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Ion's new iCades: Mobile, Core, and Jr. hands-on

Ion's new iCades: Mobile, Core, and Jr. hands-on

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We just went hands-on with Ion's new iCade Mobile, a portable gaming handheld for the iPhone and other Bluetooth devices..

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Ion iCade Mobile
Ion iCade Mobile

We just spent some time with Ion's new iCade Mobile, a portable gaming handheld that adds physical controls to your iPhone or any other Bluetooth device. With eight action buttons, a D-pad, and the ability to orient the screen in either landscape or portrait modes, it's an intriguing option for on-the-go gamers who want physical controls without leaving behind their current game collection. We played Mos Speedrun on the device, and have to say it was quite responsive and felt quite nice in the hands. It's scheduled to launch in May for $79.99 — by which Ion expects to have rounded up over 100 iOS games to include support.

The company is also showing off the iCade Core, a stripped-down version of its popular iCade gaming cabinet for the iPad. It works exactly like its predecessor, with what felt like the same joystick and clicky buttons, though the plastic base doesn't compare to the original's faux-cabinet. Also on hand was a mock-up of the iCade Jr. — a mini-cabinet for your iOS device. It's literally a miniature version of the original iCade, swapping an iPhone or iPod Touch for the iPad, but it's not just a curiosity. Ion has added four buttons on the back of the device to give it some real functionality. The iCade Core and iCade Jr. will be available this spring for $99.99 and $69.99, respectively.

Ion iCade Mobile, iCade Jr., and iCade Core hands-on photos

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