iControlPad = Awesome, but OMINOUS CLOUDS lurk...

[esteban]

Sadly, I had not heard of "iControlPad" until reading about it recently on slashdot. Personally, I think it is a great idea.

The iControlPad (scroll down to see videos)

Unfortunately, it appears that all is not peachy... apparently, a patent for this concept was filed by Apple several months after iControlPad was announced:

"The inventors on Apple's patent application are listed as Brett Allen and Sanjay Gadkari. Gadkari appears to be a patent attorney employed by Apple."

[Arkhan]

looks like a gimpy attempt to be a PSP to me.

[SignOfZeta]

looks like a gimpy attempt to be a PSP to me.

...what?

[Tatsujin]

uhh, he stole my idea!!!!

[Arkhan]

looks like a gimpy attempt to be a PSP to me.

...what?

it looks like they made the attachment in the attempts to allow you to use your iPhone to play games properly, yknow, like a PSP.


instead of with crapassery.

[SignOfZeta]

I don't see how this is PSP-like in the slightest. Are you saying this because its black...or something.

It adds buttons and d-pad to the iPhone/Touch, which is the one significant thing that these would-be-great systems lack. Its about as PSP as it is Turbo Express.

[Necromancer]

Unfortunately, it appears that all is not peachy... apparently, a patent for this concept was filed by Apple several months after iControlPad was announced:

"The inventors on Apple's patent application are listed as Brett Allen and Sanjay Gadkari. Gadkari appears to be a patent attorney employed by Apple."

I wouldn't think they'd grant a patent on something after someone else had already designed/made a similar product, but who knows?  Apple has deep enough pockets to crush almost anyone in their path.

I don't see how this is PSP-like in the slightest. Are you saying this because its black...or something.

It adds buttons and d-pad to the iPhone/Touch, which is the one significant thing that these would-be-great systems lack. Its about as PSP as it is Turbo Express.

Indeed.  Perhaps Arkhan meant that it's a gimpy attempt to turn the iPhone/iPad into 'real' portable gaming system, but what's wrong with that?  The DS sucks in a lot of ways and is getting rather long in the tooth, so I'm all for the competition (Sony doesn't know what they're doing anymore (PSPgo), so they don't count).

[SignOfZeta]

I wouldn't think they'd grant a patent on something after someone else had already designed/made a similar product, but who knows?  Apple has deep enough pockets to crush almost anyone in their path.

I don't have any problem believing this. The US patent system is so incredibly broken that you wouldn't even have to bribe anyone. The government is like...I can't remember, something like 600,000 applications behind. We've got companies that make no products suing each other over patents of things that they aren't even going to make, people being granted patents for shit like replicators and time machines...its all f*cked up. Everyone wants to be IBM or Atari and just get rich squatting on legal documents and lawsuits rather than actual products or innovation.

Mr. Lif should do a song about this...

[Arkhan]

Indeed.  Perhaps Arkhan meant that it's a gimpy attempt to turn the iPhone/iPad into 'real' portable gaming system, but what's wrong with that?  The DS sucks in a lot of ways and is getting rather long in the tooth, so I'm all for the competition (Sony doesn't know what they're doing anymore (PSPgo), so they don't count).

yeah, thats what I meant.

and the thing that I see wrong with it is mostly the fact that the games/"entertainment" titles for the iPhone in the store, are crap.  lol remember that chart with the statistics showing iPhone/iPod touch having way more entertainment titles than the DS or PSP?



maybe when Falcom games start showing up in the store, i'll bite.