Turn Your iPhone Into A Game Controller With Joypad
Joypad - Wireless Game Controller ($4.99) by Zell Applications, LLC will turn your iPhone into a fully functional game controller.
We all love games (if not, you probably shouldn't be reading this). Specifically, the old-school game on systems like SNES, Genesis, and the N64. But for emulators on your computer, playing with keyboards is a bit odd, and the best way to play them is with the original controllers. It may be a bit hard to find a solution to that, that is, unless you have an iPhone!
Joypad can connect to your computer (PC and Mac) via a free companion desktop app. You can get the free download at Joypad's website.
Setting up Joypad Connect with the iPhone app is easy. It will require either a Wi-Fi connection (make sure they're on the same network) or via Bluetooth. You'll have to have the app open on the computer, and select your device on the list.
Once you select the device, Joypad on the iPhone should be connected to your computer (signified by a green or red rectangle at the bottom of the Joypad Connect window). If it is not connecting, you can even enter in a Manual Connection Address (found in the Joypad iPhone app settings) for a guaranteed connection.
When it's connected, you can choose a configuration for Player One in Joypad Connect from the list of emulators. You can also select which controller layout you want on the iPhone app from the button that represents a (Xbox 360) controller.
Available formats for Joypad include: NES, GBA, SNES, Genesis, and N64.
Now, you will probably think that with a touch screen controller, you will always be looking at the screen of your iPhone. Joypad allows users to configure a "dead zone" for the D-Pad and a Touch Radius, which you can set to a certain size.
This way, you don't necessarily need to be exactly on the button, but close enough and it will still work. It can be set from zero pixels to 60 pixels for D-Pad, and up to 40 pixels for touch radius.
This is great and adds a bit of flexibility to using the controller without having to look at it to know what you're pressing during a game.
Even though Joypad is great for emulators, the developers have a Joypad SDK for game developers to use. This SDK can be used to support Joypad for free in popular games, including Minecraft and Portal 2, with more games being added.
You'll notice that there is a free version of Joypad, and the Elite version. Currently, there are no big differences between the two. However, the Elite version will unlock all in-app purchases and remove ads that will be arriving in future updates.
If you're a gamer, you will definitely appreciate having Joypad (free or Elite version) on your iPhone. The interface is simple, beautiful, and just works.
Have you tried Joypad? What do you think of it? Let us know in the comments!
