Personally, I have never dived into mobile gaming for a few different reasons, but the biggest reason is the controls and how they feel. The fact that the screen was always blocked by my large fingers and swiping motions on my iPhone or iPad was really discouraging. There are Bluetooth controllers out there, but they are large in size, and the point of mobile gaming is being on the go and not having to drag heavy things with you. Enter Black Powder Media and the iMpulse Controller, the world’s smallest controller for mobile devices that doubles as a key finder and media controller.
According to developers at Black Powder Media, “Games are being made iMpulse-compatible everyday. We are working with your favorite game developers to increase the library of amazing titles. These Apps downloaded from the AppStore work immediately. NO configurations are needed – just connect your iMpulse and play. Not only does the iMpulse plays everything that the iCade does and more, if your device is jailbroken you have access to 1000’s of games currently running on popular emulators [sic].”
The controller is made ambidextrous, so whether you’re right- or left-handed, they have you covered. This is powered via micro USB. The battery life is very extensive, and the controller has an extended sleep mode. As mentioned, the controller acts as key finder, so if you attach it to your keychain and activate the free app via your iPhone, it will begin chirping (within 100 ft). The sleeve acts as a kickstand for your iPhone to view movies and pictures, or to just hold the device in place while you game. The gliding thumbstick feels very smooth, and the real buttons let you spend time playing games and not tapping the screen of your iPad in anger.
If you don’t have access to your living room TV and you are on the road, iMpulse will act as a controller for your iPad or iPhone’s media as well. You can play, pause, stop, or rewind movies with the controller. I am excited to be able to just kick back and watch some Avengers on my iPad, using iMpulse as my remote. Another feature along the same lines is the ability to use the controller to snap photos, allowing you to do so at nice angles and not always from your arm.
The funding for this project has already been reached via Kickstarter with a 200% backing of $122,362 with about a day left. Unfortunately, pre-orders have already sold out, but there will be more production cycles announced soon. Over the past few weeks, over 2500 people have pledged money to this project, showing that there is demand in the market for a small mobile device controller. Who doesn’t want to be able to play Dynamite Jack with precision controls, without the need for large or expensive setup?
Recently the company has been making design improvements, one of which was the addition of two shoulder buttons. Theses buttons are generally used for first person shooters since these games make use of “trigger buttons” to simulate the firing of a gun. However, a lot of modern console titles have started to use shoulder buttons to house a variety of controls and button inputs.
This device currently supports hundreds of games including titles like Airattack HD, Temple Run, Arcade Jumper, Cave Shooter HD, Dark Incursion, Final Run, Pac-Man for Ipad, Retro Dust HD, and Yellow Submarine Undersea Adventure.
Photo Credit: impulsecontroller.com
