Sales events like Prime Day can be a perfect time to grab a new gaming accessory or two. A lot of the time, it's smaller items that see the biggest discounts in sales like this. For example, have you always wanted to take your games on the go when you commute or travel, but never been able to afford one of the best mobile controllers? An early Prime Day deal may be able to help you out.
The Scuf Nomad is one of the best alternatives to the Backbone One on the shelves. If you have an iPhone, this is a Bluetooth mini-controller that will cradle your handset and give you increased functionality. It launched at the same price as the Backbone One, at $99.99, but it's just dropped back down to its lowest-ever price of $49.99 at Amazon.
In my opinion, there are a lot of things that separate the Scuf Nomad from the Backbone One in terms of quality. While the Backbone is a great basic controller, and it arguably started a wave of on-the-go gamepad solutions, rivals like the Nomad have cracked the formula. You'll see from the image below that the folks at Scuf gave their mobile controller more rounded grips, which make it a lot more comfortable to hold. They also gave it back buttons, which arguably makes this a competitor to the much more expensive Backbone Pro (which costs $169).
The thumbsticks on the Scuf Nomad are also drift-resistant thanks to their use of Hall Effect modules, which will greatly help with its longevity. You also won't have as many risks of damaging the USB-C port on your phone as you might with the Backbone, since the Nomad connects wirelessly.
So what's the catch, other than the Nomad not working with Android devices? Well, I'd argue the one potential issue you could have with this controller is its very loose thumbsticks. This may come down to personal preference, however. My good friend Fraser Porter, who reviewed this controller for us, actually preferred having looser thumbstick tension on a mobile pad, but if you're used to playing with tighter thumbsticks at home, it might have impacts on your aim in FPS games.
It's usually at this point that I'd issue the other caveat that my favorite mobile controller, the GameSir G8 Galileo, is around the same price. Surprisingly, I'm not seeing an offer on it right now, which is weird since it's always quick to the discount aisle in sales like this. Either way, that means that the Nomad is the mobile controller to beat as we head into Prime Day. If you're in the UK, the Nomad is even more affordable at the moment, with a massive reduction down to £34.99.
- View all mobile controllers at Amazon
- GameSir G8 Galileo: $79.99 at Amazon
- Asus ROG Tessen: $96 at Amazon
Scuf also makes some of the best PC controllers, the best Xbox Series X controllers, and one of the best PS5 controllers.
