Playing a foosball match does no longer require buying a table or heading to the nearest sports bar. If you’re a fan of that game and happen to own an iPad, then this accessory is what you need.
The problem will all these touchscreen devices that we have around us is that they do not replicate perfectly the feeling people have when playing a game. This is particularly a problem if we think about such games as table football, or Foosball, as this game is also known. It is one thing to slide the fingers along the screen of the smartphone or tablet, and entirely a different thing to rotate the bars yourself. Fortunately, Classic Match Foosball brings table football and the iPad together in an unprecedented manner that is more logical than the foosball apps for Apple’s tablet.
Classic Match Foosball is brought to the world by New Potato Technology, a company that seems to be specialized in cradles with physical controls. I would not say that if I didn’t know that New Potato Technology also made Pinball Magic, an iPhone cradle that turns the smartphone into a small pinball machine.
Besides the eight 2-axis control rods, the Classic Match Foosball cradle also features score counter sliders, just like the full-fledged tables. These will help the players keep the score in the classic manner. The iOS app that accompanies the cradle will provide 3D replays of each goal.
The cradle is powered by the iPad’s batteries, so one might think that keeping the charger at hand is necessary, especially if the game is played more than casually. Such people might be delighted to learn that Classic Match Foosball also acts as a charging dock.
Even though the manufacturer of this cradle declared that Classic Match Foosball can be used by four players simultaneously, playing the game in two might be a better idea, given the small dimensions of the tablet. The cradle works with all the iPads, except the recently launched mini and the iPad 4, the reason being the implementation of the Lightning port. As far as the price of this little gadget goes, some people might consider it a bit pricey at $99, but I do not think real foosball fans will regard this as a problem, since it works both as a gaming cradle and a charging dock.
If you liked this post, please check this foosball LEGO coffee table and the Foosball Hero iPad app.
