PosiMotion is responsible for quite a few games and apps on the App Store as well as gizmos like the G-Fi VS. Recently they’ve entered the iPhone and iPod touch accessory market with the PosiMotion Helix Gaming Grip, a grippy molded piece of plastic that you can snap your device in to in order to quite literally get a better grip on it.
Shaped a little bit like a Batarang, the Helix is cleverly designed to allow you to snap your device in to place in both a horizontal and vertical orientation. If you own an iPod touch, there is a secondary plastic piece you need to use in order to make it fit, and using this adapter didn’t have any effect on the feel of the Helix. There are slots on both sides of it to route wires through, as well as a hole for the iPhone camera.
Much like the accessories you can snap your Wii controller in to while playing Mario Kart, having a grip on your iPhone that vaguely resembles a steering wheel doesn’t add much immersion despite the “the authentic feel of being behind the wheel" that PosiMotion claims using the Helix evokes. So while playing Real Racing when using the Helix didn’t exactly open my eyes to a whole new gameplay experience, the Helix definitely does excel in providing a comfortable grip for serious iPhone gaming sessions.
Now that there are games like Chaos Rings, and other extremely in-depth iPhone games that you can spend entire days playing, it seems that all too often I’m curled up on my couch with the end of the iPhone sync cable jamming in to the palm of one hand with the headphone cable rammed between two fingers of the other for hours. For me, the main advantage of the Helix was the onboard cable management that makes playing iPhone games for extended periods of time substantially more comfortable. Also, having something more to grab on to other than a thin iPhone (or even thinner iPod touch) really seems to put an end to the hand strain that anyone with large hands undoubtedly has experienced while clutching their device for hours.
Strangely enough, while the cable management is my favorite feature of the device, not much thought seemed to go in to making sure there are enough room to actually route the cables. When you’ve got a sync cable and/or headphone cable plugged in, both wires are subjected to severe bends and while I have more iPhone headphones and sync cables than I can shake a stick at, seeing the near 90 degree bend the Helix puts in your headphone cables would definitely make me nervous if they were my only pair.
It’s hard to say how much need there is for a Helix Gaming Grip. What has always made the iPhone so awesome to me is that it is always with me and I don’t need anything else to play everything on the App Store short of my iPhone and maybe its charger. The only situations where I’d throw the Helix in to my bag short of long flights or long car rides. It does substantially improve the ergonomics of holding the iPhone, but it’s hard to say how many iPhone gamers actually play games in long marathon sessions.
The PosiMotion Helix Gaming Grip is available online and from Best Buy for $20. If the thought of having something more substantial to grip your iPhone with has piqued your interest, take a peek at it next time you find yourself strolling down the iPhone and iPod touch accessory aisle.
Disclaimer: We received a review unit to test this device. PosiMotion is also an advertiser on this site.
