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ThinkGeek’s iCade certainly has a sense of visual flair going for it, but discerning iPad gamers who could do without the retro throwback may soon have another choice and the existence of the Atari Arcade Duo-Powered Joystick was recently confirmed in the Atari Greatest Hits app’s changelog, hopefully meaning it will make its official debut soon. It is likely to connect via Bluetooth, like the iCade, rather than a dock connector and it features only 4 buttons, which makes it fine for Atari games, but leaves out others, like Street Fighter, that many of us have been hoping to see iCade-compatible versions of………………

Atari is re-developing some of its classic titles, as well as its very own controller for the magical Apple device, iPad and many of the most successful Atari games in its age have been packaged in a single app, known as Atari’s Greatest Hits, which is available as a free app on the iOS app store with a few games available upfront, such as Missile Command. In addition, there are 25 other game packs with several other great games, available for $0.99 each. By default, all the games are controlled by on-screen controllers, which seem to work rather well, but what if you’re looking for a more integrated and there’s a hardware controller that does just that, known as the Atari Arcade-Duo Powered. This custom controller plugs right into the iPad’s dock, making it much more natural to interact with games, even though some of them are well over 30 years old. The device is current labeled as coming soon on its website and there’s little we know about the accessory’s feature set as of yet, although the available pictures give us clear hints. This accessory includes all the main buttons, laid out the way they were on controllers from the 80s and 70s, needed to play all classic Atari games. It also seems that this controller will work in both portrait and landscape mode, suggesting that it will also be able to interact with the device via Bluetooth.

What’s New:

• New and improved control schemes
• OpenFeint integration
• Optimized iPad layouts with larger playfields
• Better multiplayer connectivity
• Compatibility with the Discovery Bay Games Duo Controller
• Play with the official Atari Arcade – Duo Powered joystick.

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