Apple's mobile OS X devices are sexy, innovative entertainment packages. When the success of the App Store surprised the world, Apple began pushing the platform as the most fun you can have with your clothes on, especially in the case of the new iPod touch, by showing ads on TV and on the web, in no uncertain terms, that it's got game. It's certainly the best mobile OS X gaming device, with the faster processor bringing smoother frame rates and quicker loading time. They overlooked an important detail, however -- can you actually play unplugged? In my experience, the device has some great potential, and developers have already forged some gems in the rough, but the iPod touch needs a serious battery in order to be a serious competitor to the incumbents, Nintendo DS and Sony PlayStation Portable (PSP).

I came to this conclusion after a series of tests I performed, beginning with checking the baseline. No sound, no Wi-Fi, minimum brightness, and minimum enjoyment.  How long does it last at the very most? 4 hours and 20 minutes of constant, solid gameplay is the most you can expect if you don't plan to be in the sunlight, hear the game, or be on the Internet.

Read More...

While I love the iPhone’s accelerometer and how current apps and games take advantage of it, Super Monkey Ball is just plain hard.  Hand me a controller with a D-pad or joystick and I could make short work of it, but tilting the iPhone like a madwoman isn’t working all that well for me.  Enter iControlPad - they’ve been working on a gamepad for the iPhone for a little while now, but it looks like they are closer to a working model that would be sold for around $30.  Sound good?  Yeah, I thought so.

TouchArcade has anonymously received pictures of another iPhone gamepad that could also be in the works and they’ve posted these images.  There’s no other information on this second possible gamepad, so its validity is uncertain, to say the least.  It’s reasonable to think that there’s more than one company out there looking to capitalize on the iPhone as a gaming device, so the idea isn’t that far-fetched.

While we’re on this topic of gaming on the iPhone, I have to admit that I don’t play games all that often on my iPhone.  As I did before the advent of the 2.0 firmware and the App Store, my iPhone is primarily my phone, personal information manager, portable email and web-surfing device, and iPod, and games are something I do only when I need to kill time while waiting in line or when I’m too antsy to focus on anything else.  So, if any gamepads are released in the $30 range, that might be too steep for a casual iPhone gamer like me.  But what about you?  How much would you be willing to pay for a gamepad for your iPhone?  Tell us in the Comments section!

 Via [TouchArcade ]

Read More...