As great as gaming may have become on the iPad and the iPhone, it’s just not the same playing with touchscreen controls. We’ve seen some different physical contraptions that counter this, but the new Audojo Gaming Case for iPad could be one of the more creative solutions to date.

It basically snaps onto either side of the iPad with each half providing a speaker, an analog stick and a trigger button. This is quite different from some other cases and controllers that provide console-style face buttons and the analog sticks themselves remind me of the analog sliders you find on the PSP series from Sony. The dual analog stick configuration, along with the trigger buttons, makes the Audojo case a good solution for first-person shooters, flight sims and certain action games. I imagine this would be great if they ported Smash TV to iOS for this purpose.

Another thing that makes the Audojo gaming case different is that it doesn’t sync up with your iPad via Bluetooth. Instead, it plugs straight into the headphone jack of your tablet; this is supposed to provide minimal latency and extended battery life. If you still want to use headphones, there is a headphone jack on the case too. In terms of game compatibility  which is very important for all these mobile gaming peripherals, Audojo is working with the Unity standard. And yes, you can use AirPlay for the big screen experience too.

Audojo is currently seeking funding through their Kickstarter campaign, which runs until February 21. They have a goal of raising $240,000. The estimated retail price for the gaming case will be “$99 or more,” but you can secure one now with a minimum pledge of $65 with free shipping in the US.

[Source]

The post Audojo Gaming Case for iPad Adds Dual Analog Sticks (Video) appeared first on Mobile Magazine.

It’s called the iCADE 8-Bitty and it’s going to be showcased at the 2012 Toy Fair in New York City. In a nutshell, it’s a wireless controller that very much borrows its inspiration from the 8-bit era of gaming. It’s pretty much a replica of the old NES controller, except there are four face buttons instead of two. There are eight buttons in all, so I’m assuming the other four are shoulder buttons.

I’m not sure if the “iCADE” moniker is really still all that appropriate, because this really has nothing to do with gaming in the arcade anymore. It’s gaming in the living room. Like the other iCADE products, the iCADE 8-Bitty connects to your iPod, iPhone, or iPad via Bluetooth. The difference here is that they’ve expanded the scope to include Android folks, encouraging app developers to use the API to “make just about any game compatible with iCADE.” Current supported games include Muffin Knight, Super Mega Worm, Warblade HD, Space Inversion 2, and HyperBowl.

The iCADE 8-Bitty will sell for $24.99 when it launches “later this year.”

The post Aww Yeah, Retro iPad Gaming with the iCADE 8-Bitty Baby appeared first on Mobile Magazine.

A Press Release for a new iPad accessory called the GameChanger triumphantly proclaims, “The evolution of the board game is upon us!” Some of you might remember a similar song and dance was made for the Magnavox Odyssey 2 game console, which combined gaming with an actual board as well. Since you don’t really see anyone playing “Quest for the Ring” these days, or any iterations thereof, it’s safe to say that this didn’t work out for Magnavox.

Does Identity Games have a better shot at living up to this claim? Considering that the Ipad is several thousand times more popular than the Odyssey 2 ever was, perhaps even millions more, its chances of developing itself a niche market are at least a little higher this time. The GameChanger is a somewhat unique accessory that integrates Apple’s iPad with a board and layouts. Essentially the iPad becomes a virtual spin wheel and monitors how many spots there are. There are different skins that allow you to have more than one game playing experience such as a game based on “The Magic School Bus” and Animal Mania, which even has dinosaurs in it.  Kinda cool.

If the GameChanger wants to live up to its self-generated hype, however, I think we will need to see some more solid games than “Magic School Bus” for the teen and adult crowd. As a toy that you can play with your kids, the GameChanger might be a good idea. Of course for the $80 you will spend to get this thing you could buy yourself at least four or five regular old board games for your family instead.  But then again, they won’t work with the iPad now will they?

[GameChanger]

The post Will GameChanger iPad Board Game Change Anything? appeared first on Mobile Magazine.

One gaming innovation that came out of CES this past January was the JoyStick-IT arcade style iPad gaming joystick. We were more than enthusiastic about its release, but  I spent some good time with the $25 device and you will be surprised to know that it just didn’t stick with me. I’m not a serious gamer by any means, but what I can tell you is if you are a serious gamer and you get excited when playing your favorite games — even the least bit — this device may not be for you.

The Joystick-it is milled from solid aluminum, a suction cup sandwiches a conductive layer of metal mesh that sits atop sponge which in turn rests upon your touchscreen display to create conductivity. It works similar to the technology in those gloves you can use on your touchscreen in the winter.

I use a protective layer of film on my iPad. I dont know if you do or not, but I get am pretty clumsy and like to protect touchscreen glass as soon as it comes in. If you don’t, then this feedback may not apply to you, as the JOYSTICK-IT works about as well as you could expect it to while being stuck to pure glass. But not so fast, you may have to worry about another thing. The sponge falls short. The edge of aluminum touches down on your screen when you toggle in different directions. While it provides an adequate amount of cushioning for movement feedback, it doesn’t cover the entire area when you touch it down on the glass.

I dont know how easy it is to scratch the iPads display since I use a protective film to prevent scratches. The protective film remained relatively unscathed. So those who go naked could be the better judge of that. But with the sponge layer sitting on top of your iPad even a 10th or 100th of a milimeter, it could scratch. This did not scratch my protective film, but then again, I couldn’t really get it to stay on very well either. With my anti-scratch layer of Zaggness I found it less than optimal. The display was clean, the suction cup clean, maybe it’s something to do with the protective film but the suction cup easily popped off when taking quick turns avoiding ghosts in PAC MAN. Sure, you could play much more gentle and just lightly toggle up and down and keep your enthusiasm to a minimum, but I like to get excited, make quick moves and shift around. If you get excited or move your body in the least bit while playing, if you become a bit animated in your movements, or, if you are under the age of 15 you’re going to have a hell of a time keeping this stuck. Picture Mr. Dressup playing the iPad, this is how excited you can be. (Not mocking Mr. Dressup, he rules).

Bottom Line

It’s a decent first generation accessory trying to fill a void in the touchscreen tablet gaming market. I think the idea is there but it needs a bit more “stick” to give it more “joy.” If your tablet glass is naked you should be able to have a moderate amount of fun with it. But remember, Mr. Dressup.

[Think Geek]

The post Review: JoyStick-IT iPad Arcade Stick Lacking Joy and Stick appeared first on Mobile Magazine.