Mobile gaming is taking off in a big way but not, as many might have supposed, thanks to the efforts of Microsoft, Nintendo or Sony. No, instead the biggest player in the mobile gaming is scene is the humble mobile phone. To describe a modern smart-phone as humble is, of course, entirely misleading. The latest models from the likes of Apple, HTC, Samsung et al are all fully-fledged handheld computers featuring multi-core processors, graphics accelerators, huge amounts of RAM and enough storage space to make even the largest titles viable.
Perhaps the only fly-in-the-ointment as far as smart-phone gaming is concerned is the lack of physical controls. Touch screens are great at what they do and for games that are specifically designed to use a touch interface it's a perfect combination. Many games, however, are designed with physical controls in mind and, as anybody who has ever tried them will attest, virtual d-pads and buttons simply don't cut the mustard. Step forward the iControlPad.
The iControlPad is a Bluetooth game-pad designed to add physical controls to smart phones that don't have them, in effect turning your phone into a mobile games console. Here's how I got on with the iControlPad with my HTC Desire HD.
In the Box
I went for the complete set as I wanted maximum flexibility and future proofing. This contained:
The iControlPad (iCP)
2 plastic clamps
The Universal Metal Clamp (UMC)
3 push rivets for the UMC
A USB cable
2 rubber end-plates
An eight-page manual
Some sticky pads
Assembly
The two plastic clamps are designed for phones about the same size as an iPhone - indeed, one imagines that the iPhone was the target for these, although according to the iCP website other phones will fit. Larger phones, like the Desire HD, will need to make use of the UMC and this is what I used.
The clamp has several pre-drilled holes allowing you to set the height of the UMC to accommodate your phone. Once you've worked out which best matches your phone, you attach the UMC to the iCP via one of the push rivets. This is pretty easy to do, but it's worth watching the instructions on YouTube on the details.
Only one of the holes on the UMC seemed to be appropriate for the Desire HD and this created a very, very tight fit. So tight, in fact, I was worried about damaging my phone. I'm still not entirely comfortable sliding the phone in and out but nothing has broken. Yet. Obviously, your experience may differ if you're using a different phone.
Configuring
You turn the iCP on by pressing and holding the start button for at least two seconds. A green LED will start blinking at you and then turn off, meaning the iCP is on. While powering up, you can also set the device's operation mode - consult the manual for details - by pressing various button combinations. Personally I hate this sort of unintuitive malarkey and would much rather an on/off switch and/or dip switches to control the iCP's modes.
On phones using HTC's Sense variant of Android, several steps are necessary to get the iCP connected and working - apparently it's much easier on iPhones and Android phones that don't use Sense, but there it is.
First of all you'll need to download a free Android Market app called Bluez IME. Using this app, you can then pair your phone with the iCP, set the phone to use the iCP as a control device and configure the buttons to whatever mappings you choose. Additionally, you may also need to configure whatever game/application you're using with those button mappings. This isn't ideal, but it's more the fault of HTC's implementation of Android than the iCP's.
Operation
Once you're setup and configured, you're ready to play some games. For testing purposes I used the excellent MD.emu Mega Drive/Genesis emulator and one of my favourite games of all time M.U.S.H.A.
The iCP is roughly the same size as an old-school NES pad and features a d-pad, four face buttons (A,B, X and Y), a start button, a select button, two slide-type analog controls and two trigger buttons.
The d-pad feels ok, if a little spongy. The face buttons use the classic SNES layout and while easily accessible, I found after prolonged use I started getting a cramp in my right thumb. I didn't have the opportunity to try the slide-analog controls, but if you've ever used a PSP you'll know that these are something of an acquired taste. The placement of the two trigger buttons are something of a mystery. Controller triggers are normally pressed using your index fingers, however because the phone sits on top of the iCP the triggers are placed much further down the back of the iCP. Try as I might I just couldn't find a comfortable position which would allow me to use the triggers as nature intended and instead had to use my middle fingers, which just felt unnatural.
The Desire HD is quite a heavy phone, which also caused some problems. Attached to the iCP the entire setup is very top-heavy and tends to want to tip away from you. For me this caused a slight, but noticeable, strain leading to a tired feeling in my wrists after extended play. I was also concious that the whole thing might topple out of my hands and end up on the floor.
The iCP's battery life seems pretty good, lasting at least three full charges of the phone before it needed a top up. Another design gripe I have here, though, is that the iCP is charged via a mini-USB port whereas almost all new phones use micro-USB. So, if you're on the road, you'll need to take two chargers with you.
Conclusions
The iCP is a pretty neat idea. Its inventors should be applauded for trying to make it compatible with as many devices as possible, but unfortunately this ambitious goal hasn't quite worked for the Desire HD.
Like many small-scale electronics projects, the iControlPad is also pretty expensive ranging from £35-£45 depending on the options you choose. I am keen to try the iCP on some other devices to see how it performs on those, but if you only have a Desire HD I would find the iCP hard to recommend.
No comments:
Post a Comment