For all the new types of gaming experiences that simply wouldn't be possible without the iPhone's multitouch screen, there are some traditional game types that just don't work as well without real, physical buttons. Anyone who has tried to tap a transparent, on-screen control pad on a smartphone platformer, shoot 'em up, or fighting game knows that these half-measure touchscreen controls aren't nearly as satisfying as the physical controllers these genres were meant for. While developers have crafted alternative touch-based controls for these games with varying results, there's no replacing the simple tactile feeling of buttons under your thumbs.
Enter the iCade Mobile, a bluetooth-powered plastic enclosure that slots your iPhone (3G or later) or iPod touch (3rd gen or later) in between a traditional portable console button layout, complete with a directional pad, four face buttons and four shoulder buttons. The rubberized black casing in the center of the unit provides a snug, secure housing for your iDevice that rotates to click into place in either landscape or portrait orientation, which is a nice touch. Unfortunately, the casing also cuts off access to the buttons and ports on the outside of your iDevice, meaning you have to awkwardly remove the system to adjust the volume, charge it, or power it off.
The first thing you'll notice when holding the iCade Mobile is that it's... not very mobile. At 8.5 inches wide (even wider than the oversized PlayStation Vita) and over an inch thick at its deepest point, this is a device that is suitable only for the deepest of cargo pant pockets, or a good-sized purse. It works fine for bite-sized home-bound gaming when the TV or PC is otherwise occupied, but I find it hard to imagine anyone lugging this beast along with them just to improve the controls on some of their iPhone games.
That said, the iCade Mobile's size makes it feel very comfortable in adult-sized hands, with a substantial heft that feels solid but not too heavy (you'll probably want to remove the phone before holding the whole thing up to your ear for a phone call, though). The face buttons are a little on the slippery side, but they have a nice springiness to them and don't click too loudly during play. The directional pad feels a little loose, but it's still plenty functional, even for putting in diagonal inputs. And while the shoulder buttons are not incredibly comfortable to use, I didn't find many games that supported these buttons anyway.
It's hard to understate how much of a difference the use of these buttons makes on many iPhone games. Playing a title like Pix N Rush Love or League of Evil with the basic on-screen controls forces you to cover up a good portion of screen real estate with your fat thumbs, and makes input a hesitant affair with the risk of pushing the wrong button. With the iCade Mobile, though, it's easy to roll your thumb easily from the jump button to the shoot button, or tap a direction ever so slightly to adjust your position. The improved response times and more confident inputs are incredibly helpful in racing games, shoot 'em ups, and old-school arcade throwbacks like Namco Arcade as well.
Unfortunately, all these benefits only apply to the games that iCade Mobile supports. The list of compatible games includes roughly 100 titles at the moment, ranging in quality from instant classic to easily forgettable. But, somewhat bafflingly, the compatibility list doesn't include some of the universal iOS games that work with the original, iPad-sized iCade. Crucial iCade games such as Super Crate Box, Cavorite 2, Pac-Man, and the Atari's Greatest Hits App just don't support the portable version. Other games that are supposed to work with iCade Mobile, like Midway Arcade and Vertex Blaster, didn't seem to respond in my testing, and one, the Robotron-like Minotron 2084, had a button-mapping error that made it impossible to play with the unit.
That's a shame, because with just a slightly bigger library of must-play titles, the iCade Mobile might be worth the $70 asking price for a certain type of traditionalist gamer. As it stands now, though, the bulky form factor and limited selection of quality titles means I can't really recommend it for most iOS gamers.
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