Games are as common on our laptops, phones and tablets as they are on consoles. Unfortunately, playing those games means smudging up screens or hooking up a mouse. Not so with this feature-packed Bluetooth wireless controller.
Apple is developing its own game controller for Apple TV and iOS devices that will launch this year or next, according to claims from one tipster, published on Monday. It is said to be part of a big push to improve Apple Arcade.
The information comes from the same source who accurately predicted Apple’s plans for the 2020 iPad Pro refresh and the second-generation iPhone SE.
Razer wants to make your mobile gaming experience even better with its brand-new Kishi controller for iPhone, revealed today at CES.
The device puts controls on either side of your handset, making it look a little like a Nintendo Switch, and it offers everything you would want in a modern iPhone controller — including clickable analog sticks.
What makes the Kishi really special is its ultra-low latency technology that makes it ideal for game streaming.
While the 100+ games on Apple Arcade are designed for touchscreens, many of them are more fun with a physical controller. That can be one from an Xbox or Playstation, but the Rotor Riot Wired Game Controller is a better option for iPhones because of its built-on phone stand and Lightning connector.
I tested this surprisingly-affordable MFi controller with some of the best titles on Apple’s gaming service. Read on to see why I’m so impressed by it.
I don’t consider myself much of a gamer, but the idea of games always seems to appeal to me. That’s why, when Apple Arcade launched, I activated my subscription to test the waters. My hope was that I’d get some clarity before it cost me anything to try.
Now, a month has passed, and I’ve got some mixed feelings about the service. Should I keep paying for it? Are its 100-plus games worth the monthly fee? Can I play it when and where I want? Get the lowdown in my Apple Arcade review.
Finding the one model of Xbox controller that’s compatible with Apple Arcade is now as easy as ordering it from the Apple Store.
Many of the games in this company’s new gaming service can be played with an Xbox or PS4 wireless controller, but only a very limited selection of controllers are supported. Listing one in Apple’s online store simplifies getting the right one.
Apple just took a big step toward ditching its lame controller restrictions. Major updates to tvOS, iOS, and iPadOS this fall will finally add full support for PlayStation 4 and Xbox One controllers.
If you game on an iPhone, iPad, or Apple TV, this is an incredibly exciting development.
Mobile gaming has never been better, but you’re missing out if you’re playing the latest titles with touch controls. A good controller is a worthwhile purchase, but should you spend $75 on the Gamevice?
It looks great, boasts the best design of any iPhone controller, and never needs charging. It also works with almost any iPhone. The only problem? It disappoints where it matters most.
Fortnite season five is now in full swing, giving players new areas to explore, a new vehicle to ride around in, and more. The latest Fortnite update also makes huge control improvements.
Players on iOS will find gunfights easier thanks to autofire, while those on Nintendo Switch can enjoy more accurate aiming with motion control.
Fortnite Battle Royale on mobile is a boatload of fun — but it could be a lot better. Clunky touch controls make it more difficult to play on iOS than on console or PC, and there’s nothing game controller manufacturers can do about it right now.
Gamevice has explained why its controllers do nothing if you attempt to use them in Fortnite — and why it’s taking Epic Games so long to add controller support.
It’s hard to believe April is already halfway over. But you’d better believe we here at the Cult of Mac Store are still gathering together the best deals on gear and gadgets.
Our newest arrivals include a watchful Wi-Fi eye for your home or office, a smartphone mount that connects straight to your car’s air vent, a supercharged alternative to Search, and a kit for upgrading any phone into a portable gaming console. Every one of these deals is priced to move!
Nintendo’s long-awaited Switch gaming console packs an surprisingly cool feature: You can use its unique Joy-Con controllers to play games on your Mac.
Gaming has come a long, long way since the ‘80s, but the simplicity and familiarity of the good old days still resonates. The NES30 Bluetooth controller mixes the best of the old and the new, in a sleek controller that streamlines the original brick-like controller of the NES, and updates it with all the functions needed for modern gaming. It’s a fully featured blast from the past that’s just $36.99.
For gamers of a certain age, there are few things as familiar and full of memories as the look and feel of the Super Nintendo controller. Those golden days of gaming are 30 years in the past, but they’re not gone. In fact, they’re still here and better than ever with 8Bitdo’s SNES30 Bluetooth Game Controller, a classic in the remaking that you can get your hands on for $29.95.
As a gamer, I want a controller with buttons. I lust after this new product category like I do any new gadget that I think will improve my gaming experience. I think that if you play games with any frequency, you’ll want them too.
Unfortunately, I also think the majority of mobile gamers are making do just fine with touch interfaces, thank you very much, and that these lust-worthy devices will soon find their way to the dustbin for most who buy them. Not because the controllers, including one that straps to the sides of your iPad mini like the loving embrace of an alien face-hugger, aren’t any good. On the contrary, these are solid, high-quality gaming peripherals that will make certain types of console-like games (platformers, open-world sandbox games, first-person shooters) much easier to play.
I’ve been looking forward to SteelSeries’ Stratus since it was announced back in January of this year.
The joy of most iOS titles is the ability to play using the touchscreen. The gaming world has benefitted greatly from iOS game developers learning how to best control their games without a physical controller.
However, there are a few games — especially versions of old-school console games — that just cry out for an actual button-filled controlling device that you can use while staring intently at the screen.
The Stratus, and other controllers like it, aims to fill that need with a smaller, super-portable and highly accurate controller that takes advantage Apple’s own iOS game controller code that’s built right into iOS 7.
Whether you’ll find this a successful or not depends a lot on your device, the games you want to play, and how your hands fit on the Stratus itself.
Update: A SteelSeries representative sent us the following in an email asking why the price had been reduced so soon after the initial release.
“The response of this product coming out of CES was incredibly positive, [but] the largest concern was with the price set at $99.99 MSRP. Our goal with the Stratus goes beyond just selling a controller; it’s really about helping to define a new platform. We want to see that succeed and took initiative immediately after CES to find ways where we could improve the odds of that success by lower[ing] the price. The outcome is that our team was able to work with our partners to bring the cost for the consumer down to $79.99.”
Original Post: Well, it looks like the price wars have begun in earnest. SteelSeries’ Stratus is now $79.99, instead of the $99.99 it launched for at CES. If you pre-ordered this at the older price, you’re in luck: SteelSeries will honor the new, lower cost for all pre-orders.
A key feature in iOS 7 dangles the prospect of console-style action in front of hard-core gamers hooked on action-platformers and first-person shooters. But while developers can now add controller support to games, hardware makers face a new challenge: getting gamers to shell out $100 to morph their iPhones or iPads into console killers.
Hardware maker Signal is unapologetic about the hefty price tag for its new RP One controller, one of several new gaming devices certified under Apple’s Made for iPhone (MFi) program.
“Quality is not free,” Signal’s director Mark Prince told Cult of Mac, “and it makes no sense to compare an MFi controller to a ‘bag and tag’ generic [Bluetooth] controller.”
Core gamers want to sit down with a precision controller when they immerse themselves in a console game. iOS developers compete with the big boys of console gaming like Sony, Microsoft, and Nintendo, for their audience’s gaming dollars.
It’s a clear trend, and even Apple, which has long played the “we don’t care much about gaming” card with iOS, has finally introduced built-in code to support game controllers.
Peripheral makers Logitech, SteelSeries, and Moga have all put their efforts into iOS 7-compatible controllers, each a little different. They all run $100, though, leaving gamers wondering if Apple has set the pricing.
“$100 is probably the lowest viable price point for most if not all of us to cover development, material and manufacturing costs, plus packaging, distribution and retail margins,” said Prince. “We’d like to go on record as saying that Apple does not set these prices.”
LAS VEGAS — We’ve been SteelSeries fans for quite a while now, what with their stellar line up of headphones and gaming peripherals for both Mac and iOS.
The Chicago-based company just released what they’re calling the first Bluetooth-enabled official iOS 7 gaming controller, the Stratus.
We hung out with the team a bit at CES, and what we saw looks pretty damn sweet. Check it out.
If you’re a hardcore gamer who has never quite gotten over the fact that your iPhone doesn’t have a D-pad, Moga has just made available for purchase the first iOS 7 compatible game controller, the Ace Power. But you might want to hold onto your money for now.
MOGA’s new gamepad for iPhone has been leaked ahead of its official debut, and I think you’ll agree that it looks pretty incredible. The device follows Apple’s guidelines for game controllers designed for iOS 7 — so it has all of the buttons that will soon become standard for iOS gamepads — as well as a built-in battery and a nifty design that closes up for portability.
As we noted earlier this week, iOS 7 includes some code that will allow third party manufacturers create universal controllers for iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch using Apple’s latest mobile operating system. It’s groundbreaking stuff, especially for a traditionally game-averse tech company, but we’re starting to see the first wave of controllers to come out.
Remember the hands-free Leap Motion Controller for Mac that everyone went on and on about how cool it was going to be? The one that got delayed until July?
Well, it’s been three weeks since it actually started shipping, and the team behind the 3-D motion controller is reporting some significant numbers, including 25,000 downloads of its software developer kit (which allows developers to include code for the device in their own apps), and 1 million downloads of apps that work with the hardware.
That’s pretty fantastic, right?
This somewhat blurry image of a game controller built by Logitech is believed to be one of the first Apple-approved controllers for iOS 7 that will join the “Made for iPhone” program. It’s built for the iPhone 5, and it’s been designed to meet Apple’s new guidelines for Mac and iOS game controllers.
Apple announced during its WWDC keynote that iOS 7 will finally bring support for third-party game controllers, and the Cupertino company has followed that up with a new set of guidelines which detail a standard for iOS and OS X game controllers.
The document is designed to ensure all game developers are working with the same specifications, so no matter who your favorite title was built by, it should be compatible with your controller.