It has become a tradition at ThinkGeek, a geek-approved store of all things nerdy, to come up with a spoof product every year on All Fool’s Day. And living up to the ritual, some of the most innovative ideas have come out on April First, every year, only to become so popular that they have been made into real products. This year, it was the iCade. The iCade is an Arcade Cabinet complete with retro-style joysticks and buttons that you can ram in the excitement of the game. To use it, it is to be connected wirelessly to the immensely popular iPad.
Seeing the potential and the ingenuity in this product idea, Ion Audio partnered with ThinkGeek as well as Atari to bring out the real deal. This development is nearly a year after ThinkGeek’s April First spoof release of the same. It was recently launched at Consumer Electronic Show, Las Vegas- the largest annual consumer technology extravaganza of its kind. Atari, also a partner on the project is responsible for supplying the games to the iCade. At the launch, only ‘Asteroids’ is available on it though Ion Audio plans to release a developer’s kit in time. It is not long before we find a host of iCade compatible games in the market.
The iCade was released to much fanfare and eagerness. People are looking forward to clubbing the latest technology of the iPad along with their favourite retro pastime! The iCade is an exact, but miniature replica of real-life arcade machines. To use it, you have to flip the top of the box open and slide the iPad and set it in place. Once this is done, it connects wirelessly using Bluetooth. The control panel of the iCade flaunts eight buttons that can be mashed in thrill and a joystick. Using these and the free iCade app, you can get hooked to this freaking cool gaming console.
The iCade sells at a very reasonable price of just $100. It can be ordered online at ionaudio.com and if you are looking to buy one that looks exactly like the original spoof version, they are being sold exclusively at thinkgeek.com.
Creations like these are sure to bring alive the child in you. How about playing an Arcade Bowling Game? If you a gaming geek, try creating your own iPad Arcade.
Via: Wired
