The ultimate retro flex for your phone: Backbone unveils blind-box 25th Anniversary Xbox controllers

TL;DR: Backbone is celebrating Xbox's 25th anniversary with a limited-edition Backbone Pro controller, available in three heritage-inspired colorways — crystal clear, iconic blue, and bold orange — sold as a blind box, so buyers won't know which color they're getting until they open it.

It ships Oct.

20 for $159.99 and is available for preorder through Backbone and Best Buy .

Opens in a new window Credit: Backbone Backbone Pro Xbox 25th Anniversary Edition $159.99 at Backbone Pre-order Here Backbone's marking Xbox's 25th birthday with a controller that comes down to pure luck — you won't know which color you're getting until you open the box.

The Backbone Pro Xbox 25th Anniversary Edition is a limited-run mobile controller built around Xbox's design history.

The anniversary edition comes in three heritage-inspired colorways: crystal clear, iconic blue, and bold orange, each referencing the early era of Xbox hardware, back when consoles and controllers felt like things worth collecting and showing off.

You can't choose your colorway in advance, and it's only available while supplies last.

Credit: Backbone The controller's built to work well beyond your console.

It supports Xbox Cloud Gaming, so you can stream games from anywhere, and it comes with one free month of Xbox Game Pass Ultimate for eligible new subscribers, unlocking access to hundreds of titles right out of the box.

If you'd rather stick to your existing console library, Xbox Remote Play lets you stream your own games directly from your Xbox instead.

Either way, you're set up to play games like Halo Infinite , Forza Horizon 6 , and Minecraft from day one.

Underneath the nostalgic packaging, this is still a Backbone Pro controller, so you're getting the same premium build the line's known for.

That includes full-size ALPS joysticks, re-mappable rear buttons, and laser-etched grips built for comfort and precision.

You can connect via USB-C for low-latency, wired play, or go wireless over Bluetooth to use it with tablets , laptops , VR headsets, or smart TV s, with up to 40 hours of battery life on a charge.