Ever since the iPhone’s release, one of the most pervasive criticisms of Apple’s handhelds as dedicated gaming devices have been the device’s lack of analog controls. It’s a criticism that has seemed considerably limper as time goes on and developers have figured out to utilize the iPhone’s touchscreen and accelerometer effectively, but for certain genres like fighting games and twitch shooters, there’s still something be said for the good old d-pad.
If a new Apple patent is anything to go by, Cupertino agrees. They have filed an application for a snap-on D-Pad with control buttons that wraps around an iPhone or iPad to offer more precision gaming.
“The same screen used for viewing an avatar’s activities is used to control the avatar,” the patent notes. “This arrangement causes the user’s fingers [to] block the action… Thus while these portable electronic devices include a highly efficient interface, when playing games it is often desirable to have a more specialized user interface.”
If that sounds good to you, it goes even further: Apple’s patent suggests that the gaming shell could also include a microphone, cameras, speakers, rumble feedback, motion detection and even a second screen, a la the Nintendo DS.
Of course, not everyone’s happy about the development: the guys over at iControlPad have been struggling to bring a similar device to market since March 2009, and are none too happy to see Apple suddenly patent an innovation they unveiled six months previously. If anyone’s going to make a peripheral like this work, though, it’s going to be Apple.
