Australian company 22Moo announced today the development of "the world's first" iPhone OS 3.0 compatible game controller which will feature an 8-way D-pad with 6 buttons, incorporate a 2000mAh battery and support both Bluetooth and 30-pin dock connector connectivity. Specs include:

• Dual connectivity – Connect with Bluetooth wirelessly OR use the 30-pin dock connector cable
• 2000mAh Lithium-ion Battery for additional power for your iPod touch / iPhone*
• LED showing charging state and capacity
• 8-way D-Pad with 6 buttons
• Bluetooth button for pairing and status
• Built-in speakers, mic and 3.5 audio headphone jack
• "Made for iPod" and "Works for iPhone" certification**

A price has not yet been set and is expected to be released in mid September 2009.

Given no actual product shot has been shown, it seems the device is still in pretty early development. They are even soliciting customer suggestions for pricing and interested developers are asked to sign up for future information about the GameBone Pro SDK. We're not holding our breath for this one, but it is the first of what we expect to be a number of other game accessory announcements.

After Apple's announcement of the iPhone 3.0 firmware, we've been looking forward to the possibility of iPhone and iPod Touch gaming accessories. These could come in the form of virtual control pads (such as iControlPad), steering wheels and more.

While we're not convinced these accessories would ever achieve more than a niche marketshare amongst iPhone gamers, the possibilities are intriguing. Apple's iPod Touch page is now listing "fun new game accessories" as one of the features of 3.0. These accessories will connect either through Bluetooth or the 30-pin connector.

Obviously, Apple is working on these accessories with 3rd party manufacturers, so we expect to hear about them soon.

Earlier in the week we pointed readers to Marware's upcoming Game Grip accessory for the iPhone and iPod touch, a silicone hand grip arrangement designed to enhance the gameplay experience of accelerometer-based game. It's a great idea, but at $50 (which does not include the optional battery pack) it feels a bit on the expensive side.

Flickr user ronnsprocket apparently shared the sentiment and took matters into his own hands.  A cardboard box, an X-Acto knife, a few dabs of glue and a little geekish ingenuity was all it took to create a free, functional equivalent–if somewhat ergonomically lacking as compared to Marware's offering.  But hey, it's free!

We have contacted the engineer behind this project and will let readers know if his cutting templates become available online.

[ via Likecool ]

Marware is offering a gaming accessory called the Game Grip for the iPhone and iPod Touch aimed at accelerometer based games. The silicone sleeves provides hand grips on either side of the iPhone.

• Unique cord management system provides the ultimate versatility
• Can be used with headphones/ear buds
• Can be charged while playing
• Silicone sleeves can be used as stand alone protection when not gaming
• Provides convenient, radically comfortable access to full face of touch or iPhone
• Enjoy hours of extreme game play

It also supports an optional, removable battery pack solution from Marware to provide you with extra power while gaming. The Game Grip is priced at $49.99 and is available for pre-order.

[ via iPhoneAtlas ]

Well, it seems the App Store gaming accessory from Belkin was too good to be true.

Belkin has contacted us and confirmed that there is no 'JoyPod' accessory in the works and that it is "simply a false rumor". "We have no plans to release such a product," wrote Melody Chalaban, Belkin's Public Relations Manager, in an email.

Apologies to Belkin for the misinformation. It seems the iControlPad remains our best bet for a 3rd party gaming accessory for the iPhone. Without Apple's involvement, however, it is unlikely we'll see App Store support.

Last week we published an article about upcoming iPhone gaming controllers. Specifically, we recapped the iControlPad project, but also published a diagram (see right) of what appeared to be another gaming controller for the iPhone that was in development.

The original image had been submitted anonymously and simply claimed that testing would begin in October. Some commenters from the original discussion were concerned that these controller pads would be relegated to jailbroken iPhones only due to lack of official SDK support.

A new image that we've received, however, suggests that this upcoming iPhone controller is actually from major accessory manufacturer Belkin and does indeed have official App Store support:

The ad copy promotes using the Joypod to squeeze the most out of your iPhone or iPod Touch to play App Store games in the easiest way. Other features listed include:

If all true, then Belkin's involvement certainly suggests that Apple will be building support into the official SDK to allow App Store games to take full advantage of these controllers.

Update: Belkin denies the rumor.

The 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:

The iControlPad developers posted a video of an early hack connecting the original SNES gamepad to control an emulated SNES game on the iPhone.

The hack was the basis for early testing for them to developer their future gaming accessory for the iPhone. The video also nicely demonstrates the SNES4iPhone emulator available to Jailbroken iPhones.

iControlPad updated their site with renderings of the planned iControlPad as well as answers to some frequent questions. iControlPad is a hardware accessory that will give the iPhone and iPod Touch PSP-style buttons for playing games.

The developers report that the iControlPad will be priced at (probably) under $30 and be shipping in July. They plan on supporting the iPhone and iPod Touch. At present, the iControlPad requires a jailbroken iPhone.

We recently brought you news of the iControlpad, a Sony PSP-style control pad for the iPhone and iPod touch.  The folks behind the iControlpad recently posted a technology demonstration video to their website.

The video shows the raw input coming from the control pad, but no actual gameplay. It seems a simple matter for iPhone developers to support this great gaming accessory.  We're hoping the iControlpad makes a strong, early impact such that it will be a standard control option for all forthcoming iPhone games.  The more control options, the better, after all.