Is this iControl sanctioned by Apple? Doesn't Apple charge a licenses fee for a devices that plug into the dock?

@WillGonz: I was just talking to Arn about Warhawk. It's my favorite PS3 title. But no, it won't ever come to the iPhone. (And lots coming for it this week on the PS3...)

The game shown is a first-person shooter, the LAST kind of game I'd ever want to play with a joystick, much less a D-pad. But a thumb on the screen for aiming, trackpad-style, with the D-pad for strafing, could be great.

That drawing reminds me of my Tapwave Zodiac Palm OS PDA from years back.

@ Q
It's a rapid-prototyped .... prototype run off of a 3d printer, hence the fuzzy edges and odd texturing.

Better image:

http://www.icontrolpad.com/pad1.png

Honestly, I'm not really into this idea. Any game that supports it is also going to have to support play without it, and the percentage of people who buy this will probably be pretty low.

Also, the select and start buttons are switched. Just ask Nintendo. ;o)

I don't want to naysay too much, however. For those that go for it, it will make an interesting competitor to the PSP... of course I find the iPod Touch to be an interesting competitor as it is.

i had love such a device to play all the emulators going around, i really hope it functions just as good as the idea. punch out... donkey kong.... ect ect can wait!!

I'll give 'em credit for trying, but it's a chicken and egg device. It'd be bad business for developers to make a game for a device that only a microscopic fraction of the user base owns. And every time Apple changes the design, they likely break compatibility. As an alternative extra control scheme, maybe, but if the API isn't perfectly forward compatible, the first iPhone/iPod revision that doesn't support it properly breaks all the games. It's risky for everyone.

You can't access this hardware from AppStore games, which makes the device a little bit too niche to have any chance of being successful...

um...this is ridiculous - isn't the whole reason everyone's all gaga about the iphone the fact that it DOESn't have manual buttons / controls? so what do they do but add buttons and controls to it.

hmm...lets see - how about BUYING A NINTENDO DS - does everything that this does and for alot cheaper - and hey it actually has games that are fun?

or if you're really hard up, buy a fuckin psp already.

hilarious - this will get huge attention just because it has to do with the iphone, even though it has no hope of actually being released in any serious fashion.

teh fail

That second one isn't a mockup but a copy of an allready existing handheld's design. http://www.zodiacresource.com/Tapwave2.0/About.php

Great job! - I have done one similar concept (just a computer generated image & video) for adding keyboard to iPhone. Someone in my comments also requested me to do drawing for game controllers. I will forward your link to him.

post: http://tinyurl.com/6he57y YouTube Video: http://tinyurl.com/6embpx

from someone who cant stand the accelerometer controls (its almost useless on a commuter train) I applaud this and look forward to its release.

Quote: OMG its so ugly, i dont know about you guys but i hope that things like that wont ever be licensed by apple. I prefer thousand times the challenge of new kind of gameplay.
-Q

I don't. I was disappointed in the lack of buttons.
And I'm the target audience.
The iPhone has the potential to be a direct competitor with the DS and PSP and threw it out of the window!

Put two and two together.

Quote: It should have been like this from the begginning
-Bored Quiz

Amen, brother.

If the maker of this produces some type of easy SDK where developers of games and other apps can just map their controls into the buttons I think many developers would jump on this. I'm sure for them if they have little work to do to implement this and it gets them a handful more customers I would think they would be gung-ho about it.

Direct link
http://www.icontrolpad.com/

yesssssssssss! but wow this thing is ugly id only play with this thing @home
we need a control some games u just need them case in point RAYMAN

They need 2 joysticks for first person gameplay. For call of duty zombies and modern combat 2

I Jerome Taylor was trying to purchase one of your  products which is the IcontrolPad it seems like its one of the products that I need to operate my IPhone 4, because I need some  assistance  to purchase it so I can access some reliable controls to the games.I need the address, so that I can send the money so that I can make my purchase.