iCade Core
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Gaming deals of the week: 2.5.14
For those folks out to nab up a bit of fun this week, we've compiled a few gaming deals that will certainly lend a hand. From the latest Call of Duty installment to a 17-inch gaming laptop, we've got a variety of picks to suit a range of gamer sensibilities. Browse the options we've selected just past the break. Just window shopping? No worries. Join us and add the gadgets you're shopping for to your Want list; every time there's a price cut in the future, you'll get an email alert!
Ion iCade Mobile and iCade Core review
The iCade Arcade Cabinet famously began life as an April Fool's joke, pulling the video game equivalent of Pinocchio by transforming in a real salable product. The $100 arcade machine-shaped iPad enclosure / controller hit the sweet spot between functionality and retro gaming nostalgia, proving successful enough that Ion found itself with a solid reason to expand the line. Notable amongst the new arrivals are the iCade Core, which offers up the same feature set as the original iCade in a more portable joystick form, and the iCade Mobile, a re-imagining of the product as an oversized iPhone case. The Core carries the same price tag as its predecessor, while the Mobile clocks in at $20 less. So, are these additions worthy of the iCade name? Or would the line have been better served as a one-off? Insert a coin and find out after the break. Update: Unfortunately, we were provided with incorrect information ahead of the review -- the iCade Core is actually priced at $80, same as the iCade Mobile.
Ion announces release date, price for iCade Core and Mobile
We saw the new iCade Core (one of three takes on Ion's popular iCade iOS joystick accessory) back at CES earlier this year, but now it has a price and a date, for the UK at least. June is when it will arrive in Great Britain, according to the official Ion site, and it'll have a price of ￡49.99, which works out to around $81 as of this writing (probably $79.99 once things are all worked out). The iCade Mobile is set to show up around that same time. That's the one modeled after a PSP, that lets you sit your iPhone or iPod touch right in the middle of a joystick and a button pad. Both were very excellent devices back at CES, so it's good to hear that the wait to buy them is almost over. [via Engadget]
iCade Core coming to a tiny arcade near you in June
Bummed that you won't be making it out to E3 this year? Well, at least you'll be able to console yourself with your very own tiny iPad arcade. According to Ion, the iCade Core, the latest in the company's line of nostalgia-inducing Bluetooth tablet controllers, will be shipping to UK customers in mid-June for ￡49.99 ($81) a pop. The iCade Mobile will be hitting right around the same time for the same price. Now you'll finally be able to experience Pac-Man the way it was meant to played: on a tablet attached to an oversized joystick.
iCade unveils new iPad arcade stick, $80 iPhone gamepad, tiny arcade cabinet
Ion Audio is following up on its tiny iCade arcade cabinet with two new iOS controller options, announced just in time for CES, when people get totally excited about electronics accessories. The iCade Core is a less arcadey-looking iPad arcade stick, with eight buttons and a joystick, designed to allow the iPad to operate in either portrait or landscape. It interfaces via Bluetooth, using the iPad's physical connection to charge. The iCade Mobile is a gamepad attachment for iPhone and iPod touch that adds a for-real d-pad, four face buttons, and four shoulder buttons to the sides of the device. Once cradled, you'll be able to position the phone in either portrait or landscape. Both the Core and Mobile are due in 2012; the Core hasn't been priced, but the iPhone gamepad will retail for $80, which seems like rather a lot for some buttons. Engadget also discovered a prototype at iCade's CES booth for the "iCade Jr.," a teensy, tiny arcade cabinet for iPhones. The release details for this are still undetermined, but how fun! It seems really impractical to play games with a minuscule arcade stick and tiny, tiny buttons, but it's still far more practical than no buttons.
iCade cuts the fat for CES, introduces handheld brother (update: video and iCade Jr.)
The iCade has come a long way from its humble beginnings as a ThinkGeek April Fool's gag. After trading out a fictional 30-pin dock connector for a very real Bluetooth radio and well, actual existence, it even spawned a (notably competitive) copycat product. This week, ION is unveiling a pair of new iCade products at CES, streamlining the original nostalgic tablet dock, as well as expanding its tactile toggles to iPhone and iPod touch owners. The iCade Core faithfully recreates the original rig's control setup, Bluetooth connectivity, and passthrough charging cable, but kills the cabinet motif in favor of landscape support. Although there's no word yet on pricing for slimmed down arcade dock, ION says it should launch sometime in 2012. The new iCade Mobile, on the other hand, is penned in for a Q2 launch; it'll set you back $80 and score your iPod touch / iPhone four shoulder buttons, four face buttons and a classic D-Pad. The gamepad dock also swivels your device into landscape and portrait modes. Stay tuned for our hands on, or read on for the official PR. Update: While glancing at Ion's booth, an impressively small, phone-sized arcade cabinet caught our attention. Dubbed the iCade Jr., we're told it's essentially an iCade for the iPhone. The unit we saw wasn't a working model, and there was nary a mention of pricing or availability, but you can catch some close-up shots of the tiny little number in the gallery below Joe Pollicino and Amar Toor contributed to this report.
