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‘Accessories’ Category Articles

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Belkin Says No JoyPod in the Works

Tuesday, September 2nd, 2008

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.

Posted in Accessories | 16 Comments »

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Belkin JoyPod iPhone Gaming Controller with App Store Support? [Updated: No]

Saturday, August 30th, 2008

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:

  • 8 buttons total (6 on the front)
  • Audio output
  • Dock connector for power and syncing

    • 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.

    Posted in Accessories, Rumors | 128 Comments »

    iPhone Gaming Control Pads in the Works

    Monday, August 25th, 2008

    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:

  • Male connection and Female plug though connection
  • Digital directional pad, 4 Face buttons, 2 shoulder buttons and start and select buttons.
  • Access to all iPhone ports, buttons and the camera while in the iControlPad.
  • Full year guarantee

    • Posted in Accessories | 102 Comments »

    Super Nintendo Gamepad Connected to iPhone

    Wednesday, June 11th, 2008

    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.

    Posted in Accessories, News, Platform | No Comments »

    iControlPad Rendering and Q&A

    Friday, June 6th, 2008

    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.

    Posted in Accessories, News | 20 Comments »

    iControlpad Demonstration Video

    Sunday, June 1st, 2008

    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.

    Posted in Accessories, News | 5 Comments »

    iControlpad Gaming Accessory for iPhone and iPod Touch

    Friday, May 23rd, 2008

    iControlPad is working on a hardware accessory that that will give the iPhone and iPod Touch PSP-style buttons for playing games.

    Realise the full potential of the iPhone by adding real controls. Your iPhone just slides in and locks in to place via the serial port, there are no modifications needed and you can remove it at any time.

    The developers claim that full source code and SDK support will be coming, and is "already supported by some of the biggest iPhone devs". A small photo of an early prototype is shown:


    Pricing and availability have not yet been announced. They appear to still be in the prototyping stage and plan on including "Start" and "Select" buttons in the final release.

    [via Engadget]

    Posted in Accessories, News | 17 Comments »

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