Midway Arcade Adds iCade Support

[MacRumors]

Midway Arcade, a collection of classic Midway video games ported to the iOS, has received an update adding support for the iCade iPad gaming add-on. The iCade started life as a ThinkGeek April Fool's joke, but has since become a well-supported iOS game controller. Ion Audio, the company behind the iCade, announced new versions of the product at CES this year.

TouchArcade, writing about the update:

Morphing drug pushers into plumes of viscera and leg parts has never been easier, thanks to the latest update to Midway Arcade. The arcade collection app, which features tons of classic arcade titles including NARC and Rampage, now features iCade support. We spent a moment or two in the app this morning and can confirm that the added support is sharp. We can also confirm that NARC is still the greatest game that has ever been made.

The iCade is available from ThinkGeek for $99.99.

Midway Arcade is available for $0.99 on the App Store. [Direct Link]

Article Link: Midway Arcade Adds iCade Support

 

[jayducharme]

I saw this on Touch Arcade and grabbed it. What sold me was the Gauntlet add-on pack; I love that game and miss it. The on-screen controls are pretty wonky, so the iCade would be a welcome fit.

 

[Richdmoore]

I am looking forward to the icade Bluetooth controller, much better solution than the current versions that use the 30 pin connector.

I would love a official controller endorsed by apple (shaped like the Xbox 360) with two analog sticks and triggers.

 

[nagromme]

I am looking forward to the icade Bluetooth controller, much better solution than the current versions that use the 30 pin connector.

I would love a official controller endorsed by apple (shaped like the Xbox 360) with two analog sticks and triggers.

iCade never used the 30-pin dock connector; it has always been Bluetooth (sometimes I even use my iCade with my Mac, via ControllerMate). And I love mine! Grabbed it on sale and now have dozens of games for it, including some great ones like Silverfish, Temple Run, and yes, Midway Arcade!

If you want to charge with an iCade, you feed your own dock cable up through a slot. One benefit: it should fit any old device you care to insert—even future iPads with smaller dock connectors.

iCade’s future products seem to be really just different shapes/form factors/prices; not a change in how they connect.

 

[bboyredcel]

now, if only Capcom would catch on to this and add support to Street Fighter IV Volt and Capcom Arcade Collection :/

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iCade never used the 30-pin dock connector; it has always been Bluetooth (sometimes I even use my iCade with my Mac, via ControllerMate). And I love mine! Grabbed it on sale and now have dozens of games for it, including some great ones like Silverfish, Temple Run, and yes, Midway Arcade!

If you want to charge with an iCade, you feed your own dock cable up through a slot. One benefit: it should fit any old device you care to insert—even future iPads with smaller dock connectors.

iCade’s future products seem to be really just different shapes/form factors/prices; not a change in how they connect.

if you want to improve the experience of your iCade, you should mod it with a new stick and buttons! check out http://focusattack.com for good prices on them. Jaleel, who runs the site, is awesome and ships super fast as well.

 

[ArtOfWarfare]

Why is it I can't help but feel the real winner here is ThinkGeek?

The iCade is $99.99... How much of that is Midway collecting? Apple? How much covers the bills at ThinkGeek and how much is pure profit?

 

[macrumorsuser10]

Why is it I can't help but feel the real winner here is ThinkGeek?

The iCade is $99.99... How much of that is Midway collecting? Apple? How much covers the bills at ThinkGeek and how much is pure profit?

Every company has a right to price their products or services as they see fit. If you don't like the price, then don't buy it.

 

[ArtOfWarfare]

Every company has a right to price their products or services as they see fit. If you don't like the price, then don't buy it.

I'm looking at it from a developer standpoint, not a consumer standpoint.

I'm wondering whether I should make my apps compatible with the iCade. Ultimately, I decide not to.

Then again, I'm planning on making my future Mac OS x games require multitouch (not just support - require.) Why? I feel multitouch has some real potential that hasn't been realized yet in desktop video games. Simply using the gestures in Mac OS is fun - I think replacing keyboard / mouse with a multitouch surface can lead to some intuitive and fun (and new) gameplay mechanics.

A joystick? That's not new. And TBH, I think the iCade should just be multitouch surface that doesn't obscure the iOS screen.

 

[subsonix]

The issue here is that Midway is under valuing their product IMO, 99 cents is crazy cheap.

 

[JAT]

A joystick? That's not new. And TBH, I think the iCade should just be multitouch surface that doesn't obscure the iOS screen.

You apparently have no idea what the purpose of the iCade is.

 

[ArtOfWarfare]

You apparently have no idea what the purpose of the iCade is.

It's to give you a joystick and buttons so you can play these emulations the way the way the originals were played.

I, as a developer, wonder whether it makes sense to make all new games that use the iCade instead of a multitouch surface. (Clearly offscreen joystick is better than onscreen multitouch in some cases, but wouldn't an offscreen multitouch be better than an offscreen joystick in those cases?)

 

[Moonjumper]

It's to give you a joystick and buttons so you can play these emulations the way the way the originals were played.

I, as a developer, wonder whether it makes sense to make all new games that use the iCade instead of a multitouch surface. (Clearly offscreen joystick is better than onscreen multitouch in some cases, but wouldn't an offscreen multitouch be better than an offscreen joystick in those cases?)

A joystick provides physical feedback, something a multitouch screen does not. That is the main point of iCade.

 

[ArtOfWarfare]

A joystick provides physical feedback, something a multitouch screen does not. That is the main point of iCade.

Is it necessary to have physical feedback, though?

What if you could just see what was happening?

I think the issue with onscreen touch isn't so much the lack of being able to feel it so much as the lack of being able to perceive it in any way.

Your thumb is on the screen, thus obscuring a portion of the screen... potentially the only portion where the visual cue is. Separate the touch surface from the screen, though, and you can always see everything. You don't need to feel the joystick, because you already felt how far / fast your finger moved, and you can see the results on the screen.

 

[satcomer]

I'm looking at it from a developer standpoint, not a consumer standpoint.

I'm wondering whether I should make my apps compatible with the iCade. Ultimately, I decide not to.

Then again, I'm planning on making my future Mac OS x games require multitouch (not just support - require.) Why? I feel multitouch has some real potential that hasn't been realized yet in desktop video games. Simply using the gestures in Mac OS is fun - I think replacing keyboard / mouse with a multitouch surface can lead to some intuitive and fun (and new) gameplay mechanics.

A joystick? That's not new. And TBH, I think the iCade should just be multitouch surface that doesn't obscure the iOS screen.

Well classic games (such as Pac-Man, Astroids, etc.) that were developed for smash buttons and joystick would be a great app for the iCade!

 

[Moonjumper]

Is it necessary to have physical feedback, though?

What if you could just see what was happening?

I think the issue with onscreen touch isn't so much the lack of being able to feel it so much as the lack of being able to perceive it in any way.

Your thumb is on the screen, thus obscuring a portion of the screen... potentially the only portion where the visual cue is. Separate the touch surface from the screen, though, and you can always see everything. You don't need to feel the joystick, because you already felt how far / fast your finger moved, and you can see the results on the screen.

Physical feedback is important for many games. You just don't have the precision without it. On arcade games you want to know precisely how close you are to changing the input from left to right for example. And fingers can miss virtual buttons with ease.

Some games don't need it, some can be made to work without, but would benefit from tactile controls, while others are greatly compromised.

 

[ArtOfWarfare]

On arcade games you want to know precisely how close you are to changing the input from left to right for example. And fingers can miss virtual buttons with ease.

I assure you, your finger is aware of whether it's going left or right without a joystick.

Regarding virtual buttons, they should be done away with. Use gestures aware of relative motion (direction, speed, duration... number of fingers... you can get well into the hundreds for number of distinct gestures a single hand can make... you need only come up with a dozen or two to emulate even the most complicated of controllers.)

 

[JAT]

I assure you, your finger is aware of whether it's going left or right without a joystick.

Regarding virtual buttons, they should be done away with. Use gestures aware of relative motion (direction, speed, duration... number of fingers... you can get well into the hundreds for number of distinct gestures a single hand can make... you need only come up with a dozen or two to emulate even the most complicated of controllers.)

All of your comments are spoken like an educated person that understands software/hardware interaction.

And not like a person that has ever played a video game.

 

[ArtOfWarfare]

All of your comments are spoken like an educated person that understands software/hardware interaction.

Thank you.

And not like a person that has ever played a video game.

These days I do much more programming than playing, but I have found the time to play through Portal 2 and Lugaru this year. Both using an Apple Magic Trackpad. (Sometimes it worked well... other times it was too easy to fire the wrong color type... but then, the trackpad wasn't utilizing gestures terribly well.)

 

[Moonjumper]

I assure you, your finger is aware of whether it's going left or right without a joystick.

What happens when you run out of screen? What happens when you want to move to a place where another finger already is?

I have done an arcade game with a virtual control, but I did a lot of work to minimise the problems. I have another arcade game that has no virtual controls that will be released soon. I think both of my control systems work well, but there are other ideas I have not tried because they would be too compromised by touch screen controls.

Other games such as PacMan work OK with swipe controls, but it isn't as responsive as a real joystick would be.

Defender is one of my favourite games ever, but it is awful to play on the Midway Arcade app with virtual controls. They could have done a better job, but it would still be nowhere as good as real controls.

 

[nsayer]

A joystick provides physical feedback, something a multitouch screen does not. That is the main point of iCade.

Well, IMHO the *main* point of iCade is to make emulators of old arcade games act more like old arcade games than they would otherwise be able to on an iPad.

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I assure you, your finger is aware of whether it's going left or right without a joystick.

Regarding virtual buttons, they should be done away with.

For future games, you're probably right. Playing Angry Birds in an arcade with a trackball and a button would be absurd.

But I can assure you that playing Galaga, Pac-Man, Robotron: 2084, Defender or Tempest with MultiTouch is equally absurd. Had multi-touch been an option back then, I strongly suspect those games would have been written very, very differently. But if you want to use legacy software, then you will only be able to properly do so with legacy hardware. Heck, it's one of the big reasons Steve called out Flash - it sucks for MultiTouch because it becomes troublesome to distinguish moving the "pointer" from clicking because the concept of a mouse pointer is so firmly embedded in it.

 

[Mike Valmike]

And not like a person that has ever played a video game.

Insert gigantic "THIS!" meme here.

Modern games can be, and are, designed with touch controls in mind. Classic games, in many instances, are only properly playable with physical controls. Just try executing repeating dragon punches on Street Fighter 2 (or, good Lord, Akuma's special finishing move) and you'll quickly figure this out.

 

[rhett7660]

I saw this on Touch Arcade and grabbed it. What sold me was the Gauntlet add-on pack; I love that game and miss it. The on-screen controls are pretty wonky, so the iCade would be a welcome fit.

Ohh I can't wait. I already have the iCade and I have the midway games. Didn't know about this though. Yes!!!!!!