I'll be picking one of these up too, but it won't be till early next year, apple gave moga and Logitech exclusivity for Christmas!
Initial impressions after playing with the MOGA for a few hours on my 5S: Really nice to be able to see the whole game and have enough room for my thumbs to move around. Makes me appreciate the graphical detail that goes into these games even more, and feel as though it really is wide screen. Some games don't take to it too well - Oceanhorn and Lili only really have two dimensional moving and one "action" button that changes what action you perform depending on the context, so the controller is kinda in the way, ironically. The camera stick just turns me left and right in Lili unless I've stopped moving. I wonder what the games would look like if you could spin the camera around while moving. - Phoenix HD and other normally-portrait games like Edge have to be played in an awkward position - Sky Gamblers: Storm Raiders...can't seem to figure out how to tell it I want to use the controller, it keeps using accelerometer and touch controls. I can go through the menu using the D-pad and a button, but I can't fly the plane with the controller... - Asphalt 8 - seems to know that I have the controller connected, as the tutorial reacts by saying "press digital gamepad to steer" but it doesn't do anything - some games don't respond perfectly to the button presses, seems like a pressure calibration issue as reported before, since all of the buttons on this controller are analog On the other hand, some games seem like a natural match (outside of pressure sensitivity issues) - Dungeon Hunter 4 - Bastion - Dead Trigger 2 (though the aim stick sensitivity seems like it needs work) I've already had to reset the controller twice - Once, I had left the controller connected to charge the phone and walked away for a while, when I got back the phone was no longer charging (it picked up about 25-30% or so) and the game was no longer picking up anything. I couldn't have drained it that fast, I had just finished fully charging it about an hour prior. I hit the battery button and saw nothing, so I plugged it in and still nothing. I was hearing some noise in the headphones that I had connected, so I figured it must've gotten locked up or something. After reset, it came back up and had 50% battery, still wouldn't charge the phone though. - another time was right in the middle of playing a game - Bastion - the analog stick was in the up position and it suddenly locked up and kept going up even when I let go. (side note: I love the falling off the edge stuff in Bastion, I lol'd the first time it happened) The battery does not seem to charge the phone very fast, and the manual says when it runs down below 25% it stops charging the phone. I don't quite get it, why wouldn't it just completely drain the battery to give the phone as much charge as possible? Kind of misleading to say it's an 1800 mAh battery when only 75% of it actually gets used...unless I'm mistaken and the battery has to be used to power the controller. Why wouldn't it just draw the power from the iPhone since it's connected anyway? To do otherwise seems like a bad design choice, since your controller's functional lifetime is then tied to the lifetime of the battery inside it (like that of other built-in-battery devices we won't name). Build quality seems a little iffy, the sticks don't feel very solid, as though they might break off or wear out after extended or intense sessions. The controller aspect of it feels like it's worth maybe $10-20 tops. I know the battery, the strict Apple requirements, and all that had to play a part in the $100 price, but I think if they would've allocated a little more of the price target toward making the controller feel premium, it would go a longer way than the battery functionality (given the above impression of a poor battery design). Headphone issues - My headset has the microphone and buttons, but they don't work while connected to the MOGA. Not a deal breaker, just woulda been nice if they could integrate it so that headsets with the buttons and mic would work. - Noise in headphones while playing. My Etymotic HF3 is a pretty high quality set, so I can hear even the most minute imperfections and noises in the audio. - Loud pop in the line when the controller starts up or restarts while headphones are connected, so don't keep your buds in if you have to reset this controller. Menu systems and on-screen "tap to continue" buttons are more annoying to try to use with the controller attached, since I have to reach my thumb further UIs were probably never designed with controller use in mind on these devices, so I look forward to the next generation of iOS games--but will they ever really be? I have to wonder if any developers would even bother putting in extra work to design a good controller-based menu scheme for the controller users. Overall, despite the many quirks, I enjoy it, and I see a lot of possibilities opening up very shortly once devs get into the swing of things. This is a fine first go, and it's the first time I feel, seriously, that the iOS "hardcore" gaming market could get within spitting distance of Nintendo and Sony. The graphical prowess of the hardware has already overshot them with the A7. With a standard for real controllers finally existing, will more long form games start to show up? The biggest two obstacles I see against that... 1. Game size limitation of 2 GB. You can still get some pretty detailed worlds within that 2 GB, you just need to pull some clever trickery to avoid the old N64 repeating textures look. But depending on the game's art style, the content may not be able to get as detailed--lower quality audio, less intricate scripting, lower map detail. 2. Output to TV. I know, maybe 5 or 10 people ever used it. But still. HDMI was so awesome on the iPhone 4S and iPad 2 & 3. You had a direct connection to the TV with no lag whatsoever, no wireless streaming artifacts or skips. Then Apple threw all that away with Lightning. The hardwired controllers preclude you from hooking up the Lightning to HDMI adapter, not that that's much of a loss since the Lightning to HDMI adapter sucks anyway (laggy 1600x900 "air"play compressed video stream). AirPlay wifi streaming is just not up to snuff for games. Y'know what would be really cool? Install games directly on the Apple TV and use an MFi controller (then you only have the Bluetooth controller lag...) An Apple TV with an A7 processor and an app store, hmm...
Nice read, I just hope these issues are hardware, if it's software... Then it will be annoying, waiting for updates. I though MFI was supposed to work straight off the bat without issues.
As with most technology, nothing 1.0 is ever quite right. You can plan and design til you're blue in the face, think that you've got a solid specification, and then release it into the wild and realize you didn't account for such and such (like the button sensitivity, or games not actually implementing it correctly). If any of these can be fixed in software, then at least the people who've already bought into the first generation controllers will be able to enjoy the fixes. I would hope MOGA/Logitech/Apple made some provision for that, like updating the controller firmware on the fly. If it's inherent to the hardware, however, at least the early adopters get to fund the next generation (you're welcome ).
@fury - I see. Here's an example - No Gravity updated to -- Improve support for Airplay and iOS Game Controller (tested on MOGA Pro Power)
http://app.famitsu.com/20131206_278322/ Final Fantasy 3,4,5,6 will support iOS 7 Game Controller soon.
A new controller leaks: the Razer Kazuyo https://mobile.twitter.com/evleaks/status/408889701223780352
Nice find, need to see more dual stick types though, this version is just no good for my needs! Sure there will be lots out in the new year.
We've seen what the iphone 5/s/c are going to get so far, but do we have any news regarding controllers for the full sized and mini ipads?
Thanks... This is awesome! I'll buy a Bladepad as soon as they implement the iOS7 controller support.
Sorry guys, if I wanted to slap a controller case on my iPhone, I'd just buy a Vita. Seriously, if I have to play games on a screen that small, I'd just assume put that $100 toward a Vita, or just keep playing my 3DS. This is just stupid!! Anyone have a large sum of money to loan me so I can recruit some Chinese workers to make a proper controller? Unlike these companies so far, I think I have a better idea on how to make a better, cheaper, more compatible controller, using Bluetooth. At this point, this MFi controller business is nothing more than insulting to gamers everywhere! BOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!
Look up gamecase in google images, they are doing one for iPad mini and iPad I think, but due to apple giving exclusivity to moga and Logitech they can't release till after Christmas.
But how much are vita games dude, used to cost loads on my old psp go. It's just the start of controller, be patient!
When going out, my pants/shorts usually only have enough pockets for a wallet, 2 phones, a buncha keys and some coins. I also hold an ipad mini, and usually have my favorite headphones around my neck or my head. I love my t-shirts, so no pockets there. My PSP is now just gathering dust at home ever since i got my first idevice (an ipod touch4 mind you), and i sold my DS and PS2 for the same reason. Where would i put a vita if i got one? Coz i could get one if i want to and if i need to. Oh... and your racist comment disgusts me.
Premium games cost more, no matter the platform. I gladly paid $20 for X-Com on the App Store, and I believe we would see more premium games released on this platform if it had a proper controller. The reason the App Store is so full of casual games is because hardcore games are a lot harder to make work with a touch interface. So, introduce a proper controller, and proper games will follow. Like I said before, there is no retail space involved. The increase in premium hardcore games will not have a negative effect on the casuals. As far as being patient goes, I think I've been patient long enough! I've had an iPad since day one. I've been waiting for this for years!! This is old tech! Every day is another day closer to me just buying a Surface Pro. Microsoft seems to have figured out how to give people a proper controller, for around $40 or so. Watching this MFi rollout is maddening!!!!!
