Fed up with using your iPhone's touchscreen for games and looking for a proper gamepad experience? Look no further, because the iControlPad will be with you soon.
The device has been in development for some time. It allows you to fit a jailbroken iPhone in between two side clips that hold a gamepad below the phone in landscape mode, like you would a Nintendo DS. It's connected with a sync cable.
A different form of the iControlPad appeared before in 2008, but the developers decided not to go with that design, as it resulted in poor controls and had a problem where you couldn't use it on different devices.
Designer Craig Rothwell says the new design locks the iPhone in place with a padlock connected with a spring mechanism. It also has an integrated battery, which Rothwell claims could double the iPhone's battery life for gaming.
It doesn't have Apple support, which means games have to be specially written to take advantage of the controller, and you do need to have jailbroken your phone, Electricpig reports.
But Rothwell's Twitter feed revealed he's hoping to release an app which would allow you to configure the jailbroken phone to work with the iControlPad. He's also hoping to branch out into different devices such as BlackBerrys and Android phones.
If you're interested, his feed is the first place you'll hear about how to buy the iControlPad, which will have an initial run of 3,000 units in September. There's also a mailing list, which you can sign up to on the iControlPad website. Pricing hasn't been announced.
We don't want to rain on the parade -- we think it's an excellent concept -- but you we think it's sensible to be slightly wary of buying unofficial accessories from small manufacturers with no business history. That's not to imply any nefarious motive, but don't expect a proper warranty and after-sales care.
So what do you think about the iControlPad? Would you buy one, even if it lacks Apple support and needs a jailbroken phone? As usual, let us know in the comments.
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Anonymous 27 August, 2010 11:29
Jonathan Ive has clearly been moonlighting - this thing of beauty could have come out of Apple's own design labs...
Anonymous 27 August, 2010 11:48
this is sooooooooo fooooookin awesome!
Apple need to make a shiny metalic version man that wud jus be tooo good
Anonymous 28 August, 2010 23:54
Despite having a jailbroken iPhone 4 I wouldn't use any unofficial accessories through fear of damaging the phone itself. Apple should just get down off it's high horse and support the accessory because it's a good idea, they're just upset that they didn't think of it first.
Anonymous 30 August, 2010 00:12
It's a damn shame Apple couldn't produce this for iPhone or Touch users. I know Apple won't because Steve Jobs hates buttons of all sorts. Since it requires a JB iPhone, I wouldn't touch it. Anything that validates jailbreaking is pure folly and anti-Apple.
Anonymous 3 September, 2010 09:59
Think about it.. This is going to happen officially sooner than you think. Apple will go for it if Retail gets behind it and they will. You watch, only a matter of time.
Cool design people!