An actual wheel iPad gamers can get behind

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The KOLOS gaming wheel is for iPad gamers who want a more realistic and comfortable experience with driving games. Photo: KOLOS
The KOLOS gaming wheel is for iPad gamers who want a more realistic and comfortable experience with driving games. Photo: KOLOS

A game like Real Racing has sophisticated graphics that, combined with the motion sensors of an iPad, give you the sensation of being behind the wheel.

The only thing missing is the actual wheel.

Ivaylo Kalburdzhiev wants iPad users to have a more comfortable drive when they play anyone of the more than 450 tilt games.

The CEO of KOLOS, slavic for colossus, has developed a gaming wheel for the iPad that launches on Kickstarter today.

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Developers of the KOLOS wheel say it eliminates over tilting on driving games. Photo: KOLOS
Developers of the KOLOS wheel say it eliminates over tilting on driving games. Photo: KOLOS

The KOLOS wheel resembles the steering wheel of a race car with the iPad clipping securely in the center.

Kalburdzhiev, an avid gamer, says the wheel will have a self-centering effect on the iPad to overcome the exaggerated tilting needed to play the game. The grip is not only comfortable but keeps hands from blocking the speakers and sweating up the iPad.

A gaming wheel would keep skin oils off the iPad and the speaker free from being covered by the hand. Photo: KOLOS
A gaming wheel would keep skin oils off the iPad and the speaker free from being covered by the hand. Photo: KOLOS

The KOLOS wheel comes with a base that locks down on a table. The wheel can also be freed from the base to allow the user to sit back.

“When I bought my first iPad in 2012, I instantly fell in love with the racing games,” Kalburdzhiev told Cult of Mac. “I’ve been a gamer all my life and I’d play a few hours a day. There was something missing. It didn’t feel realistic.”

There are number of wheels for a variety of gaming platforms, but few exist for mobile devices. Diamond Multimedia and Cideko each make a steering tablet stand with curved handles.

Kalburdzhiev lives in Bulgaria and he and his two partners have been working on a KOLOS prototype for almost three years.

He initially tried an Indiegogo campaign in 2012, figuring “if you build it, they will buy.” But he admits he had little business know-how then and had too high a price on the gaming wheel. He has since improved the prototype, lowered the price point ($45), has manufacturing lined up and has done a lot to get eyes on the product.

Kalburdzhiev and his partners were at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas earlier this year and said he was encouraged by the number of people who liked how KOLOS handled. The gaming wheel has been recognized at a handful of European conferences for hardware startups.

If the KOLOS team can raise $100,000 or more, it will start a production run in September with delivery in time for the holidays. It accommodates all 9.7-inch IPad 2/3/4/Air/Air2. There is no wheel for the iPad minis, which would require a smaller wheel.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vvDPcpZZYZY

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