Atari to Release an Official Atari Arcade Joystick for iPad

iControlPad

APlotdevice said:

A gamepad attachment for the iPhone and iPod touch would be a more plausible threat.

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Bam!! iControlPad

That said, iCP has its own drawbacks (price, expensive shipping $, limited game support)...but definitely a gamepad is the way to go, I don't like these arcade style sticks. Way less portable.

iCP can also be used on a PC/Mac though, anything that supports BT controllers.

OddyOh said:

Bam!! iControlPad

That said, iCP has its own drawbacks (price, expensive shipping $, limited game support)...but definitely a gamepad is the way to go, I don't like these arcade style sticks. Way less portable.

iCP can also be used on a PC/Mac though, anything that supports BT controllers.

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Thanks, but I was already familiar with this. Having a gamepad isn't enough. To be a threat it must have the support of the developers, which as you point out it doesn't. Also the average consumer has to know about it. That's why I said it has to be something Apple makes. They have the influence and marketing power.

OriginalMacRat said:

Games like Centipede and Missile Command need a trackball.

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Yup +1

actually an original weighted durable trackball would feel great - like the old days

Are they standardizing on what keys perform each function?

I've looked into the iCade framework a bit, and it seems to use a specific key down on for a button press and another specific key down for that button's release (weird, huh? But the Apple APIs didn't appear to give key state events easily - so everything gets handled as text input)

If the accessories don't all conform to similar keys, I'd imagine supporting them wouldn't be fun.

Next version please add a Trackball and Spin Knob...

nylonsteel said:

Yup +1

actually an original weighted durable trackball would feel great - like the old days

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that would definitely get me interested in purchasing!!!

It needs a round dial

The only proper way to play Tempest.

I like the iCade a lot better!!!!! This is fugly IMHO.

Atari never dies, retro gaming lives on foreva

anxious to see how this goes..

this looks like, if you really get into it, you will knock over the ipad...the whole thing looks too light and flimsy, half-arsed.

the iCade looks like a much better option, much sturdier...

APlotdevice said:

Thanks, but I was already familiar with this. Having a gamepad isn't enough. To be a threat it must have the support of the developers, which as you point out it doesn't. Also the average consumer has to know about it. That's why I said it has to be something Apple makes. They have the influence and marketing power.

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Yes, would be great if Apple put out their own stick/gamepad and made it part of the SDK. I'm guessing somewhere between "never" and "ain't gonna happen".

I sure hope they make a "lefty" version...

Not that it was Atari's fault, per se, but all of us who grew up in the first wave of "actual" atari games are permanently used to using our right hand for the joystick and our left hand for the buttons. Not sure when people started reversing this, but unless you're playing a fighting game, most of the dexterity was needed for control, not hitting fire. Most modern arcade attachments deal with this by having buttons on both sides.

http://tinyurl.com/7q25fjw

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Game companies started making pads because they lasted longer and were cheaper. While a pad is way better than nothing, I never found them to be as easy to use and they always caused rubbing sores on my thumbs.

Of course, for serious work, I also use an external mouse with my laptop, because while I *can* use my trackpad, I can't ever hit as high a level of productivity as with a real mouse.

Arcade devices for the iPad

This looks awesome but I want one to come out that has the joystick on the right side. The left side is ok, but I am right handed and I remember playing the actual arcade games with the joystick on the right and the buttons on the left.

I wonder how well this would work if you mirror the iPad on AppleTV at the same time?

RedCroissant said:

This looks awesome but I want one to come out that has the joystick on the right side. The left side is ok, but I am right handed and I remember playing the actual arcade games with the joystick on the right and the buttons on the left.

I wonder how well this would work if you mirror the iPad on AppleTV at the same time?

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Actually, no. Joysticks on arcade games are almost always on the left, buttons on the right. Some games had duplicate buttons on both sides of the joystick for lefties.

Trudy said:

The only proper way to play Tempest.

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Tempest with a dial is gaming heaven. I have done a game in the Tempest / Gyruss format with touch control called ShootStorm. I got a poor review insisting I should have iCade support. I think a joystick is worse than touchscreen for that type of game.

senseless said:

Actually, no. Joysticks on arcade games are almost always on the left, buttons on the right. Some games had duplicate buttons on both sides of the joystick for lefties.

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You are totally right. I don't know what I was remembering; maybe it was just those games that had buttons on the left side as well, but I could have sworn it was the other way around.

RedCroissant said:

You are totally right. I don't know what I was remembering; maybe it was just those games that had buttons on the left side as well, but I could have sworn it was the other way around.

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I always wondered why they joysticks were on the left, but I'm not complaining as I am left-handed. Makes a change to have things the right way round.

gkarris said:

Next version please add a Trackball and Spin Knob...

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For those of us who remember the old arcade controls, this would be great. Even an option for two joysticks would be nice for games like BattleZone. The older games definitely need the older controls. I keep telling my daughter about the arcades in which I used to play. Some had elaborate cabinets that surrounded the person or a chair that moved up and down and around in 360 degrees. Ah, the nostalgia.

I got this for Christmas. Does it work on any other games besides the Atari hits app? Thanks