iPhone Gaming Control Pads in the Works
posted August 25th, 2008 2:23 PM EDT by arn in AccessoriesThe developers at iControlPad have posted some updates to their site since we originally wrote about them back in May.
For those who don’t remember, iControlPad is hoping to deliver an under $30 gaming control pad for the iPhone and iPod Touch. The latest prototype casing is shown here:
They say the color and texture will be glossy and smooth in the final production model.
iControlPad, however, may not be the only product in the works. I’ve also anonymously received an image of what appears to be another gaming pad design that is reportedly scheduled for testing in October. No other details were provided about who might be producing the device, but the image is published here for interest:
In either case, developers will have to specifically support these gaming pads in their apps to make use of these upcoming accessories.
Update: Additional photos and notes about the iControl Pad from Gizmodo:
August 25th, 2008 at 3:12 pm
I would just die if someone made a Portable version of WarHawk, but it is Sony’s but if someone did a clone that would be awesome.
August 25th, 2008 at 3:21 pm
Is this iControl sanctioned by Apple? Doesn’t Apple charge a licenses fee for a devices that plug into the dock?
August 25th, 2008 at 3:28 pm
@bud yes, making an iPhone/iPod dock product requires licensing fees to Apple. Not sure the steps iControlPad has gotten to. I don’t see why Apple would object to it, though, as long as it’s paying the licesensing fees
arn
August 25th, 2008 at 3:28 pm
@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…)
August 25th, 2008 at 3:36 pm
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.
Anyway even if its0 licensed a day i dont think there is a market for this kind of product. Of course im maybe totally wrong.
August 25th, 2008 at 4:04 pm
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.
August 25th, 2008 at 4:05 pm
I love Warhawk…. but to be actually ON TOPIC this looks pretty cool. I can’t wait to see a final prototype.
August 25th, 2008 at 4:07 pm
That drawing reminds me of my Tapwave Zodiac Palm OS PDA from years back.
August 25th, 2008 at 4:28 pm
That looks like the Game Gear from Sega. Only if there were Sega Game Gear games to be played on the iPhone.
August 25th, 2008 at 4:34 pm
@ Q
It’s a rapid-prototyped …. prototype run off of a 3d printer, hence the fuzzy edges and odd texturing.
August 25th, 2008 at 4:49 pm
Ok i wouldn’t offense anyone, in fact im more against the concept than the design. BTW i have to respect their work and wish the best luck for this project, even if im TOTALLY out.
August 25th, 2008 at 5:03 pm
Better image:
http://www.icontrolpad.com/pad1.png
August 25th, 2008 at 5:09 pm
I imagined something just like this back when I saw the iphone’s large screen for the first time.
all i can say is, i hope they don’t patent this design because i’d really like to see more than one company have a crack at it to better the odds of having one halfway decent. that said, for $30 and games to support it (i’m thinking games like monkey ball that can compete with what’s offered for DS and PSP) and I’d buy something like this in a heartbeat.
on a final thought- i could have sworn the dock connection was off-limits to 3rd party native apps developers, no?
August 25th, 2008 at 5:21 pm
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.
August 25th, 2008 at 5:47 pm
Should include a battery in the back. Gamers who play a lot are going to need it anyway. I know the price would go up but as someone who might buy a spare battery pack for emergencies, I would definitely buy a control pad/extra battery. Just a thought.
August 25th, 2008 at 6:30 pm
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!!
August 25th, 2008 at 6:38 pm
Agreed about the battery pack; this thing needs one badly, or at least a premium version with extra battery pack included…
August 25th, 2008 at 6:51 pm
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.
August 25th, 2008 at 6:53 pm
If this does ship, and there’s a plug-in for it so games support it and it has a battery on the back and it’s not laughably overpriced I’m donating my PSP to some needy kid.
August 26th, 2008 at 2:49 am
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…
August 26th, 2008 at 7:28 pm
Hmmm why not just make a keyboard dock while they are at it. This would make texting and writing emails so much easier.
August 26th, 2008 at 8:01 pm
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
August 26th, 2008 at 9:47 pm
If this came out, I’d buy it in a heartbeat. Already advertising to my friends. Make it !!
August 26th, 2008 at 11:10 pm
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
August 27th, 2008 at 12:51 am
Wow! With one of those and a few decent games my iphone is going to kick some ass!
If it comes working with an emulator and games in the app store you will see that many will buy, and if not, but works with the jailbroken emulators, many will jailbreak to get some action
August 27th, 2008 at 5:44 am
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
August 27th, 2008 at 9:04 am
There are bunch of problems with this idea: Few people will buy it and therefore nothing of consequence will support it. It makes the iPhone a lot less portable, and that makes it less appealing as a portable gaming platform, and probably will mean that even those who buy it won’t use it (for long). When the next iPhone is made, it won’t fit in it (most likely). It’s just the wrong direction to go in the first place - if you want this type of gaming, there are already, no less bulky, portable systems that do this and more. iPhone game developers are better off creating new types of games that take advantage of what is built into the iPhone.
August 27th, 2008 at 10:56 am
from someone who cant stand the accelerometer controls (its almost useless on a commuter train) I applaud this and look forward to its release.
August 27th, 2008 at 4:23 pm
It should have been like this from the begginning
August 27th, 2008 at 6:24 pm
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.
August 27th, 2008 at 8:45 pm
While I think this would be pretty cool (I’d buy it), I hope we don’t see an abundance of iPhone crap addons like what has happened with the Wiimote.
August 28th, 2008 at 8:20 am
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.
August 29th, 2008 at 5:17 am
The developers of this have already been in contact with some of the third party developers out there, most notibably Zodttd who has been released several top notch emulators (GBA emulator, NES emulator ect) on the iPhone already which you can get if you jailbreak the phone.
Also Zodttd has released Quake for the iPhone which will support this and although its playable with the touchscreen, harwardware buttons would be a massive plus! Weve also requested on his forum that tilting the iPhone is used for strafing (essential in Quake
) so hopefully that will be in the next version that is released
Basically I think this will be mostly supported by the 3rd party jailbreaking community but I think itll be a big hit in that group, im def getting one!
August 29th, 2008 at 5:18 am
Direct link
http://www.icontrolpad.com/
September 3rd, 2008 at 10:34 am
Ok, now we are waiting for Mario ;-P.