Sick of having to touch your touchscreen? Well, those days are over, son! The folk at Fling have used science to their advantage and released a physical analog stick that attaches to the screen via a suction cup. Yes, that's the most absurd thing ever, but it apparently works!
Just schlunk the little bugger wherever it's needed on the screen and it will transfer your thumb movements to the screen, keeping your iPad free of the grease and sweat and bits of pube crumbs that are trapped under your fingernails.
It costs $25 and pre-orders open on January 6. I wouldn't personally buy one, but I'd accept one as a gift. Which is actually my attitude toward the iPad itself, so ...
Jim Sterling serves as reviews editor for Destructoid.com, head of the Podtoid podcast, and produces a number of news stories, original features, one-of-a-kind videos. With his passionate argumentative style, controversial opinions, harsh delivery, and dedication to brutal honesty Sterling is a name that you can't help but recognize.
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Gaming requires a D-pad.
At the very least, a D-pad.
Ipda and Ipod Touch do not have D-pads. Therefore games that require one are gimped or suck in some form or another. Some games work, because they do not need a d-pad or form of feedback.
IOS Sonic 2 was the worst iteration of Sonic 2. Impossible to control. I am not too keen on the IOS and gaming for many reasons but that is probably the biggest one so far.
:/
I've seen concepts 4 a controller peripheral that fits around the the ipod and iphone, its got actual buttons and an analog stick for game control. Too bad apple are such dicks when it comes to any non-apple products being produced for their iproducts.
I don't disregard the iPad because I don't like it. I would like one, but I'm not just spending that much money when I can do most of it on an iPod Touch, and at a size that's more efficient for me to travel with.
If I stumbled on one for nothing, then yeah, I'm all about the iPad.
@Hardout... I have an IPad and just received an IPod touch for Christmas... games are actually quite different on the two different products. You are right that some games are better with the touch, especially if they use tilt motion or simple thumb movements - but the IPad is MUCH, MUCH better for things like Tales of Monkey Island, or Myst - where being able to see on a bigger screen is just much easier. The IPad is also much better for board games such as monopoly or two player games where each player gets half the screen.
Each has it's place, but in all honestly I tend to prefer gaming on the IPad a bit more than the touch for many games. It's a different experience.
I'm finding that they also have different apps! I can read my local newspaper on the IPad but it's not available for the Touch (and it's awesome!! One of my fav things to do is read the newspaper for free). There are also some video apps that aren't available for the Touch in terms of watching streaming TV (though that may be a Canadian thing.) Then again, the Touch has a few more productivity/list type apps that I can't get for the IPad. They seem to be becoming more and more different with things like Flipboard on the IPad which makes news and twitter feeds into this cool magazine to look through. Oh, and speaking of magazines... reading a magazine on the IPad is a completely (and much better) experience than it is on the Touch.
The IPad is laptop gaming and reading (and cook books... which are also AWESOME)... the IPod touch is portable gaming and easy access to information, lists. There's cross over, but increasingly they are differentiating.
I stumbled across a free Ipad, won it in a competition.
Suckers be buying them shit's up for Christmas.
Kaching, cash in the bank.
I LOVE LOVE LOVE my Macbook, but A laptop that doesn't stand up on it's own? Or is it a giant phone that doesn't make calls? Or is it a games console without buttons?
I don't know what it is, but I dislike pointless gimmicks, especially expensive pointless gimmicks with little more than "street cred" making them popular.
The story: "I saw a kid in a cafe, watching a film on one which was propped up against a bottle, it was sooooo cool, i neeed one" made me instantly not want one. Thanks Boss.
I can watch a film on my laptop/macbook without needing to prop it up, thanks....
I would love to try it, if it works, it would actually be awesome and probably "fix" a ton of iDevice games that are "broken" with virtual joysticks, unfortunately, I only have a Iphone. Make a smaller version, please.
Will probably work well for the iPad. I find anything on the iPad with multiple virtual analogs is virtually impossible to play, unlike the iPod touch.
How is holding something twice the size of your average console controller fun at all? Makes me think of those ridiculous Original Xbox controllers, playing on this thing seems even sillier than on the iPod Touch, at least that was easy to grip.
My dad got a iPad from his company as a present. He didn't like it, so he gave it to my mom. She uses it for all it's worth; that is, portable Facebook and Netflix. I find it's the best way to play Plants vs. Zombies. Like Jim Sterling, we only hold onto it because it was free.
That's kind of cool, but $25 for a fucking piece of plastic doesn't make sense. It might have something that allows movement to be transferred to a touch screen, but I still wouldn't pay that.
I've got an ipod touch; and I myself would like an ipad to play the great selection of ios games on a bigger screen, but I think I'm going to wait until the 2nd or third gen ipad at least, because you know how apple is with their products, they don't really make them fully equipped until the 3rd or 4th one comes out and has all the bells and whistles....
Plus, it is kinda steep pricewise....it's like paying $600+ for a less portable ipod. I agree with you that it's less portable, but imagine playing one of the NOVA games on it?
If they devise a way where we can play the Old Republic on one of these....I'm definitely sold.....does anyone know if this will be possible if T.O.R. is Mac compatible?
Basically agreeing with KingSigy here. I've had my hands on an iPad a few times, and games on the iPad are rarely better than they would be if I was playing using a controller.
The thing is, the iOS library is fantastic. There are plenty of games on the iOS that you simply can't get elsewhere, or if you can it's significantly more expensive. Like Plants vs. Zombies. $3 on an iOS device (or $10 if you splurge on the HD version for the iPad). $10 on Steam. $15 on Xbox 360. I like Plants vs Zombies well enough, but I know which version I'd buy in a heartbeat.
I think The iPad doesn't really work well for gaming unless It's a point and click adventure game, an RTS or tower defense (Board games too, but those are best played in physical form). The only time I think an iPad would be the best system to play a game is World of Goo cause you can move multiple goo balls at once, but the game plays just fine on Wii and PC.
also that must feel awkward to use a thumb stick on something that is so skinny, flat and wide
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Contest:
10:00 AM on 01.04.2011 | 
At the very least, a D-pad.
Ipda and Ipod Touch do not have D-pads. Therefore games that require one are gimped or suck in some form or another. Some games work, because they do not need a d-pad or form of feedback.
IOS Sonic 2 was the worst iteration of Sonic 2. Impossible to control. I am not too keen on the IOS and gaming for many reasons but that is probably the biggest one so far.
:/
It's too big to be a convenient handheld system... but obviously lacking what it needs to be a home console.
If I stumbled on one for nothing, then yeah, I'm all about the iPad.
Each has it's place, but in all honestly I tend to prefer gaming on the IPad a bit more than the touch for many games. It's a different experience.
I'm finding that they also have different apps! I can read my local newspaper on the IPad but it's not available for the Touch (and it's awesome!! One of my fav things to do is read the newspaper for free). There are also some video apps that aren't available for the Touch in terms of watching streaming TV (though that may be a Canadian thing.) Then again, the Touch has a few more productivity/list type apps that I can't get for the IPad. They seem to be becoming more and more different with things like Flipboard on the IPad which makes news and twitter feeds into this cool magazine to look through. Oh, and speaking of magazines... reading a magazine on the IPad is a completely (and much better) experience than it is on the Touch.
The IPad is laptop gaming and reading (and cook books... which are also AWESOME)... the IPod touch is portable gaming and easy access to information, lists. There's cross over, but increasingly they are differentiating.
Suckers be buying them shit's up for Christmas.
Kaching, cash in the bank.
I LOVE LOVE LOVE my Macbook, but A laptop that doesn't stand up on it's own? Or is it a giant phone that doesn't make calls? Or is it a games console without buttons?
I don't know what it is, but I dislike pointless gimmicks, especially expensive pointless gimmicks with little more than "street cred" making them popular.
The story: "I saw a kid in a cafe, watching a film on one which was propped up against a bottle, it was sooooo cool, i neeed one" made me instantly not want one. Thanks Boss.
I can watch a film on my laptop/macbook without needing to prop it up, thanks....
EVERY GAME. especially street fighter 4.
oh, and suction buttons. 6 of em.
I've got an ipod touch; and I myself would like an ipad to play the great selection of ios games on a bigger screen, but I think I'm going to wait until the 2nd or third gen ipad at least, because you know how apple is with their products, they don't really make them fully equipped until the 3rd or 4th one comes out and has all the bells and whistles....
Plus, it is kinda steep pricewise....it's like paying $600+ for a less portable ipod. I agree with you that it's less portable, but imagine playing one of the NOVA games on it?
If they devise a way where we can play the Old Republic on one of these....I'm definitely sold.....does anyone know if this will be possible if T.O.R. is Mac compatible?
The thing is, the iOS library is fantastic. There are plenty of games on the iOS that you simply can't get elsewhere, or if you can it's significantly more expensive. Like Plants vs. Zombies. $3 on an iOS device (or $10 if you splurge on the HD version for the iPad). $10 on Steam. $15 on Xbox 360. I like Plants vs Zombies well enough, but I know which version I'd buy in a heartbeat.
Too expensive for me though.
also that must feel awkward to use a thumb stick on something that is so skinny, flat and wide
And yes, I share the same sentiments with Jim. The iPad is the somewhat contradictory to Apple's principle of the iPod Nano.
iPod Nano: It's cool because it's smaller
iPad: It's cool because it's bigger (?)
So yeah, iTouch > iPad but yes, I'll gladly relieve you of that heavy iPad your lugging around, thank you very much.
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