Two sticks, four face buttons, a pair of shoulder paddles and a d-pad: the formula for a modern gamepad and the layout of MOGA's Ace Power controller. It's a pretty standard assortment of inputs, but this controller happens to be the first fully featured peripheral to support Apple's new iOS 7 gamepad protocols. Naturally, we couldn't wait to put the pad through its paces.
The MOGA Ace may have the normal assortment of buttons and triggers, but it has one trick most gamepads can't emulate: it telescopes. Taken out of the box, the Ace is hardly longer than an iPhone 5s, but pulling on either end stretches the peripheral to fit your iDevice. The Gamepad's left side retains enough tension to hold a device in place on its own, but our iPod had trouble identifying the controller unless we made a point of pushing the controller's edges inward to secure the connection. Once we had a compatible iOS 7 device locked in place, however, the Ace worked like a dream.
Gaming controllers for iPhones are nothing new, but MOGA claims it's just launched the first to work with iOS 7 and its native gamepad support -- as we saw with the as-yet unreleased GameCase. The Ace Power works with the Apple's latest handsets, including the iPhone 5, 5c, 5s and fifth-gen iPod, connecting via the lightening port and locking it in place with something Moga calls "S.M.R.T. Lock technology." Like the Android model, you can charge your device while playing thanks to an 1,800mAh battery and the whole thing can be collapsed for easy toting when you're done. As for controls, you'll get dual analog sticks, L1/R1 and L2/R2 buttons, a D-pad, and four action buttons. Moga hasn't said which games will support it yet, though it believes that a "flood" of game developers will take advantage of the iOS7's new native gamepad controls soon. We're looking forward to getting our own mitts on it, but if you're willing to jump in now, you can pre-order it soon for $100 at Apple's online and retail stores, or via Moga, at the source. %Gallery-slideshow122223%
Filed under: Cellphones, Peripherals, Apple
Source: Moga
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If you think that the iPhone 5c and 5s are a little too pricey, we've got good news: Walmart plans to sell both Apple smartphones at a discount from the very start. The 16GB iPhone 5c will sell for $79 on contract, or $20 less than the official price, while the 16GB iPhone 5s will be available for $189. As elsewhere, pre-orders for the 5c will start on September 13th; both of the new iPhones will ship on the 20th. Don't like contracts? You're not left out of the bargains -- Walmart plans to slash $100 off the prices of Straight Talk's iPhone 4 and iPhone 5 variants, which will respectively cost $349 and $549 as of September 14th. The savings are small when compared to the service fees you'll pay over a few years, but it's hard to object to having a little more money left in your pocket.
Filed under: Cellphones, Mobile, Apple
Via: CNET
Source: Walmart (1), (2)