midwayarcadeMidway Arcade, a collection of classic Midway video games ported to the iOS, has received an update adding support for the iCade iPad gaming add-on. The iCade started life as a ThinkGeek April Fool's joke, but has since become a well-supported iOS game controller. Ion Audio, the company behind the iCade, announced new versions of the product at CES this year.

TouchArcade, writing about the update:

Morphing drug pushers into plumes of viscera and leg parts has never been easier, thanks to the latest update to Midway Arcade. The arcade collection app, which features tons of classic arcade titles including NARC and Rampage, now features iCade support. We spent a moment or two in the app this morning and can confirm that the added support is sharp. We can also confirm that NARC is still the greatest game that has ever been made.

The iCade is available from ThinkGeek for $99.99.

Midway Arcade is available for $0.99 on the App Store. [Direct Link]

Top Rated Comments

JAT Avatar
170 months ago
I assure you, your finger is aware of whether it's going left or right without a joystick.

Regarding virtual buttons, they should be done away with. Use gestures aware of relative motion (direction, speed, duration... number of fingers... you can get well into the hundreds for number of distinct gestures a single hand can make... you need only come up with a dozen or two to emulate even the most complicated of controllers.)

All of your comments are spoken like an educated person that understands software/hardware interaction.

And not like a person that has ever played a video game.
Score: 5 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Moonjumper Avatar
170 months ago
It's to give you a joystick and buttons so you can play these emulations the way the way the originals were played.

I, as a developer, wonder whether it makes sense to make all new games that use the iCade instead of a multitouch surface. (Clearly offscreen joystick is better than onscreen multitouch in some cases, but wouldn't an offscreen multitouch be better than an offscreen joystick in those cases?)

A joystick provides physical feedback, something a multitouch screen does not. That is the main point of iCade.
Score: 5 Votes (Like | Disagree)
macrumorsuser10 Avatar
170 months ago
Why is it I can't help but feel the real winner here is ThinkGeek?

The iCade is $99.99... How much of that is Midway collecting? Apple? How much covers the bills at ThinkGeek and how much is pure profit?

Every company has a right to price their products or services as they see fit. If you don't like the price, then don't buy it.
Score: 5 Votes (Like | Disagree)
JAT Avatar
170 months ago

A joystick? That's not new. And TBH, I think the iCade should just be multitouch surface that doesn't obscure the iOS screen.
You apparently have no idea what the purpose of the iCade is.
Score: 4 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Moonjumper Avatar
170 months ago
Is it necessary to have physical feedback, though?

What if you could just see what was happening?

I think the issue with onscreen touch isn't so much the lack of being able to feel it so much as the lack of being able to perceive it in any way.

Your thumb is on the screen, thus obscuring a portion of the screen... potentially the only portion where the visual cue is. Separate the touch surface from the screen, though, and you can always see everything. You don't need to feel the joystick, because you already felt how far / fast your finger moved, and you can see the results on the screen.

Physical feedback is important for many games. You just don't have the precision without it. On arcade games you want to know precisely how close you are to changing the input from left to right for example. And fingers can miss virtual buttons with ease.

Some games don't need it, some can be made to work without, but would benefit from tactile controls, while others are greatly compromised.
Score: 3 Votes (Like | Disagree)
satcomer Avatar
170 months ago
I'm looking at it from a developer standpoint, not a consumer standpoint.

I'm wondering whether I should make my apps compatible with the iCade. Ultimately, I decide not to.

Then again, I'm planning on making my future Mac OS x games require multitouch (not just support - require.) Why? I feel multitouch has some real potential that hasn't been realized yet in desktop video games. Simply using the gestures in Mac OS is fun - I think replacing keyboard / mouse with a multitouch surface can lead to some intuitive and fun (and new) gameplay mechanics.

A joystick? That's not new. And TBH, I think the iCade should just be multitouch surface that doesn't obscure the iOS screen.

Well classic games (such as Pac-Man, Astroids, etc.) that were developed for smash buttons and joystick would be a great app for the iCade!
Score: 3 Votes (Like | Disagree)

Popular Stories

iPhone 17 Pro Blue Feature Tighter Crop

iPhone 17 Pro Launching Later This Year With These 13 New Features

Wednesday April 23, 2025 8:31 am PDT by
While the iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max are not expected to launch until September, there are already plenty of rumors about the devices. Below, we recap key changes rumored for the iPhone 17 Pro models as of April 2025: Aluminum frame: iPhone 17 Pro models are rumored to have an aluminum frame, whereas the iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro models have a titanium frame, and the iPhone ...
iphone 17 dummies sonny dickson

iPhone 17 Air Almost as Thin as Its Buttons, New Images Show

Thursday April 24, 2025 2:14 am PDT by
If you missed the video showing dummy models of Apple's all-new super thin iPhone 17 Air that's expected later this year, Sonny Dickson this morning shared some further images of the device in close alignment with the other dummy models in the iPhone 17 lineup, indicating just how thin it is likely to be in comparison. The iPhone 17 Air is expected to be around 5.5mm thick – with a thicker ...
iphone 17 air dummy unbox therapy

iPhone 17 Air's Extreme Thinness Demoed in New Video

Tuesday April 22, 2025 10:22 am PDT by
Apple plans to release an all-new super thin iPhone this year, debuting it alongside the iPhone 17, iPhone 17 Pro, and iPhone 17 Pro Max. We've seen pictures of dummy models, cases, and renders with the design, but Lewis Hilsenteger of Unbox Therapy today showed off newer dummy models that give us a better idea of just how thin the "iPhone 17 Air" will be. The iPhone 17 Air is expected to be ...
AirPods Pro 3 Mock Feature

AirPods Pro 3 Just Months Away – Here's What We Know

Friday April 18, 2025 5:16 am PDT by
Despite being more than two years old, Apple's AirPods Pro 2 still dominate the premium wireless‑earbud space, thanks to a potent mix of top‑tier audio, class‑leading noise cancellation, and Apple's habit of delivering major new features through software updates. With AirPods Pro 3 widely expected to arrive in 2025, prospective buyers now face a familiar dilemma: snap up the proven...
iPhone 17 Air Pastel Feature

iPhone 17 Air Launching Later This Year With These 16 New Features

Thursday April 24, 2025 8:24 am PDT by
While the so-called "iPhone 17 Air" is not expected to launch until September, there are already plenty of rumors about the ultra-thin device. Overall, the iPhone 17 Air sounds like a mixed bag. While the device is expected to have an impressively thin and light design, rumors indicate it will have some compromises compared to iPhone 17 Pro models, including only a single rear camera, a...
ipad air windows 11 arm

M2 iPad Air Runs Windows 11 ARM via Emulation, Thanks to EU Rules

Tuesday April 22, 2025 5:01 am PDT by
A developer has demonstrated Windows 11 ARM running on an M2 iPad Air using emulation, which has become much easier since the EU's Digital Markets Act (DMA) regulations came into effect. As spotted by Windows Latest, NTDev shared an instance of the emulation on social media and posted a video on YouTube (embedded below) demonstrating it in action. The achievement relies on new EU regulatory...
Global Close Your Rings Day Pin

Apple Stores Giving Away a Limited-Edition Pin For Free Today

Thursday April 24, 2025 10:15 am PDT by
Starting today, April 24, Apple Stores around the world are giving away a special pin for free to customers who request one, while supplies last. Photo Credit: Filip Chudzinski The enamel pin's design is inspired by the Global Close Your Rings Day award in the Activity app, which Apple Watch users can receive by closing all three Activity rings today. The limited-edition pin is the physical...
Apple Logo Spotlight Blue

White House Hits Back at Apple's Massive EU Fine

Thursday April 24, 2025 5:57 am PDT by
Apple's $570 million fine from the EU has triggered a sharp rebuke from the White House, which called the fine a form of economic extortion, Reuters reports. The fine was announced on Wednesday by the European Commission, following a formal investigation into Apple's compliance with the bloc's Digital Markets Act (DMA), a landmark piece of legislation aimed at curbing the market dominance of ...