. Backbone Pro mobile controller The Backbone Pro is an excellent mobile controller that retains the same overall design and feel as the company’s cheaper model, only with some comfort-boosting improvements. It features a built-in battery and Bluetooth support, so you can use it for gaming on the TV, computer, VR headset, or handheld PC. Where to Buy: $169.99 $139.99 at Amazon $169.99 $139.99 at Best Buy $169.99 $139.99 at Target In many ways, Backbone’s latest mobile controller is merely an updated take on what came before....
Mobile gaming has come a long way over the course of the last decade or so, but we all know that smartphones simply can’t match the visceral, tactile feel you get while playing with a dedicated controller. Luckily, Backbone makes some excellent mobile options — including last year’s Backbone Pro, which is on sale at Amazon, Best Buy, and Target right now for $139.99 ($30 off), its second-best price to date.
Backbone Pro mobile controller
The Backbone Pro is an excellent mobile controller that retains the same overall design and feel as the company’s cheaper model, only with some comfort-boosting improvements. It features a built-in battery and Bluetooth support, so you can use it for gaming on the TV, computer, VR headset, or handheld PC.
Where to Buy:
$169.99 $139.99 at Amazon
$169.99 $139.99 at Best Buy
$169.99 $139.99 at Target
In many ways, Backbone’s latest mobile controller is merely an updated take on what came before. The handheld device consists of two oblong halves with an extendable strip of plastic in the middle, allowing you to use it with Android devices and iPhone 15, 16, and 17 series phones. It plugs into your phone’s USB-C port and, once connected, you can game with two full-sized ALPs thumbsticks, a responsive D-pad, and A, B, X, and Y b***ons. It also features two programmable back b***ons, a 3.5mm headphone jack, better ergonomics than your phone, and averages up to 40 hours of battery life on a single charge.The hardware is only part of the equation, though. Backbone’s intent with the Pro is for it to function as a more universal gamepad, and as such, the company’s software pulls together games from Apple Arcade, Netflix, Google Play, and other services into a singular app, allowing you to discover and launch games with little fuss. What’s more, you can use it to stream Xbox or PlayStation games — either from your console or the cloud —and connect it to a wealth of other devices via Bluetooth, including your PC, Steam Deck, and Apple devices like the iPad and Mac. Sure, the beefy controller looks a little awkward when you’re using it without a phone, but it’s a small price to pay for its added versatility.
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Nothing’s latest CMF smartwatch, the CMF Watch 3 Pro, is still available from Amazon and Nothing in a multitude of colors for $79 ($20 off), which is about $5 shy of its best price to date. It’s pretty slick-looking for a budget watch, with a 1.43-inch OLED display, 131 sports modes, dual-band GPS, and a four-channel heart rate sensor. It also delivers up to 13 days of battery life under normal use and supports all your typical app integrations (Strava, Apple Health, etc.), though the lack of customizable bezels — a hallmark of the Watch Pro 2 — certainly does sting a bit.
If you missed your chance to play Hogwarts Legacy upon its debut in 2023, Amazon and Walmart are both offering the Nintendo Switch 2 version for $29.99 ($20 off), an all-time low. The Switch 2 version is a substantially better port than the original in terms of performance, and while I found the open-world RPG to be a little generic / dated at times, diehard Harry Potter fans will surely appreciate the ability to roam around Hogwarts, Hogsmeade, and all the fan-favorite locales from the landmark book series.
Govee’s quirky Outdoor Garden Lights are currently on sale at Amazon and Govee’s online storefront for $99.99 ($70 off), matching the all-time low we last saw during Christmas. The stemmed, color-changing smart lights support 64 preset RGBIC scenes and carry a robust IP66 rating, meaning you shouldn’t have to worry about using them outside year-round. Plus, they support the newer Matter standard, allowing you to control them with smart home platforms like Amazon Alexa and Google Home.
3 things Obsidian can do that no other productivity tool can
I have tried enough productivity apps to know how quickly their differences disappear. One may offer better databases, another may have prettier dashboards, but most of them eventually force me into a specific way of organizing my work.
I have tried enough productivity apps to know how quickly their differences disappear. One may offer better databases, another may have prettier dashboards, but most of them eventually force me into a specific way of organizing my work.
Sophia Wilson Atlanta
Published by: aplhsindia.in
Most people waste their GPU’s potential, but I found a way to use every spare cycle
If you want to get the most value from your graphics card, you might use it for various productivity tasks when not gaming. That's one way to get more out of your flagship GPU if you're lucky enough to have one, but midrange GPUs are just as capable when you...
If you want to get the most value from your graphics card, you might use it for various productivity tasks when not gaming. That's one way to get more out of your flagship GPU if you're lucky enough to have one, but midrange GPUs are just as capable when you don't need lots of VRAM. But all of those require you to be actively using your PC.
Olivia Miller Seattle
Published by: aplhsindia.in
This gorgeous KDE icon pack gives your desktop a chalk-like look
One of the biggest things I love about Linux is that it's very customizable. There's no need to install third-party apps and use workarounds to get the look and feel you want; most of the time, the OS itself comes with all the support you'd need to do what you...
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Sophia Wilson Atlanta
Published by: aplhsindia.in
Virtual machines are the easiest way to try Linux without causing unnecessary headaches
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Rozaliya Vahnyanin Ukraine
Published by: aplhsindia.in
This joke game that costs $200 earned the developer $1.3 million on Steam, then the refunds came in
How much would you pay for a joke Steam game? One developer released a title hoping that people would drop $200 on it. As it turns out, people did come out in droves to give the game a try, racking up $1.3 million in game revenue. Unfortunately for them, they...
How much would you pay for a joke Steam game? One developer released a title hoping that people would drop $200 on it. As it turns out, people did come out in droves to give the game a try, racking up $1.3 million in game revenue. Unfortunately for them, they never got to see that money as owners refunded the game and left the dev with a fraction of what was paid.
Daniel Martinez Dallas
Published by: aplhsindia.in
Ted Lasso returns at an important time for Apple TV
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2026 is shaping up to be an excellent year for Apple TV. Apple's streaming service has built out an impressive slate that spans returning favorites like Silo and Sugar to all-new hits including OnlyFans-inspired dramedies, terrifying comedies, and paranoid tech thrillers. But the most important release might be a feel-good sports sitcom. After what seemed like a definitive finale, Ted Lasso is back with a fourth season that doubles as a soft reboot for the show, mixing up familiar characters with a substantially new cast. And as Apple TV continues its push for a bigger piece of the streaming market, the return of its most culturally impactfu …Read the full story at The Verge.
Daniel Martinez Dallas
Published by: aplhsindia.in
Disney gives TikTok creators official access to Marvel, Star Wars, and Pixar characters
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John Doe New York
Published by: aplhsindia.in
Google a**istant will disappear from your phone next month
Farewell, Google Assistant art, we hardly knew ye. | Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge Google Assistant's days have been numbered ever since Gemini arrived on the scene, and its time is now up. Google has announced that it will be removing access to Assistant on Android phones and...
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William Garcia Boston
Published by: aplhsindia.in
Trump’s AI testing plan is limited and vague
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Sophia Wilson Atlanta
Published by: aplhsindia.in
Someone turned their ESP32 into a touch-activated polyphonic synthesizer
We don't often see people creating instruments with their ESP32s, but they are out there. Such is the case with this polyphonic synthesizer, which uses copper strips to register your touch and plays musical notes in response. And while the creator hasn't made the code public just yet, they are...
We don't often see people creating instruments with their ESP32s, but they are out there. Such is the case with this polyphonic synthesizer, which uses copper strips to register your touch and plays musical notes in response. And while the creator hasn't made the code public just yet, they are looking for people to register their interest.
Tassilo Weigert Germany
Published by: aplhsindia.in
I replaced Samsung’s default apps one by one, and only these were worth keeping
Whenever I've switched to a Samsung phone in the past, I never gave its preinstalled apps much of a chance. I'd spend the first few minutes replacing them with Google's alternatives because I was already familiar with them, especially since I use many of them on my PC and iPhone....
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Jane Smith Los Angeles
Published by: aplhsindia.in
SpaceX is coming for T-Mobile, AT&T and Verizon
SpaceX is preparing to build a terrestrial mobile network to "acquire quite a few" of the customers now subscribed to T-Mobile, AT&T, and Verizon. The message to compete head-to-head with the US carriers was delivered by SpaceX president Gwynne Shotwell and CEO Elon Musk during the Q&A section of the...
SpaceX is preparing to build a terrestrial mobile network to "acquire quite a few" of the customers now subscribed to T-Mobile, AT&T, and Verizon. The message to compete head-to-head with the US carriers was delivered by SpaceX president Gwynne Shotwell and CEO Elon Musk during the Q&A section of the company's first earnings call."The spectrum that we purchased from EchoStar does have terrestrial components, so we definitely intend to build out the terrestrial component," said Shotwell. "You will have not only the capacity from the satellites themselves, but you will have a buildout of the terrestrial, basically the hardware and systems ne …Read the full story at The Verge.
