Does the lack of physical buttons on an iPhone or iPod Touch make your gamer blood boil? There's a way to turn your phone into a button-laden gaming handheld, but I warn you: it isn't pretty.
Ion Audio, maker of the iCade iPad arcade cabinet, have made a phone accessory called the iCade Mobile that initially sounds like a fun idea. Hold that thought, now ask yourself: what would make such a peripheral fun? Such a device should be very small, as elegantly designed as the iPhone itself, and compatible with all your myriad iPhone games.
The iCade Mobile is none of these. The $70 black plastic device is long and heavy, not to mention thick (and expensive). With an iPhone inserted, you have a handheld device that feels as large and long as an Atari Lynx (remember those?).
The iCade Mobile has no analog stick, either: its controls are relegated to a standard directional-pad, four buttons on the right side, and two sets of left/right shoulder buttons, one of them on each side being trigger-shaped. As far as compatibility, you're limited to a hodgepodge group of ever-growing games that work with iCade products -- so, no, this device isn't universal, and won't let you suddenly play Street Fighter flawlessly.
Discuss Ion Audio iCade Mobile