Sure, you could get one of Think Geek's iCade controllers to play actual arcade-style button mashing games -- or you just bring the nostalgia of the joystick to your light switch for $30 with its recently introduced Power-Up Arcade light switch plate. The unit can replace any standard light switch plate, turning it into a faux gaming control panel. A traditional joystick replaces your old switch nub to control the lights, while its two action buttons enable "pew pew" sound effects when pressed. If all that wasn't enough, the Power-Up also acts as a nightlight after you use it to pwn hit the main lights in your quarters (you'll have to provide of a duo of AA batteries yourself). Check out the video below to see it in action for yourself.
Continue reading ThinkGeek's Power-Up brings the arcade controls to your room's light switch
ThinkGeek's Power-Up brings the arcade controls to your room's light switch originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 04 Sep 2012 02:19:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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ThinkGeek | Email this | Comments Welcome to Engadget's back to school guide! The end of summer vacation isn't nearly as much fun as the weeks that come before, but a chance to update your tech tools likely helps to ease the pain. Today, we've got a slew of accessories -- and you can head to the back to school hub to see the rest of the product guides as they're added throughout the month. Be sure to keep checking back -- at the end of the month we'll be giving away a ton of the gear featured in our guides -- and hit up the hub page right here!
Sure, you may need ultraportables and such to get the bulk of your work done, but you also need a few add-ons to make tasks just a bit easier. In this installment of the back to school guide, we'll offer a collection of accessories that will do just that. From extra batteries to external hard drives and peripherals, what you'll find here should help you get through a day of back-to-back classes, without the need to worry about losing all those term papers if something goes wrong with the SSD. Of course, not all of these are meant to aid in serious, head-down studies. We also tackle a few options for keeping fit and iPad-powered study breaks, too. So head on past the break for the rundown on a gadget stash that'll help you ease back into the flow of things this fall.
Continue reading Engadget's back to school guide 2012: accessories
Filed under: Misc. Gadgets, Household, Peripherals, Wearables, Storage
Engadget's back to school guide 2012: accessories originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 22 Aug 2012 12:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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If you're a mobile / tablet gaming enthusiast, you may get tired of swiping your fingers across the Retina display or using the on-screen controls. Snakebyte is looking to lend a hand with its upcoming game controller for Android slates and the iPad, so we went hands-on here at E3. The accessory plays nice with tablet PCs running Gingerbread or Ice Cream Sandwich and Apple's portable device outfitted with any iCade-compatible apps. Dressed in a soft-touch coating, the peripheral feels great in the hand and the base is much like a PS3 controller. The unit connects via Bluetooth and pairing it with your mobile gaming device of choice is a breeze. When performing said set-up, you can select from five different modes to suit your needs including gamepad / controller, keyboard and mouse, solo keyboard, solo mouse and iCade mode (iOS-only). You'll always know which setting you've chosen thanks to an LED indicator on the front side of the kit. Touting eight hours of battery life, the gaming accessory charges via USB and will include a simple stand for your slate. Interested? You'll be able to snag one for $40 at the end of July. For now, though, take a peek at the gallery below for a closer look.
Snakebyte tablet gaming controller for Android and iOS hands-on originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 07 Jun 2012 13:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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The iCade Mobile is a gaming adapter for Apple’s iPhone and iPod Touch, allowing you to play games using a D-pad and a trackpad. The adapter has a rotating cradle that allows for landscape and portrait views of gaming action. The iCade Mobile gaming adapter connects to your iPhone and iPod Touch via Bluetooth connectivity. It works with Frogger Decades, Temple Run, and hundreds of games. Watch the video after the jump.
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The iCade Arcade Cabinet famously began life as an April Fool's joke, pulling the video game equivalent of Pinocchio by transforming in a real salable product. The $100 arcade machine-shaped iPad enclosure / controller hit the sweet spot between functionality and retro gaming nostalgia, proving successful enough that Ion found itself with a solid reason to expand the line. Notable amongst the new arrivals are the iCade Core, which offers up the same feature set as the original iCade in a more portable joystick form, and the iCade Mobile, a re-imagining of the product as an oversized iPhone case. The Core carries the same price tag as its predecessor, while the Mobile clocks in at $20 less. So, are these additions worthy of the iCade name? Or would the line have been better served as a one-off? Insert a coin and find out after the break.
Continue reading Ion iCade Mobile and iCade Core review
Ion iCade Mobile and iCade Core review originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 21 May 2012 15:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Bummed that you won't be making it out to E3 this year? Well, at least you'll be able to console yourself with your very own tiny iPad arcade. According to Ion, the iCade Core, the latest in the company's line of nostalgia-inducing Bluetooth tablet controllers, will be shipping to UK customers in mid-June for ￡49.99 ($81) a pop. The iCade Mobile will be hitting right around the same time for the same price. Now you'll finally be able to experience Pac-Man the way it was meant to played: on a tablet attached to an oversized joystick.
iCade Core coming to a tiny arcade near you in June originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 24 Apr 2012 11:57:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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