iControlPad Switches To Bluetooth After Apple Sues Hypermac

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icontrolpad-08-24-2010

Last time we heard about the iControlPad, the long-delayed physical gamepad for the iPhone and iPod Touch had finally completed its two-and-a-half year journey from the brainpan of its makers to their hands as the very first model dropped off the production lines… now boasting a modular design that would allow the iControlPad to be easily updated to support future iOS handhelds. Since the official site was about to start taking preorders for the first 3,000 units, we imagined that the iControlPad was pretty much done.

Apparently not, though. As fallout to Cupertino’s recent decision to sue Sanho for using repurposed MagSafe adapters and iPod Dock Connectors in their line of HyperMac batteries, the iControlPad team has apparently gotten nervous about connecting the gamepad through the iPhone’s dock connector. Instead, they are looking to switch over to Bluetooth support.

We’re glad to hear that the iControlPad already had a Bluetooth chip built into its design (apparently for future Android compatibility), but we have to wonder: is the iControlPad ever going to be released? It seems to have the worst luck as a project. And even if it is released, is using iOS’ Bluetooth keyboard support to drive an analog controller really going to provide the satisfying physical control scheme the makers originally intended?

[via Slashgear]

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