Suppose you are the owner of a Backbone One controller and are interested in picking up the iPhone 13 Pro or Pro Max. In that case, you might want to reconsider your purchase. At the moment, the higher-end iPhone 13 models do not properly fit in one of the best iOS mobile controllers, sadly.
The Backbone One is a bone-shaped mobile controller that attaches directly to your iPhone. Unlike some controllers who require a Bluetooth connection, the Backbone One connects to your phone by plugging it into the Lightning connector on the right side of the controller with a design similar to the concept of attaching Joy-Cons to your Nintendo Switch.
Having purchased the recently released iPhone 13 Pro today, I went to try and attach the phone to the Backbone and noticed the camera bump is causing the phone to be less secured when connected, as you can see in the image below. Even worse, I had to take the phone out of its case as the controller made it difficult to connect the phone to my Backbone One.
There were a few issues with the phone staying secured in my device when trying out xCloud and some other mobile games, including Call of Duty: Mobile and some games available on Apple Arcade. Yes, the phone is still connected, but the device is not secured, and there is a chance that over time the tight fit of the controller could cause some issues with the Lightning port on the iPhone 13 Pros down the road.
We reached out to Backbone, and while this can be upsetting to current Backbone One owner and iPhone 13 Pro and 13 Pro Max users who may have been interested in purchasing the controller, this may not be the only iOS accessory that causes issues.
Many third-party iOS controller accessories allow you to get more use out of your iPhone, such as the Razer Kishi for iOS, among other devices. Some companies like Otterbox, which now sells a MagSafe mobile gaming clip, circumvent this parrticular issue. Still, for now, iPhone 13 Pro's camera bump will likely be an issue that requires more research before purchasing a third-party iOS gaming accessory.
Taylor is the Associate Tech Editor at IGN. You can follow her on Twitter @TayNixster.