It seems that the arrival of the fourth generation Apple TV was what was needed for Apple to bet heavily on video games. iOS 7 brought with it the ability to use (without jailbreak) controllers to play App Store titles, but now Apple is offering these controllers in its own stores. The first command to arrive was the SteelSeries Nimbus and, from today, the Gamevice for iPhone, a controller that mounts to the sides of the smartphone and will make us feel like we have a portable console in our hands.
This Gamevice, compatible with iPhone 6 / 6s and iPhone 6 Plus / 6s Plus, connects to Lightning port of the iPhone, unlike other Bluetooth MFi as the aforementioned Nimbus. As you can see in the following image, the Gamevice folds up for when we are not using it, which makes it quite compact to take it anywhere, although I am very afraid that it will not fit well in a jeans pocket.
The Gamevice has all the buttons you would expect on an MFi controller: digital sticks, directional pad, the four action buttons A, B, X, and Y, the top L / R buttons 1 and 2, and the pause button. In addition, it also has 4 LEDs on the front, which indicates the remote control number that we are using (if we use more than one), among other things. On the other hand, the Gamevice connects to the 3.5mm port, which would allow us to use headphones.
The Gamevice has a 400mAh built-in battery It is charged via the micro USB port, something that does not seem right to me, especially considering that the SteelSeries Nimbus is charged via the Lightning port. It is not a very important detail, but it is more comfortable if we use the same cable as the iPhone so as not to have to alternate cables.
The problem, pending confirmation, could be the price. In the United States, which is where the Gamevice for iPhone has already appeared, it is available for $99,95 and they say it is the same price as the iPad version, so we can think that the Gamevice for iPhone will have a price of € 109,95. It is a much higher price than other controllers have, but it may be worth it if you want to enjoy an experience similar to that offered by a portable console.
An article that mentions cheaper controls would be appreciated.
I am attentive to the version for iPad Mini .... for emulators it has to be milk.
The problem in my opinion is that it cannot connect
to Apple TV, if connected via lightning, it will only be supported
with the iPhone.
I already have the Moga Ace Power controller for him
IPhone 5s, which is luxurious, but is not compatible
with Apple TV for lacking Bluetooth, (spend the money on another) if really
want these controls to succeed, they must connect a cable or a
Bluetooth adapter to make them compatible with many more Apple products
best.
I don't see it in the American apple store ... Pablo, what would you recommend for gaming, a control like that that plugs into the iphone or a stand-alone one that can be used with iphone, apple tv ... like this: http://www.apple.com/shop/product/HJ162ZM/A/steelseries-nimbus-wireless-gaming-controller?fnode=a3
Hi Sebastian. If you ask me, I recommend the Nimbus. The only thing that is better (for me) the Gamevice is that you can turn the iPhone into a kind of portable console, which can come in handy if, for example, you want to play on a train while traveling. But to play at home where you can support the iPhone, the Nimbus is bluetooth and it works for the iPhone, the iPad, the Apple TV and the Mac. On the Mac it is compatible with OpenEmu, which is an emulator that has lots of classic consoles . Also, it is cheaper.
A greeting.
Thanks for your opinion, I think I'll go for the Nimbus.
Greetings.