Sadly, the PS5 console isn’t natively portable or we’d be using it nonstop. That doesn’t mean that you have to stop gaming when you’re not home, as there are devices that allow you to take PS5 gaming with you on the go. If you don’t want to shell out $200 for the PlayStation Portal, your smartphone is powerful enough to serve as a handheld PlayStation for Remote Play. The best way to experience this is with a Backbone controller, which turns your phone into a Switch-like handheld. And right now, you can get a free Backbone controller (valued at $100) with the purchase of a PS5 Slim.
First up, the deal here is for the new revision of the PS5, the slimmer model with a built-in disc drive. A good-looking machine with an impressive library of games, the PS5 also comes with a DualSense controller that features advanced haptic feedback technology. With last year’s stellar lineup of games and this year’s impressive selection, this is a great gaming platform to grab–plus, it doubles as a 4K Blu-ray player. While Verizon is selling this at its standard price, it is including a Backbone controller valued at $100, for free. Note that you do not need to be a Verizon cell phone or internet subscriber to take advantage of this deal.
This specific model of the Backbone is the PlayStation edition with USB-C, so it’ll work with iPhone 15 as well as Android devices
As mentioned, you can do a lot of gaming on your smartphone these days, and accessing a library of games is surprisingly easy. If you have a Netflix subscription, you already have access to excellent games like Hades, or if you’re into anime, Crunchyroll’s game library included with its premium subscription plan is also full of indie gems that’ll run just fine on even modest smartphones. You can even try a trial of Apple Arcade if you’re on an iPhone, for more even more great experiences, or Remote Play via Xbox and PlayStation’s respective programs. You can also stream select games via the cloud with an Xbox Game Pass Ultimate or PlayStation Plus Premium subscription.
A Backbone is a convenient cradle for your phone that you can easily equip. This gives you a traditional layout to use when playing games, like twin sticks for movement, the standard assortment of face buttons, and shoulder buttons. It basically turns your phone into a Nintendo Switch or a Steam Deck, and when not in use, it can quickly fold up and sit comfortably in your pocket until you’re ready to use it again. Backbone even has its own handy app for iOS and Android that gives you a console-like user interface.
Alternatively, Walmart is selling the Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 PS5 bundle for $450, which is an awesome deal. You’ll save $50 on a PS5 console and you’ll get a download code for Marvel’s Spider-Man 2, one of 2023’s best games. You’re saving $120 overall versus buying the console and game separately. You can use that savings to make your own bundle by grabbing the Backbone separately for $100 at Amazon.
