I do love me some Xbox Cloud Gaming. I love it even more when the controllers are cheaper than usual.
It's here. Black Friday. Hooray. For those coming off a delicious Thanksgiving meal, what better way to recover than to indulge in some Thanksgiving deals? That rhymes, too.
There are cheaper controllers out there, but they tend to have glaring ergonomic issues I've found in the past. The Backbone One is the most "affordable" "actually good" cloud gaming controller I've used, large enough to not hurt adult hands over decent sessions while also not breaking the bank. The Razer Kishi Ultra is also extremely good, especially at its large price cut. Finally, there's the Backbone Ultra, which is very pricy, but also packs a large amount of tech, including Bluetooth versatility.
It's far, far better than touch controls
Why would you want a controller like this? Well, Xbox Cloud Gaming does have a variety of games that are decent with touch controls, like Vampire Survivors and Brotato, but the vast majority of games demand a controller present.
Devices like the Backbone and Razer Kishi Ultra connect seamlessly to practically any modern USB-C capable smartphone. They come with inserts to fit different sizes and have a telescopic clamp to hold the phone in place while playing. Both the Backbone and Razer Kishi have proprietary software to aid with configuration and quick access to a variety of services.
It's great for Xbox Cloud Gaming, Xbox Remote Play, NVIDIA GeForce Now, or Steam Link remote play too, and it's far cheaper to use your existing phones and tablets over buying a full handheld like the Xbox Ally or Steam Deck.
All three products will serve you well. I have personally tested all of them, and it's tough to say which is ultimately "best." I think it's hard to deny the versatility of the Backbone Pro, which also sports Bluetooth, but the use case there is potentially pretty niche if you're buying specifically for phones. Either the Backbone One or the Razer Kishi Ultra will serve you well.
I think I prefer the Razer Kishi Ultra ever-so-slightly because it's the one that feels "the most" like an Xbox controller. But it's so tight that I think it really does boil down to whichever one you think looks better. They're both great, and both cost the same with this Black Friday deal.
Enjoy our content? Make sure to set Windows Central as a preferred source in Google Search, and find out why you should so that you can stay up-to-date on the latest news, reviews, features, and more.
More Black Friday 2025 — Quick links
- All our TOP recommended Black Friday deals: Just the best
- Mini PC deals: up to 47% off tiny PCs
- GPU deals: early price drops on NVIDIA RTX before they go up
- Microsoft Surface deals: save up to $500 on premium PCs
- Xbox accessories: best deals on gadgets for your Xbox Series X|S and PC
- Gaming laptop deals: the best laptops for the best price
- Xbox controllers: our top picks for best controller deals
- ANC headphones: great Black Friday deals on the best ANC headphones
Even more Black Friday deals: - Dell deals: 13 deals from Dell.com that you shouldn't miss
- Best Buy: 34 hottest discounts on laptops, monitors, gaming, and more
- Walmart: 7 top laptop deals you shouldn't miss
- Samsung monitors: the best Samsung display deals we've found
- Retro gaming: handhelds, arcade machines, old school consoles, and more
- Gamer merch: Blizzard’s Warcraft, Overwatch, and Diablo IV collectibles
- Game keys: 10 PC game codes are even cheaper at Loaded (formerly CDKeys)
- Accessories: Even more PC accessories starting at $17
Follow Windows Central on Google News to keep our latest news, insights, and features at the top of your feeds!
You must confirm your public display name before commenting
Please logout and then login again, you will then be prompted to enter your display name.
