iCade 8-Bitty coming for cheap remote iPad and iPhone retro gaming thrills

Like the NES controller

iCade 8-Bitty for cheap remote iPad and iPhone retro gaming thrills

13 February 2012 16:21 GMT / By Rik Henderson

US gadget retailer ThinkGeek is to sell the iCade 8-Bitty, a Bluetooth game controller that's modelled on classic joypads of old and works with iPad, iPhone and iPod touch.

Launched at the 2012 New York Toy Fair, the iCade 8-bitty works in a similar way to the iCade iPad arcade cabinet, but is totally portable and can fit in your pocket. It works with all the iCade compatible games available on iOS, which is rapidly expanding all the while, and comes with a D-pad, four face buttons, select, start and two shoulder buttons.

It also sports a nice wood-panelled-style sticker along the bottom, harking back to the Atari 2600 VCS from the 70s, a fave console in the Pocket-lint offices. There's not enough teak panelling going on in the console world these days.

The 8-Bitty is powered by two AAA batteries, and comes with an auto power save mode so it doesn't suck the life from the cells when not in use.

Priced at $24.99, it will be available from the US site later in the year. Designed and created by ThinkGeek, there's no word as to UK availability as yet.