Though still in early developmental stages, the iControlpad quickly rose to celebrity status over the last couple weeks after news of the concept took the wind in the Apple underworld. The developer’s blog has documented the success of the prototypes and recently released renders of what the device will possibly look like. Needless to say, we at MAG are quite impressed.
Electronic Arts already make games for the Apple iPod and will undoubtedly be releasing many more after Monday’s WWDC announcement (including the much-anticipated Spore). Plus, there are countless other companies that will be porting their games over to the iPhone
So with this combination, what can the device offer gamers. Here is a couple:
No need for physical ‘game cartridges’. The iPhone will have all your favorite games available whenever you want them.
The Screen is a no brainer, the iPhone’s screen is nonpareil
Multi-touch, physical buttons plus accelerometer in one.
Currently, the iControlPad requires a jailbroken iPhone unfortunately. This problem, however, may be solved later in its development and after the release of the iPhone 2.0 firmware
I think This form factor seems a bit clumsy, taking up a lot of space, and it doesn’t seem like it will be all that comfortable to hold. I think the ultimate game input device for the iPhone would be a compact Bluetooth device shaped like a small rounded cone, with an analog stick on the flat end of the cone for the thumb, and two mouse buttons for the index and middle fingers. Then, you can hold the iPhone with one hand (my typical preferred position for extended iPhone use), and use the other to control the game.