There are few things cooler than playing old arcade games on an iPad, but playing them with on an iPad using a NES controller is certainly one of them.
That's exactly what blogger and DIY-er Paul Rickards did, and the results are pretty impressive, to say the least.
Using some LEGO and a little bit of magic, Rickards can now play iCade-enabled games using one of Nintendo's old NES controllers, just as those of us old enough to remember the golden age of gaming would have in the olden days...
Oh dear, oh dear, oh dear. We love Mario Kart as much as anyone, we grew up with it in various incarnations across all manner of devices, which is why this is even more maddening.
Mole Kart, available for download from Apple's App Store right now, is what can best be described as a Mario Kart clone. That is, it's basically Mario Kart, but without the buttery smooth animations and Nintendo charm. We are not talking about Mole Kart being similar in that it's karts racing around a track, either. Mole Kart is so similar to Mario Kart that if you have played the Wii version of the game then you'll already know the tracks involved in this iOS clone.
It's that much of a rip-off...
The iPad has more than a few accessories already, but we've not seen one quite like this and, to be honest, we don't really know what to think about it.
Shown off at this year's CES, the GameChanger by Identity Games gives gamers a way to turn a $500 iPad into a board game, which sounds both awesome and incredibly boring at the same time. The idea is simple: use the board as the main game board with the iPad providing digital interaction, either asking questions or providing other uses.
The iPad connects to the GameChanger using its dock connector, giving the game board a connection with allows it to feed information back to the tablet. This allows the game app to tailor the experience according to where pieces are on the game board, for example...
If the current batch of iPhone gaming accessories just aren't doing it for you, perhaps this one will. This two-piece iPhone attachment essentially morphs your handset into a game controller that'll remind you of the good old days.
But there's more than nostalgia here. The NES-inspired controller actually looks like it could be the gaming add-on we've been waiting for. And although it's still in the concept stage, the creator is working on bringing this thing to life...
Every week we bring you a few App Store apps that we find particularly useful or awesome. The App Store is full of mediocre stuff, but iDB tries to find the gems for your downloading consideration.
This week, we've got a nifty app for sending voice messages between iPhones, a new game, and clever photography app. We hope you enjoy this week's picks!
If you're a Call of Duty Elite subscriber and happen to have an iPhone, then today is a big day for you, because Activision's accompanying iPhone app has now made its way to the App Store.
Call of Duty fans will be able to check their career stats, formulate strategies, and change weapon loudouts on the fly, all from the comfort of their iPhone.
The free Call of Duty Elite app allows gamers to make alterations that can be pushed straight into the Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 game, meaning players are always ready for action.
Blutrol is a recently released jailbreak app that allows you to map your iCade control cabinent to pretty much any game that features on screen controls. That means that the iCade is no longer limited to a handful of so-so games, which makes the device a lot more useful and appealing to gamers.
Basically, Blutrol transforms your iCade from a mere conversation piece, into a legitimate gaming machine. All you need is a jailbroken iPad, and you're good to go...
We're big fans of the Ion Audio iCade here at iDB, so when we heard that the company had announced three new models, we took notice!
Building on the huge popularity of the original iPad-supporting iCade, these three new models build on what has already been done, while bringing the magic of iCade to the iPhone and iPod touch at the same time.
If you're a fan of arcade games and own an iOS device, then Ion Audio has you covered with an arcade stick solution...
According to a recently-posted job listing, Microsoft is looking to port its Xbox LIVE gaming portal to iOS and other platforms. Although iOS recently received a native Xbox LIVE app, the gameplay portion has remained a WP7-only feature.
The Redmond company has been extremely active in the App Store over the last few months, releasing the aforementioned LIVE app, the popular Kinectimals game, and a SkyDrive client. And it doesn't look like it's slowing down any time soon...
If there was ever any proof needed that the App Store is not always laced with gold and rainbows, then this is surely it!
Disappointed with the attention that two of its games were receiving, both the paid for and free versions of Cannon Collision, LLLo Inc. has made the source code and all associated graphics available via auction using the ever-popular eBay.
With the paid-for version of Cannon Collision currently retailing for a dollar, and the free version sporting ads, if anyone is looking to get their feet wet in the world of iOS games development, then this might be a place to start.
Considering how popular iOS has become as a mobile gaming platform, you would think that the market for iOS gaming accessories would be huge, but it's really not. The iOS gaming peripheral space is actually quite small.
But it is slowly growing, thanks to notable accessories like the iCade, the iControlPad, and now the Gametel Gamepad. The once Android-only wireless controller is all set to make its iOS debut at the Consumer Electronics Show next week...
A few days ago, a mysterious application surfaced in the App Store. GameStore, which listed Apple as its developer, popped up on December 31st of last year and was available for 3 days before getting pulled.
The odd thing is that the $0.99 app didn't really seem to do anything. Most folks have dismissed the program as an internal in-app purchase testing tool that Apple published by mistake, but there could be more to it.