What you need to know
- Following the Backbone One Xbox Edition earlier this year, Backbone is bringing the Xbox Edition to its Pro controller.
- The restyled mobile gaming controller adds a translucent green Xbox color and an Xbox button.
- It includes all the upgrades of the standard Backbone Pro, like Bluetooth LE connections and Hall Effect triggers.
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Backbone makes some of our favorite Android gaming controllers, including the Backbone Pro. It's a telescopic controller that turns your phone into a gaming powerhouse and much more. Now, Backbone and Microsoft are teaming up once again, this time to release an Xbox Edition of the Backbone Pro. It's much like the Backbone One Xbox Edition released earlier this year, but with all the perks of the Pro controller.
As for looks, the Backbone Pro Xbox Edition tries to hit all the right notes for gaming nostalgia. The entire thing is translucent green and themed to match the original Halo Special Edition Xbox. It's uniquely Xbox in a way we haven't seen from the brand in recent years. By comparison, the black and white colorways of the Xbox Series X and Xbox Series S are uninspiring.
If you want to relive Xbox's golden age, you can do so with the Backbone Pro Xbox Edition. It sports full-size ALPS thumbsticks, laser-etched textured grips, and crucially, Hall Effect triggers. That's a major durability win, as it ensures the Backbone Pro will remain sharp and accurate even after years of gameplay. Beyond that, there are rear buttons and an Xbox button that jumps you into the Xbox app on Android.
The mobile game controller can do a lot more than just power your Android gameplay. It supports a feature called FlowState in the Backbone app that enables automatic device switching. A single button press can move your Backbone Pro Xbox Edition between your Android phone, PC, and TV.
Turn your Android phone into an Xbox
Xbox is more than just a console brand in 2025. Almost anything that can run Xbox Game Pass and utilize Xbox Cloud Gaming is now an Xbox, and that includes your Android phone. With the Backbone Pro Xbox Edition, your phone can look the part, too. It includes a free month of Xbox Game Pass Ultimate.
Aside from the clever color, Backbone Pro Xbox Edition has neat tech inside, like Bluetooth Low Energy support for long battery life. It can connect to devices over the hardwired USB-C port or wirelessly over Bluetooth. The former is for the lowest latency, and the latter is for the best compatibility.
Backbone Pro Xbox Edition is available now online, and it'll hit retail shelves in Best Buy stores nationwide starting Nov. 30, 2025. It costs $180, and is sold in the classic translucent green color. Those content with the basic Backbone experience can still grab the Backbone One Xbox Edition.
