Accessories

Nintendo considering developing physical controllers for mobile devices

Nintendo plans to push further into development for smart devices, and is exploring the idea of hardware, the company said during its annual shareholders meeting. Polygon passes along comments made by Nintendo's GM of entertainment planning and development during the meeting, in which he said the game-maker is considering building physical controllers for smartphones and tablets.

Review: SteelSeries Nimbus Wireless Controller

If you want to do serious gaming on the Apple TV, then using a wireless Bluetooth controller isn’t an option, it’s a necessity. Yes, Apple controversially made it a requirement for all games on its platform to support the Siri Remote, but that’s not going to cut it for any game with an even mildly complex control scheme.

Games like Alto’s Adventure and Mr. Jump play perfectly fine, and are even suited for the Siri Remote, but in most cases, you’re definitely going to want a controller as an option.

Unfortunately, there is no Apple-branded controller to speak of, but Apple did co-design a controller with the help of SteelSeries. The result of that partnership is the SteelSeries Nimbus, and Apple is promoting this controller as the de facto standard alternative input device for the Apple TV.

All of that considered, while there are other 3rd-party Bluetooth controllers that work with the Apple TV, the most obvious choice is the SteelSeries Nimbus.

I purchased a Nimbus on day one, and have been playing with it for weeks. Is the $49.99 controller worth your time and hard-earned money? Is it really the best way to control games on the Apple TV?

Good deal: 25% off NES-style Bluetooth controller

If you're an iOS gamer, or have one on your holiday shopping list, you might want to check out this deal on this NES-style Bluetooth controller. It's called the NES30, and for a limited time, Stack Social is offering it at 25% off of its regular retail price.

The controller features two additional action buttons, and two shoulder buttons, but other than that it's nearly identical to Nintendo's classic gamepad. It works via both Bluetooth and USB, supports multiplayer, and has a 20+ hour rechargeable battery. 

Wikipad introduces new ‘Gamevice’ controller for iPad mini

Wikipad, the company behind last year's interesting-but-not-very-successful Android gaming tablet, has announced a new accessory for iOS devices today. It's called the Gamevice, and it's a decked out MFi game controller made specifically for the iPad mini.

The Gamevice was actually announced earlier this year for Android and Windows 8 tablets, but it appears to now be an iOS exclusive. As you can see it features a 2-piece cradle design, with the iPad mini in the middle, and slightly resembles a Wii U gamepad...

SteelSeries announces large-format Stratus XL iOS gaming controller

Announced at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas this January, the Stratus wireless iOS gaming controller by SteelSeries has joined the likes of Logitech's PowerShell, Moga's AcePower, Razer's Kazuyo/Junglecat and C.T.R.L.i by Mad Catz, to name a few.

Monday, the firm announced a larger-format version of the Stratus, the Stratus XL. The console-style gaming controller works with the iPhone, iPod touch and iPad devices and comes with a pressure-sensitive D-pad, dual-analog sticks, a set of four action buttons and four shoulder buttons (two pressure-sensitive top shoulder buttons and two analog trigger bottom shoulder buttons)...

Apple said to be working on master list of games that support MFi controllers

Apple is reportedly working on a way for its users to view a master list of games that support MFi (made for iPhone) controllers in the App Store. The feature works a lot like App Match, which can point users to compatible apps of recently attached accessories.

The company first introduced the MFi controller specification in iOS 7 last summer, and a number of third-party accessory makers have since created gamepads. The new platform, however, has been hobbled by the lack of user knowledge of compatible iOS titles...

Razer introduces ‘Junglecat’ MFi gaming controller

Accessory maker Razer earlier in the year jumped on the iOS 7 controller bandwagon with the introduction of the Kazuyo and has now announced the Junglecat, a Made for iPhone (MFi) gaming controller with a cool slide-out design and a powerful companion iOS app.

Coming later this summer, the $99 gaming accessory has a place to house your iPhone 5s or iPhone 5 and offers the familiar D-pad augmented by a set of A, B, X and Y face buttons and the left/right shoulder bumpers...

G-PAD silicone sleeve throws your iPhone back to Game Boy days

A new IndieGoGo campaign created by Aws Jan wants to throw you back to the 1990s by turning your iPhone into a Game Boy using a silicone rubber game pad sleeve.

The G-PAD sleeve is intended for the GBA4iOS emulator that has been making its rounds in high schools across the world, as teenagers and young adults want to relive their childhoods by playing Game Boy games. What's more convenient than playing from their iPhone?

Razer’s Kazuyo iOS controller redesigned for slimness, has fully remappable buttons

I'm sorry if this thought sounds a little depressing, but there's no two ways about the fact that the first batch of iOS controllers leaves a lot to be desired. The iPhone controllers from Logitech, Stratus Moga and others have all received poor reviews, with critics slamming their high price tag, less than stellar build quality and lacking features.

Razer, a privately-held American accessory maker that specializes in high-performance hardware specifically marketed to gamers, is thinking differently when it comes to its own iOS 7 controller, the Kazuyo.

We previously highlighted this 'Made for iPhone' (MFi) controller and now new details surfaced Tuesday helping paint a better picture of the upcoming accessory...

Sony looking to mainstream virtual reality gaming with Project Morpheus head-mounted display

The Game Developers Conference is running this week in San Francisco, where the Japanese consumer electronics giant Sony showed off a cool virtual reality headset.

Code-named Project Morpheus, the futuristic looking head-mounted accessory has a built-in five-inch LCD screen with full HD resolution (1,920-by-1,080) with a 90-degree field of view.

Three years in the making, Project Morpheus is packed with sensors like accelerometers and gyroscopes, works with the PlayStation 4 console and even lets players simultaneously use Sony's DualShock 4 and PlayStation Move controllers...

Moga teases new MFi Bluetooth controller for iOS 7 devices

Moga didn't make a very good first impression in the iOS 7 controller space. Plagued by the typical new-category teething issues, the Ace Power launched to mostly negative reviews last fall despite its large built-in battery and dual analog joysticks.

But the mobile accessory-maker isn't going to let a little bad press get it down. This week, Moga began sending out a teaser image (seen above) for a new MFi controller. It looks a lot like the Ace Power, but with one big difference: a Bluetooth button...

Mad Catz introduces new Xbox-inspired iOS 7 controller ‘C.T.R.L.i’

Mobile World Congress, which has just begun in Barcelona, is not known for churning out mobile peripherals like CES or other big conferences, but we've got one for you today. It's a new MFi (made for iPhone) iOS 7-compatible game controller.

It's a wireless controller, with a removable clip for docking your device, and it's called the 'C.T.R.L.i.' It's made by Mad Catz, and if you have ever shopped around for third-party PC and console peripherals, you know that's a fairly well-known name...