So I got my icade core today. It's really light and feels really good. The only thing is some games (which I'm not sure if its just my core) dot work. Again, I'm not sure if maybe the game just doesn't support it anymore or what, but Pac-Man, Mos Speed Run and maybe a few others don't work with it. Not a major problem for me because I have Blutrol, but its just a pain to have to use it on a game that should already have it.
Got my iCade Core in as well from the Groupn deal. Pretty happy with it. Some frustrating moments on 2-way and 4-way games. Only used it with MAME (Gridlee) so far.
Death Ray Manta is back to $1. http://appshopper.com/games/the-drm-death-ray-manta It's a dual-stick game normally, but with iCade it's 8-way movement and you always fire forward. Seems to work OK, although I admit I can't tell what's going on! I beat the levels but I don't know how. Sometimes I kill all the enemies, sometimes I don't. Sometimes I pick up the crystals, sometimes I don't. At least I can tell why I die: the enemies and the triangular mines. It IS a button masher: no rapid-fire. I'll have to play it more before I know how I think it should work (since killing the enemies seems optional anyway) but I know iCade rapid-stabbing gets tiring in other games. I'd probably want a rapid-fire toggle button. The graphics are neat. The sprites seem squashed/narrow (the game seems to have been made for widescreen) but with the abstract look it doesn't really matter. (Old Amiga NTSC games had 8:9 pixels and we didn't care!) The seizure-inducing retro look is terrific--to me it doesn't look like an actual retro 80s game... it looks like the BOX ART from some 80s game come to life. If that makes any sense. The over-the-top lightshow reminds of Jeff Minter madness, but a little more polished. Can't wait to try this with iCade Core on the projector. iCades are just keyboards to the system, so if yours works at all, I'd think it ought to work everywhere. (Maybe Blutrol can interfere with native iCade support? But I never heard that.) I just tested the current iPad versions of Pac-Mac, Mrs. Pac-Man, and Mos Speed Run, and they all worked for me. Note: some games activate iCade support automatically, others require you to choose it in a menu first. (And a few are finnicky about when you first signal the game/press a button--like the Metal Slug series. You'd never figure out the iCade support in those by trial and error!) And some use iCade in the menus, while others use it ONLY during gameplay.
Thanks for mini review, Adams Immersive. Been thinking of getting Death Ray Manta. Robotron style games done right are fun. Might be good if Death Ray Manta gave option to also shoot behind to make it a little more like a twin stick game.
I'm not even sure yet how Robotron it is... need to spend more time with it, which I'll do later this week when my Groupon Core arrives. Maybe it's OK that you can't shoot behind--but I like the idea: it would only need another button (and some learning curve). It feels a little like Silverfish to me... probably because I'm doing more avoiding than shooting. (But it's 8-way instead of 4-way. I've noticed some variation in how games handle the diagonals, which could affect the aiming a lot; I don't have an opinion yet on DRM.) I wish it worked in vertical mode too. Shouldn't affect game play, just text positioning. Maybe I'll email the dev with that request plus rapid-fire. EDIT: It seems that the crystals you pick up follow after you and shoot on their own... maybe that's why I've been winning! P.S. They shouldn't refer to it as "DRM"--bad connotations!
Just got back to monitoring this thread. Really awesome. I'm slowly going through everything and verifying the degrees of compatibility with the GameDock. Thus far, it's up to 62 verified compatible and listed on the site. I'm going through the games as fast as I can before we (finally) launch our hardware. The ever-growing list is here. http://gamedock.tv/games.html Expect a legend and some search filters as it grows.
If anyone wanted to mod their iCade casing art, I came across this template: http://www.thinkgeek.com/files/11-10-03-icade-template.pdf Also--can you take any old 35mm joystick ball and screw it onto the iCade's stick? If not, how do you know what balls would work? (I wouldn't mess with changing the stick itself.) I'm thinking of using a Core in a custom installation. Change the ball color and remove all the buttons (or most of them) and simply cover the holes with a blank plate of plastic or something. (This disassembly guide makes it appear that the iCade buttons are attached without solder? If so, and the Core is the same, then button removal should be fairly easy and reversible. The Core seems to be held together by hex and phillips screws.)
Ah what the hell!? I JUST bought Death Ray Manta on PC because I didn't know there was an iOS version. Only paid $1.50 for it along with a load of other (not so good) games, but still!
Reprinted from Phoenix HD thread. I just played an hour of Blazing Star, Raiden, Phoenix HD, Danmaku 2, Storm Strikers, and Airattack HD. All on my icade core. All have options for autofire, or default to autofire. Most let you switch to either autofire or not. Phoenix hd does not. My impressions. Icade core play is about 3x funner than touch controls. However, it is harder to get high scores. Touch controls I always play on hardest mode. With my icade core, I usually play on normal. Icade core does use a lot of battery due to bluetooth wireless. Phoenix hd, is funner on icade core, but touch controls are very close in funness. This game controls well in both icade and touch. I'm not sure if you knew, but the buttons do control secondary functions, so it adds to the game. Usually I prefer auto fire with both touch and icade. With my icade core, it is really fun to play for 5 minutes with auto fire off, but after a while, button mashing is no fun for me, so I will turn autofire back on. You can always just fake it, and keep hitting one of the buttons on an icade core just to mimic autofire off. Actually, if you kind of believe its not, it will mimic the experience quite well. Icade code controls in Phoenix HD and Danmaku 2 play really well in terms of accuracy, better than the other games, in my opinion. Danmaku 2 really gets better play with an icade core. It is ok for me with touch, but with icade core, it just becomes a totally different game. Icade core is so much funner than touch, not even close. Raiden is the same way, kinda cruddy touch controls, but man, it rocks with my icade core. I get a real sense that I am in the arcades. Don't play much with touch, but with the core, it rocks. Plus the funky framerates are less of an issue with the icade core, cause you are so frantically hitting the joystick, that the jiggling on the screen seems natural. Icade core is a must for this game. Blazing star plays well in three configs - icade core, touch, and stylus on a tripod. Kinda like all three. However since it was designed for a slow joystick, it shines on the icade core. But touch and stylus are also great. This game is good for hdmi too cause the graphics aren't high res. Storm strikers 2, I would never play on my ipad cause it's 2x and the framerates too in this game are funky. But as is the same for Raiden Trilogy, the icade core saves this game. Seems like games that have a little jerkiness with, play so much better with the icade core, cause everything is jerking around when you have your ipad mounted in the icade core. Storm strikers 2, just rocks with an icade core and hdmi tv, just wish now that my dream will be granted, and Danmaku the original will add icade support. Icade is a must for storm strikers 2, without it, I probably wouldn't play it much. Airattackhd, is an old game that I never bought in the past, but just started playing recently cause of icade core support. It is a pretty fun game, but shines with icade core support. This game too like Storm strikers 2, probably wouldn't play this much without icade core support. Plus this game looks pretty on hdmi tv. Attached screenshot is Blazing Star.
icade cabinet or core?? Guys I CAN'T decide which icade I should get. I love the cabinet look and it's super retro style! The major downside will be NO landscape play available. icade core seems to most practical, but less COOL looking
The cabinet does landscape as well. I just leave mine out in the living room because its a bit of feature. I find it gets played more because of this
Landscape works fine. The lack of portability is annoying but the "hood" around the screen is nice! Don't forget you also have a choice of the blue ThinkGeek version or the regular red Ion version! (Also: I tend to wonder if the next iPad design will "get lost in the slot" if used in landscape on the Core--maybe covering up a bit of the bottom of the screen. The full iCade has a nice shallow slot and would never cover the screen. Alleged leaks of the next iPad case show very thin side bezels, and I plan to keep my iCades long enough to have whatever the new design may be. It's also possible that if you sit up and look down at the Core, the slot won't block anything. I can't find any pics of a Mini in an iCade Core--that would be a hint. It has even thinner side bezels than the alleged upcoming iPad.)
I would highly recommend the core over original, by far. Portability is a big factor, you can put it easily in a backpack or small bag. Also, you can use the icade core easily away from your ipad. This is very hard to do with the original. Just have your ipad on a stand, and boom a mobile arcade with the icade core in your lap or on the table. It fits easily in your lap, with or without your ipad. The core is great to use with hdmi tv. Perfect actually, with joystick in your lap. Icade core is a great stick. ------- About the thinner bevel, you will be ok. Right now on an icade core, it uses 1/2 of the bevel, even if they did reduce the bevel, you would still be able to see the whole screen easily I think. Just there would be no bevel showing. You could probably figure out to retrofit a runner piece to make it higher, but I think it would be ok. Zoom this picture in, imagine no bevel showing, but fullscreen showing, that's how it would look. Get the icade core and hdmi tv, then you got a wireless joystick console. Awesome!
Do you own or have used the cabinet? I agree with you about portability but you lose a lot of the wow factor. I have both and the original gets played more and gets pulled out whenever people come over. I still use it when playing on hdmi and move it around the house. It's just preference. They're both great little units
Yeah, I used it, but I use my icade mostly as a remote joystick. For this function, the core wins hand down. Of course as a cabinet, the original is better for feel and look, so it does depend a little of course the function. Also, I like to carry my core around when out of the house, it fits pretty easily in my backpack with ipad, so that is a HUGE consideration for me. Taking it to a friends house, or somewhere where I will have a huge breaktime is awesome. People look at me sometimes funny playing my icade core out in the public, or at a doctors visit, but I don't care! Hehe Anyway, yeah, for different purposes, different vibes. My main criteria is using it as a remote joystick, and portability. That is what is most important to me. I could care less about a cabinet or the retro looks of it. I just want a good functional joystick I can tote anywhere, anytime.
Oh, forgot to mention that the icade core, you can fit in your lap, it is perfect, actually makes a decent ipad stand for your lap for non icade games or reading the web. Can you even put the original in your lap to play? Could you use it with hdmi tv and have the icade on your lap for hours?
