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
I've been talking about that exact design since I first played a game on my iPod Touch!
eureka! buttons for gaming! finally!
I hope Nintendo sues them for that design.
I was being sarcastic as this would be what Apple does flu equally stupid claims.
FINALLY.
Now all the copy-cat device makers will see this and start making devices with buttons again. They need someone else to tell them that since apparently they can't think outside the box.
Soooo Android phone-makers, when are you guys going to make with the buttons already??
I had a sanyo flip phone that allowed for a gaming dock back in 2003. But I guess Steve probably used his time machine to go back in time with this patent so that they could copy it. Quit giving apple undo credit, Just because it goes on a machine with a touchscreen doesn't automatically patentable or original.
Oh baby, gimme some of that receptacle tongue action.
Stupid, even if it were patentable. A better design which always has physical buttons is superior to hauling around something necessarily larger than the phone you already carry around. If you want a phone for games, design a phone with integrated buttons. Having dongles, modules, and frames around your phone defeats the energy that went into designing the thing in the first place.
Makes you wonder who holds the patent to the d-pad.
@MikeZ
Nintendo.
@grumbles Shouldn't that one have expired by now? http://patft.uspto.gov/netacgi/nph-Parser?Sect2=PTO1&Sect2=HITOFF&p=1&u=%2Fnetahtml%2FPTO%2Fsearch-bool.html&r=1&f=G&l=50&d=PALL&RefSrch=yes&Query=PN%2F4687200
I would like to see Apple make the Iphone/ipodtouch home button into a dpad. It's already there and it makes sense.
iControlpad.
F*** Apple. Has anyone noticed that this basically IS the iControlPad? Good job on patenting something you didn't invent, Apple.
If only apple's product design looked like the application only then would I would buy thier products
I have no doubt that if this is real this device will be so "Magical" and "Revolutionary" it will not only change the way we play games on our iPod touch's and iPhone's , but our PS3's and 360's as well lol I've got a few apple products and now those words and the devices they apply to are starting to become redundant.
I remember a device similar to this back on the pocketpc platform, some googling finds the q-pad for ipaq:
http://pocketnow.com/review/hanaho-games-q-pad-controller-for-ipaq
I've seen similar design some time ago... isn't this patent infringement?