thinkgeek
Latest
ThinkGeek's Joystick-It offers a more traditional arcade joystick for your iPad's screen
You've probably seen the Fling, which is TenOne's stick-on joystick for the iPad. Now, ThinkGeek has introduced a competitor -- the Joystick-It is another stick-on joystick for the iPad's touchscreen, this time styled a little more closely to an actual arcade controller. The bottom of the stick has what looks like a suction cup that attaches to the device, and then you can move the stick around to control a capacitive widget on the bottom that acts as your finger normally would on the touchscreen. I haven't gotten to play with it, but I can't imagine that it offers as big a range of movement as the Fling does. Then again, the Fling is more of a controller-style joystick, while the Joystick-It looks like a full arcade stick, and it has a smaller footprint on the screen. The Joystick-It is more expensive than the Fling, too, at one for US$25, or two for $40 plus shipping from ThinkGeek. We'll have to try one out soon and let you know what we think.
ThinkGeek slaps a joystick on the iPad
If that pseudo-analog nubbin didn't satisfy your touchscreen gaming needs, ThinkGeek has revealed its own "Joystick-It" arcade stick attachment for the iPad. The aluminum stick will go on sale for $25 at the end of the month. See it action after the break.
iPad occupies new quarters in iCade arcade cabinet
Know what your desk, coffee table or car dashboard needs? The iCade. That is if you have an iPad and want a (very) small arcade cabinet to stick it in. Built by ION for internet nerd wares vendor ThinkGeek, the iCade features a special iPad cradle designed to not scuff your precious tablet, along with a ball-top joystick and eight concave buttons. If you have the money, space and understanding loved ones to spare, you can pre-order the iCade for $99 from ThinkGeek. Shipments begin this spring and include the iCade app, a front-end for (initially) a handful of Atari classics, such as Asteroids, with the promise of more to come. The iCade API is also being provided to iOS devs free of charge, so here's hoping the likes of Cave release updates to make their games compatible with this inspired add-on.
Ion iCade hands-on: gaming on the iPad like it's 1979 (video)
You may recall ThinkGeek's pretty convincing April Fools' prank last year: the iCade cabinet for the iPad. Now, thanks to the keen beans at Ion, the two companies held hands and turned this totally rad concept into reality (although they're definitely not the first). Come late spring, retro gaming enthusiasts will be able to pick up one of these well-built Bluetooth joystick kits for $99 direct from Ion, and eventually they'll make it across the pond for about €99 and £79. Don't worry, there'll be plenty of classic games available to suit the iCase courtesy of Atari, who's already got Asteroids working beautifully on the iPad (and it's actually a lot harder than it looks); any iOS game that takes a Bluetooth input peripheral should also play nice with the iCade. Hands-on video after the break. %Gallery-113155%
ThinkGeek Joystick-It brings arcade-style fun to your otherwise mundane tablet gaming experience
We've seen many arcade-style joysticks for video game consoles over the years, and the trend is making its way to the tablet market. The ThinkGeek Joystick-It attaches to your tablet's screen in a position of your choosing so that you can game on your shiny new slate in a decidedly retro way. The joystick is all-aluminum, works with any game that has an on-screen control pad, and does its thing without the use of batteries. We don't know how the device actually attaches to the display, but we do know that it is more aesthetically pleasing than other tactile control solutions we've seen at CES this year. The Joystick-It will cost $24.95 and be available by the end of January, so if old-school gaming is your thing, check out the demo video after the break. [Thanks, Jessica] %Gallery-113014%
Official t-shirts provide uniforms for Minecrafting
In what might be the first official merch release for a game that hasn't even hit beta, you can now express your appreciation for indie sensation Minecraft by wearing some real-world Minecraft ... crafts. ThinkGeek is selling two officially-licensed t-shirts, one featuring the Creeper and another bearing the logo of a fictitious Crafters union. Each shirt is available for $20 in sizes up to XL, with XXL and XXXL versions available for an additional dollar per X. Either is a great gift for the Minecraft fan in your life -- but if you don't have the money for t-shirts, you can always give the thoughtful gift of personal assurance that monsters can't knock your house over.
New Stormwind and Orgrimmar mugs available from TavernCraft
Taverncraft and ThinkGeek now have available both the Alliance and Horde Taverncraft mugs for order at their respective sites, just in time for the holidays. The Alliance mug features King Varian Wrynn and the capital of Stormwind, while the Horde mug features Orgrimmar with once-Warchief Thrall. Both mugs are stoneware and are shipping in late December. Check them out at Taverncraft and ThinkGeek.
ThinkGeek TK-421 iPhone keyboard case review
We've been eagerly waiting for iPhone cases with built-in keyboards to hit ever since iOS 4 added Bluetooth keyboard support, but they simply haven't materialized like we'd hoped -- in fact, ThinkGeek's TK-421 case is the first to hit the market, nearly eight months after iOS 4 was first announced. Now that it's finally here, we've got to ask -- is this thing the ultimate iPhone accessory? Does the iPhone actually need a keyboard? Does flipping open automatically make something awesome? Read on to find out. %Gallery-108609%
ThinkGeek's synth shirt brings a new wave to your wardrobe
Looking for a new wearable instrument now that you've finally worn out your bongo drum t-shirt? Then you might want to consider ThinkGeeks' new synthesizer shirt, which packs five different sampled instruments, full polyphonic sound, and a handsome "wearable" amp. Head on past the break to get an idea of what the shirt's capable of, and look for it to start shipping on November 29th for $29.99 to $32.98 depending on the size.
Another hardware keyboard solution for iPhone
There are many iPhone detractors who still won't let go of the fact that the iPhone doesn't have a physical keyboard. Whether it's because the on-screen keyboard is too difficult to use, or the move away from "the norm" is too jarring, it's what holds back many from making the switch or from liking the iPhone they already have. There have been physical keyboard solutions for the iPhone for some time now, like the 4iThumbs and iTwinge overlays, but now there's a new type of keyboard from ThinkGeek that connects to your iPhone via Bluetooth and doubles as a case. The $49.99 keyboard is powered by its own rechargeable batteries (recharges via USB) and, when not in use, can flip to the backside of the phone. Unfortunately, once the keyboard is flipped to the back, it's obstructing the camera, so taking photos is going to be cumbersome with this thing attached. It's also going to add a bit of bulk to your phone, but what do you expect when you're carrying around a separate keyboard for the thing? [via iPhone Savior]
TK-421 abandons his post, brings us this flip-out QWERTY case for iPhone
Nuu Mini Key didn't satisfy your desire for a physical keyboard on your iPhone? Try this TK-421 QWERTY case instead, which sexes up the formula with a swiveling package that hearkens back to the T-Mobile Sidekick. There's still no extra battery life to be had here, and yes, the keypad connects via Bluetooth, but we're willing to sacrifice a good bit for a totally awesome hinge and a dedicated number row. Invented, designed and sold by ThinkGeek, gadget stocking stuffer seller extraordinaire, the unit's priced at a very reasonable $50. Shame it's not slated to ship till "mid-November" and only then in limited quantities, else we'd snap up two right now. Watch that screen spin right round after the break.
iCade-like "Freekade" iPad arcade cabinet up for auction
Last April -- as is their recent tradition -- ThinkGeek put on its show of April Fool's Day items. Most of these fake items are of the "OMG I need to have that!" variety, like the Tauntaun sleeping bag from a past year. This past April's list included the "iCade" iPad gaming cabinet, which would have allowed you to slide your iPad into a wood-vaneer, classic-looking mini arcade cabinet. Just because it was a fake item doesn't mean someone else could take a stab at it, and that's just what happened. You can now bid on the pictured item -- dubbed the "Freekade" -- to have your very own iCade-like iPad mount. The controls work via Bluetooth and require a jailbroken iPad and emulated games provided via the Cydia store. Check out the video demo after the break (just turn your volume down -- the clackety-clack of the arcade buttons is annoying as hell). If you're not one to go bidding on something like this, it'll reportedly be available on an online store in the future. I half wish someone would just make a cheaper, non-functional version of this thing just to serve as an iPad dock.
iPad arcade cabinet built out of cardboard
ThinkGeek posted an iPad arcade cabinet as an April Fool's joke this past year, but gamer Hideyoshi Moriya actually did build just such a cabinet out of cardboard and hardware -- you plug the iPad into a dock, and then you can control software with the joystick and buttons via an Arduino board. You can see a full video of the device running (along with some cute puppies) after the jump below. ThinkGeek was only kidding, and Moriya is just joking around, but there is definitely a viable demand for something like this. Sure, the cabinet form built out of cardboard is totally a prototype, but a little stand that you could just plug the iPad into and then control arcade games with buttons and a joystick? That thing would sell like hotcakes.
Locked ON-Proximity Sensing Shirt alerts you to nearby nerds (video)
Hot on the heels of its Wi-Fi detecting t-shirt, the kids at Think Geek have unveiled their Locked ON proximity sensing garb. Powered by 3 AAA batteries, the shirt is constantly scanning for another just like it -- signaling when the two come in range (a few meters) and "locking in" once you make contact. If you're alone in the world (and, let's face it -- clothing like this just might ensure that remains the case), the radar screen on the shirt will be display a persistent "scanning" pattern. We sort of wish we had one of these when we went to raves. Retails for $20 -- hit the source link to order one up for yourself.
One quarter of "broadband households" have digital photo frames, we find one for the rest of you
Yeah, we know; next to pico projectors it's hard to find any bit of technology more boring than digital photo frames. These days they don't catch our eye unless they can print pictures of your pre-school beauty queen or integrate some unexpected combination of networking hardware. Still, they're selling like hotcakes, set to be in 25 percent of "broadband households" by the end of the year. Adoption in dial-up households has not been revealed but we're guessing it's... slower. For those folks we recommend the first ever analog digital frame that may not print anything or hit Flickr or even automatically cycle through those pictures in that hidden directory you forgot about, but it is at least made entirely of wood, which makes it better for the environment than CFL LCDs. And, at just $25 from ThinkGeek, it's a perfect holiday gift -- for yourself.
Some ThinkGeek Dreamcasts not so new
The fiction we'd established for ourselves around ThinkGeek's recently unleashed stash of new Dreamcasts was fairly elaborate. Let's just say it involved one of Bernie Stolar's forgotten summer homes and a tesseract. But now it seems that some of the supply was just plain old.One of ThinkGeek's customers complained to Destructoid yesterday, saying that their console (advertised as new-in-box) had fairly obvious signs of wear and tear. The company said that it would offer a refund to the customer, explaining that it had inspected some other consoles from the same batch and found them all to be brand new.It's nice that ThinkGeek's doing the right thing, but we can't help but be disappointed watching our "fold in space-time" theory go up in smoke.
It's ThinkGeeking: Online retailer selling new Dreamcasts
We thought ThinkGeek's coolest items were the fake ones the company made up for April Fools Day. It has finally outdone its staff's own imagination, with Sega Dreamcasts. For $99.99, you can purchase a brand new North American Dreamcast, complete with cables, controllers, a web browser disc (version 2.0, so it includes Sega Swirl) and a demo disc.You're on your own for games, which means you may have to resort to putting used games in your new console. Not that it's really a problem to spend the tiny amount of money required to equip your system with a bunch of great games -- Jet Set Radio, Shenmue, Bangai-O, Space Channel 5 and Typing of the Dead come to mind immediately.We're of the opinion that the gaming community would get along so much better if everybody just played some Dreamcast and remembered what fun was like. After the break, we remember Segata Sanshiro, and the noble sacrifice that granted the Dreamcast its life.
Nabaztag's Violet RFID-readin' USB Mirror now available
Looking for a brighter, cuter way to search for those RFID implants the government has hidden somewhere in your body? The Violet RFID Mirror is your gadget, and it's now shipping. Those not running from the NWO will find the $59.99 gadget has a myriad of other uses as well, letting you tag all sorts of things and have them trigger various applications. You could set your keys on it and have it launch a traffic report, or put your wallet on there to bring up your bank statement. You know, useless but still interesting stuff -- a lot like the company's multi-colored bunnies that seem to love to sit upon them.[Via I4U]
When your finger just won't cut it, the iPhone Touch Stylus
Although the iPhone and iPod touch were designed with your finger in mind, for those who have trouble controlling the screen (or who have long, styled fingernails), there is the iPhone Japanese Touch Stylus. The stylus has a flexible tip that mimics your finger's capacitive ability to control the objects on the screen. The tip is flexible, allowing for easy dragging without gouging your screen. It also includes a handy SIM eject tool. The stylus is imported from Japan, and is available in silver or black. Both colors are $14.99 from ThinkGeek. [Via iPhoneIndia]
Behind the Curtain: Don't be ashamed
Picture the scene – you're at a family gathering, or maybe you're meeting your significant other's friends and family for the first time, and the conversation turns interrogative. Questions are asked about your hobbies; what you do to relax and how you spend your spare time. What do you do? When put on the spot like that, it's natural for gamers to feel trapped, to feel like admitting to playing MMOs would be tantamount to admitting to a rather kinky fetish or confessing that you've got a rather embarrassing disease – it might not be catching, but there's a chance that you'll get some funny looks, and you may just lose some credibility points. What about job interviews and applications? These invariably have a point where questions are asked about you hobbies and leisure time. While there are good arguments that putting down strong examples of guild leadership might work in your favour – owning up to the fact that you play an MMO upwards of 15 hours a week might not be the smartest thing career-wise. Don't get me wrong – I am proud and happy to be a geek and a gamer, and I've never wanted to be anything else; the wall above my desk sports a rare Akira poster I picked up on holiday France a while back; I own the complete boxed set of the original Transformers series; and much of my wardrobe consists of t-shirts from ThinkGeek and the Penny Arcade store. People ask me what I do in my spare time, and I look them straight in the eye and tell them that I'm a gamer, and while I'm not ashamed of it, I can't help but wince a little when I see most people's reaction to it.