Michal Ždanský For a long time, not much was heard about game controllers for iOS. It's been almost exactly a year since Apple introduced a standardized framework for game developers and manufacturers to create game controllers for iOS devices and Macs that will support the vast majority of games, but this effort has not borne much fruit so far. Sure, the controllers are supported by a decent line of games (Apple claims a few thousand), from Bastion to GTA San Andreas, but manufacturers haven't come up with great controllers yet to revolutionize mobile gaming.
So far we have received a total of four controllers from Logitech, MOGA, SteelSeries a MadCatz, while another Gamecase controller from Clam Case has still not made it to the market despite being introduced many months ago. So far, the biggest problem with the controllers has been their price and also the quality we got for the given price. Razer, a well-known manufacturer of quality gaming accessories, now wants to break up the stagnant waters of game controllers.
Razer Jungle Cat
We already knew about the upcoming controller from Razer via @ Evleaks, however, the manufacturer finally completely changed the design against the original design and prepared a controller with a slide-out mechanism that strongly resembles the PSP Go. The driver is designed exclusively for the iPhone 5 and 5s, so if you're planning to buy the iPhone 6, which will be released in about a quarter of a year, this is probably not the accessory for you. The pull-out mechanism allows for compact storage together with the phone, this is quite an ingenious travel solution.
Razer used a standard layout, i.e. a classic directional controller, four main buttons and two side buttons. The design will also allow easy access to all buttons and connectors. Razer will come to the market together with an application for the iPhone, which will allow to remap individual buttons and change the sensitivity. It was the sensitivity of the buttons that was a frequent target of criticism of other game controllers, especially PowerShell from Logitech. Razer Junglecat should appear during the summer at a price of 99 dollars (2000 crowns), it will be available in black and white.
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iPhone game controllers usable for both iPad and Mac
At WWDC there was a workshop focused on game controllers. During it, it was said that Apple takes the field of games very seriously and plans to push it further. Perhaps the most interesting part was the part regarding the Controller Forwarding function. In short, it allows you to use any Razer Junglecat-type iPhone controller, connect the iPhone to an iPad or Mac, and the controller will control the games on them. A common obstacle to the purchase of similar controllers was that these iPhone-tailored controllers could not be used elsewhere, and users preferred to wait for a more universal solution with Bluetooth.
However, Controller Forwarding goes further. It will make it possible to use not only the physical buttons of the game controller, but also the touch screen of the iPhone and sensors, especially the gyroscope, to expand control options. The game controller installed on the iPhone will thus have the de facto possibilities of a controller for the Playstation 4, which has a touch layer and a built-in gyroscope. It's nice to know that Apple is far from giving up on game controllers. If he plans to release a gaming Apple TV, he can't anyway.
The advice is stupid that the driver changes with every new phone. Somehow I can't imagine that every 1-3 years I will buy a new game controller with an already expensive mobile phone. It probably needs something more universal (not only for MAC).
However, controlling games using an iPhone and the controls sound quite interesting :-). But then the universality will not be very possible, because it needs to be well packaged, if a person will be handling it.