Atari Building A Classic Arcade Machine For iPad

[christoph]

Ion and Atari are teaming up to put out the “iCade,” an arcade cabinet for the iPad this Spring ($99).

The cabinet, as you can see from the following Engadget video from CES, features a full-sized joystick and eight arcade-style buttons. The apparatus itself is gleefully decorated in a retro style, though it’s missing the scratches and smoke damage that we’ve started to associate arcade cabinets with.

According to Ion, the iCade “ensures safe loading and unloading of your iPad,” as well as a secure fit. It also positions the iPad at a decent viewing angle for arcade play. The stick and buttons, by the way, will operate via Bluetooth.

The kicker here is that Ion’s business partner, Atari, will be publishing “a huge suite” of classic games to market with the device. In the press release, the only game name-dropped is Asteroids, but I’d imagine that we’ll also see ports of Centipede, Tempest, Missile Command, Crystal Castles, and Gravitar at the very least.

OK, so maybe I do kinda want to strap my iPad into an arcade machine. Anyone with me?

Video & full link

[christoph]

I'd buy one as long as it has compatibility with more than just Atari games and I can swap out the stick and buttons with JP parts

[girlracer]

very cool, just sad that in order to have it all i'd have as much money in this as i do my mame cocktail

[christoph]

Yeah no kidding. The new iPad will be announced soon.. so we'll get to see if its worth it to get one

[RadarScope1]

Pretty cool. I like the idea. And yeah, if more games can be used with it, that will be quite interesting.

[Bradtemple87]

I'd buy one as long as it has compatibility with more than just Atari games and I can swap out the stick and buttons with JP parts

Have they said it is limited to just Atari games? I know the store has some great shmups on there

[christoph]

If anything the jailbreak community might release something so it can be used with any game..

[martyg]

The title is a bit misleading. Atari isn't building anything, Ion is. They simply licensed the name and game titles from Atari Interactive and are having the studio that usually does emulations for Atari do the ports of the games.

[benf]

Silly to have a 6 button layout on an upright cab. This thing would actually be cool if it was a dual joystick with a few buttons inbetween.

[YoshiEgg25]

Silly to have a 6 button layout on an upright cab. This thing would actually be cool if it was a dual joystick with a few buttons inbetween.

It holds an iPad snugly, which is why it can't be dual joystick. It's just too small. Plus there are eight buttons; the white buttons blend in with the background a bit.