It's pretty rare that
Apple patent applications reveal much more than vague plans and ideas about future devices, but a newly-public filing out of Cupertino just comes right out and states the truth about gaming on touchscreen devices like the iPhone: it can be "somewhat awkward, particularly on a portable electronic device having a touchscreen" because the "user's fingers block the action." So what's the solution? Buttons, dude-man. The patent describes a handheld gaming dock that fits around a "substantial portion" of an iPhone or iPod that has both physical input controls and secondary storage for game information like scores and save data. That's certainly a nice idea, and one we'd love to see supported by Apple, but we're also pretty certain this patent doesn't have much of a chance as written, since we've been
hearing about this concept since games first hit the App Store and
similar products -- including
a keyboard -- are
on the market now. We'll see -- like so many of Apple's patent applications, this one might well just linger on the vine forever.
posted April 3rd 2010 8:16AM
Doesn't beat the iCade.
Nice, it has buttonssssss!
@masochist
Definitely relevant to my post.
@Gordonator Yes, iCade also has buttons.
Finally they get it!
@fistpower
You said it. I've been wanting something like this for a while. I think many people are surprised at how much they game on the iPhone and this would drive sales greatly at the right price point and with developer support. I just hope that Apple has a long-term view on it and sells it cheap to drive game sales rather than try to make a buck off it.
@fistpower
"Apple introduces a new technology that will revolutionize handhelds forever: BUTTONS!!!"
@fistpower
they could just be patenting it so nobody, including apple, will make one
@tonicboy guys the problem is here, at the community of zodttd.com
He and his friends have been working on this for over a year now.
its called the icontrolpad.
Apple cant just screw them over and steal there design.
@bebaduh search for icontrolpad on google
@bebaduh
The problem with the icontrolpad is that it's third-party. No developers will ever support some third-party product from some unknown manufacturer. Their effort is completely wasted. This is only useful if you have games that support it.
@tonicboy The REAL problem is that Apple's patent application is dated 9/30/08. The iControlpad was first debuted on 5/23/08. That's a pretty clear example of "prior art" which should invalidate Apple's application. http://www.gp32x.com/board/index.php?/topic/42224-our-other-non-pandora-project-iphone-dpad
@fistpower So I'll have to remove the Iphone/ipad case every time I need to play. What about a wireless pad with a stand like lenovo phone keyboard case?
How about using a bluetooth controller with the ipad? That'd be cool if the games could be deeper than doodle jump, in size and scope.
@Okjeff171 - well, I don't have three hands to hold the controller and the phone...do you?
@NewL No... But I hear for 30 or 40 bucks you can get an official iStand straight from Apple
Didn't Sega already do something like this with the Dreamcast controller?
And wouldn't http://www.thinkgeek.com/stuff/41/iCade.shtml?icpg=Carousel_iCade_1 count as prior art?
@MikeZ With the VMUs, kinda. I remember drawing up a concept like this. I also remember doing a bluetooth controller design. The cover would work better, but I mean, come on. iPods are costly enough as is...
igame
how can they patent this when it's implemented by others before?
@htd YOU DARE QUESTION APPLE???
@htd
EXACTLY!
HOW CAN THEY PATENT SOME ONE ELSE'S IDEA?!!!
@htd Considering it's Apple this is
a) actually believable despite the submission date and
b) after them acting like patent trolls it wouldn't surprise me if afterwards they went after the people who had and used the idea first.
@htd
even SE had this on their phones and so did nokia.
@xconan Everybody has had this; China makes KIRF knockoffs and crapware that does this. The fact that a Patents of an idea so basic can be approved is a sign flaws in the patent creation process.
The patent office is no longer a place to insure your ideas, it's simply a tool for patent trolls to destroy innovative companies.
So, they just copied iControlPad idea. Nice one, Apple!
@artissco
They didn't copy anything, it's a patent application.
@artissco Sadly, a number of people came up with this idea. I came up with the idea when the iPhone was first unveiled, but couldn't decide whether Apple would allow it (I thought at the very least, we could use it with NES on jailbroken devices). I went off of the basic premise that all of the audio player functions it used already (for clock radios, etc), could be trapped and repurposed in any app. This was 2007. iController was first publicly discussed in 2008. In my version, it also had little speakers and a battery pack. I think this is "whatever". Of course, I don't have a device in production... but, hey. That's prb. why.
@artissco This is why I'm glad I read other tech sites in addition to this one. If I just read Engadget, I would have had no idea that they stole the idea from a group of entrepreneurs who own the IP for the same item.
@UbbeDall
apple plagarism at it's greatest...
But I thought buttons were bad? Now I'm really confused :(
BREAKING: Apple patents buttons for using games!
Ahem, you know that this was just an April Fool's joke, don't you?
I mean - just the date and the "0815" -- too bad they didn't use 4 8 15 16 23 42 ...
@WeisserRiese
I didn't know USPTO is willing to upload fake patent applications on their database just so Apple can pull an april fools joke. I guess Apple has even more influence with the US government than I thought...
http://appft1.uspto.gov/netacgi/nph-Parser?Sect1=PTO2&Sect2=HITOFF&p=1&u=/netahtml/PTO/search-bool.html&r=1&f=G&l=50&co1=AND&d=PG01&s1=20100081505&OS=20100081505&RS=20100081505
i would have still loved the iCade. All they would really haveto do is incorporate a in app store so that you could pay a buck or two per game. Although they need to have the iPad at a slight angle so it can be played easier. Come on Think Geek just do the leg work and lower the price a little bit $150.00 was out there. But so almost worth it.
I swear the next post will be something along the lines of "Apple takes a piss". Can't you guys lay off the Apple-juice (lol) for once...? Granted, I use Apple products and I enjoy your enthusiastic coverage of it, but come on. Let them breathe a bit, guys.
the situation is created now that - whatever apple does is never treated as fail................apple is getting on every other company one by one and no one is doing anything...............
one day they will start making HDTV's and people will say that they are better than sony's or samsung's................
www.icontrolpad.com ; I've been waiting for that thing for years, I bet they'll be pretty pissed that their several year project just got patented by apple. Patent nazi's.
CraigX and zodttd are not amused. This proves once again that apple does not like other peoples customization.
This has been done before. Apple cannot patent what others have made before. Time for some common sense and then punishment...
Patents are the new "domain squatting" today.
Used to be a time when you had to show a currently marketed product to get a patent.
The iPad just got a whole lot more interesting!
Apple copied iControlPad.com.
This is really fk up of Apple. They just blatantly rip-off someone else ideas.
@ewlung
as long as someone can show it's prior art they can nullify apple's patent. then again apple has the inside network with the USPTO.
Just another way for Apple to nickle and dime people.
And yet they say the iPhone is a gaming device and that it competes with the DS and PSP.
Anyone who has tried to play an action game on an iPhone knows that this is not a gaming device. And if you think that playing casual games like Bejeweled and Words makes this a gaming device, you're not really a gamer.
iControlPad=prior art. Patent fail.
I thought it was so stupid how people compared the buttonless Iphone/Ipod Touch to handheld gaming devices like the DS and PSP. Now that I see this patent they may actually have a legitimate claim now.
so apple sued others for having multi touch or touch screens whatever? Now everyone else can sue apple for having a D-pad and buttons seriously I HATE APPLE they are a bunch of pricks!!!!!!!!!!!
I wish they implemented something like the MorphPad. Put two or three rows on either side of the screen in a seamless manner. I know, it sounds like it would look bad but a good designer might just be able to pull it off.