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.”

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There seems to be no shortage of arcade-style pads for both Android, iPad, and iPhone. Still, among a sea of accessories, one of the most well known devices in this niche is none other than the iCade. What was already good is becoming great.

This unique arcade cabinet is getting a new, streamlined version that is still just for the iPad but this time offers a better design and a specially design cradle that allows you to easily load and unload your iPad safely while still delivering a secure fit.

The new iCade model, the “iCade Core”, connects through bluetooth and allows you to easily swivel your rotation for games from horizontal to vertical, depending on your game.

While the authentic arcade-style joystick and button layout remain in tact, the new model enables owners more flexibility in design, and an overall less obtrusive design than the original.

The iCade Core will hit stores sometime later this year, but as of now we have no official word on the pricing for the new model.

For the iPod or iPhone, the new iCade Mobile could be what you’re looking for. Set for release in Q2 2012, the iCade Mobile adds four shoulder buttons, four face buttons and a dpad to your device. Landscape and portrait modes are supported, this one is $80.

If you are looking for something a bit more retro like the original iCade, iPhone or iPod touch gamers can keep an eye on the iCade Jr, it looks like its in prototype stages now.

[ source ]

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Playing games on the iPhone has always been a great experience. But I always felt that a company could launch a sweet controller that attaches to the phone to give you a better feel for the game and also enhancing the experience. This desire of mine has now been fulfilled. A product called “iControlPad” for the iPhone and other touchscreen smartphones has been released. It’s a hardware gamepad designed to clamp on to your device adding a Digital Dpad, 2 analog nubs, 6 face buttons and 2 rear buttons.. The way this connects to your phone is via Bluetooth. The unit has a 1500mAH battery, which is charged using USB. To get the full experience on the iPhone you will need to be jailbroken, Android is fine as it is. But don’t fear, it also works on un-jailbroken iPhone’s as well.

Current side clamps support:
iPhone 3, iPhone 3G, iPhone, iPhone 3GS, iPhone4, iPod touch (some require padding), Motorola Backflip (needs padding), Lg Optimus S, Lg Ally, Blackberry Touch, Samsung Intercept (may require adjustment), HTC Dream, T-Mobile G1, Era G1.

Furthermore, any phones which are a similar size may fit, you might have to make your own adjustments to the iCP clamps to match.

The iControlPad will cost you $75 dollars with sides, you can add other sides at $15 if you wan’t it to work with multiple devices. Alone the iControlPad costs $60 and it ships in February.

[iControlPad]

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