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Product Description
Arcade Cabinet With Joystick & Buttons For iPad; Gaming; Authentic, Full-Sized Controls For A Genuine Arcade; Experience; High-Quality iPad-Cradle Specifically Designed For A; Safe, Secure Fit; Retro Cabinet Design That Is Fun, Nostalgic &;Great-Looking
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
124 of 126 people found the following review helpful
By J. Harvey
Fun:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Update: I got one of the very first iCades when it was released and back then, the Atari app was the only compatible one. There are a lot more now. Also, since the third generation iPad isn't shaped all that differently from the iPad 2, it's most likely compatible.
First I should mention that the iCade cabinet design may look like the picture on this page, or one with a more rainbow look to it. Don't worry though, it looks great. Very 80s.
The hardware itself is excellent. The joystick and buttons are super-responsive, just like a real arcade machine. Assembly was a little annoying; the screws and holes didn't always line up too well. Once you get it together, though, the construction is solid.
It uses two AA batteries for power, and comes with them, which is nice. There's a port for an AC adapter, too, but it doesn't come with that and the manual doesn't give its specifications. It says you can buy one on ION Audio's website, but even now (March 2012) it doesn't appear that you can. I asked ION about this and they said that batteries provide 70 hours of use, so the lack of an official AC adapter isn't a big deal. They also told me the AC adapter you need is 5V DC, 110V AC, 500 mA pin negative, so if you want one you may be able to find one on the internet somewhere.
There's no power switch, you turn the iCade on by pressing one of the buttons or moving the stick. There's a lighted coin slot on the front that acts as a power light. When you don't use the iCade for a few minutes, it turns off automatically, which is nice for conserving battery life.
The iCade connects to the iPad over Bluetooth. It works fine, though you'll want to turn the Bluetooth on the iPad off when you're not using a related app, since the iPad thinks it's a keyboard and won't display the on-screen keyboard in other apps, like Safari, while it's connected.
The only software that supported the iCade on launch was the Atari's Greatest Hits app, which comes with one free game. At first it was Pong, but now it's Missile Command. It may change to a different game later. The app has 18 arcade games and 82 Atari 2600 games. You can buy a 4-pack of related games, like Centipede and Millipede for both arcade and 2600, for $0.99, or you can buy all 100 games for $14.99.
I bought all the games for simplicity's sake, though they're not all gems. Most of the arcade games are good or at least OK, but frankly, most of the 2600 games suck. Backgammon? Circus Atari? Concentration? Really? Some surprised me, like Battlezone, which is almost better than the arcade version. Some classics like Adventure are here too, plus unreleased prototypes like Combat 2. A lot of the arcade games are vector games, like Asteroids, Battlezone, and Tempest to name a few.
The iCade supports portrait and landscape mode, though the iPad is a lot more secure in portrait. In portrait, you place the iPad between two ridges that make up a stand, the front of which is notched so you can access the home button. In landscape, you place it in a little groove in front of the portrait stand, and unlike in portrait, it can slide around in there. For either position, if you have an iPad case, you'll probably have to take it off in order to get it to fit.
Whichever orientation you choose, you can fiddle with the settings in Atari's Greatest Hits to have it display the way you want. For most games you just have to change the "Orientation" option, but for other games you have to change the "Control type" to Arcade. It would be nice if there was an option that changed it globally, but it does save your options for each game, so you only have to change it for each one once. I tend to like portrait mode better; the iCade was obviously designed for this mode, and the arcade games look more authentic.
Unfortunately, you can't adjust the joystick sensitivity in the app, so it's much more difficult to control games with paddles, like Pong, Warlords, and Breakout. I actually prefer to use the touch controls for those games. For most of the other games, though, the iCade controls are far superior.
There are plenty of third-party games now. The most recent, updated list is at [...]. For some reason, iCade-compatible games can't be listed as such on the App Store. I haven't tried too many of them, but if your iPad is jailbroken you can get iMAME4All, which supports pretty much every classic arcade game imaginable. If you know what MAME is, that may be enough to push you to get this.
Overall, I don't think it's worth buying an iPad specifically for this, since you could put together your own full-size arcade machine from various parts (cabinet, screen, PC with MAME, speakers, etc) for not much more. Still, if you have an iPad already, it's great fun and very worth the price of the iCade. I got it for $100 right at launch and that was probably too much, but I couldn't resist. Even when I'm not using it, it makes a great conversation piece. If this were $50, I'd give it five stars.
First I should mention that the iCade cabinet design may look like the picture on this page, or one with a more rainbow look to it. Don't worry though, it looks great. Very 80s.
The hardware itself is excellent. The joystick and buttons are super-responsive, just like a real arcade machine. Assembly was a little annoying; the screws and holes didn't always line up too well. Once you get it together, though, the construction is solid.
It uses two AA batteries for power, and comes with them, which is nice. There's a port for an AC adapter, too, but it doesn't come with that and the manual doesn't give its specifications. It says you can buy one on ION Audio's website, but even now (March 2012) it doesn't appear that you can. I asked ION about this and they said that batteries provide 70 hours of use, so the lack of an official AC adapter isn't a big deal. They also told me the AC adapter you need is 5V DC, 110V AC, 500 mA pin negative, so if you want one you may be able to find one on the internet somewhere.
There's no power switch, you turn the iCade on by pressing one of the buttons or moving the stick. There's a lighted coin slot on the front that acts as a power light. When you don't use the iCade for a few minutes, it turns off automatically, which is nice for conserving battery life.
The iCade connects to the iPad over Bluetooth. It works fine, though you'll want to turn the Bluetooth on the iPad off when you're not using a related app, since the iPad thinks it's a keyboard and won't display the on-screen keyboard in other apps, like Safari, while it's connected.
The only software that supported the iCade on launch was the Atari's Greatest Hits app, which comes with one free game. At first it was Pong, but now it's Missile Command. It may change to a different game later. The app has 18 arcade games and 82 Atari 2600 games. You can buy a 4-pack of related games, like Centipede and Millipede for both arcade and 2600, for $0.99, or you can buy all 100 games for $14.99.
I bought all the games for simplicity's sake, though they're not all gems. Most of the arcade games are good or at least OK, but frankly, most of the 2600 games suck. Backgammon? Circus Atari? Concentration? Really? Some surprised me, like Battlezone, which is almost better than the arcade version. Some classics like Adventure are here too, plus unreleased prototypes like Combat 2. A lot of the arcade games are vector games, like Asteroids, Battlezone, and Tempest to name a few.
The iCade supports portrait and landscape mode, though the iPad is a lot more secure in portrait. In portrait, you place the iPad between two ridges that make up a stand, the front of which is notched so you can access the home button. In landscape, you place it in a little groove in front of the portrait stand, and unlike in portrait, it can slide around in there. For either position, if you have an iPad case, you'll probably have to take it off in order to get it to fit.
Whichever orientation you choose, you can fiddle with the settings in Atari's Greatest Hits to have it display the way you want. For most games you just have to change the "Orientation" option, but for other games you have to change the "Control type" to Arcade. It would be nice if there was an option that changed it globally, but it does save your options for each game, so you only have to change it for each one once. I tend to like portrait mode better; the iCade was obviously designed for this mode, and the arcade games look more authentic.
Unfortunately, you can't adjust the joystick sensitivity in the app, so it's much more difficult to control games with paddles, like Pong, Warlords, and Breakout. I actually prefer to use the touch controls for those games. For most of the other games, though, the iCade controls are far superior.
There are plenty of third-party games now. The most recent, updated list is at [...]. For some reason, iCade-compatible games can't be listed as such on the App Store. I haven't tried too many of them, but if your iPad is jailbroken you can get iMAME4All, which supports pretty much every classic arcade game imaginable. If you know what MAME is, that may be enough to push you to get this.
Overall, I don't think it's worth buying an iPad specifically for this, since you could put together your own full-size arcade machine from various parts (cabinet, screen, PC with MAME, speakers, etc) for not much more. Still, if you have an iPad already, it's great fun and very worth the price of the iCade. I got it for $100 right at launch and that was probably too much, but I couldn't resist. Even when I'm not using it, it makes a great conversation piece. If this were $50, I'd give it five stars.
33 of 36 people found the following review helpful
By the_new_beat
Fun:
5.0 out of 5 stars
After waiting for someone to buy it for my Birthday or Xmas I finally broke down and bought it for myself. I've had my eye on this since before I even owned an iPad. I can now say with confidence that this is the greatest thing I've bought myself this year, second only to my iPad 2.
The cabinet is very well constructed and solid with little rubber feet to prevent sliding. The buttons and joystick are good quality and make that clicking sound when used. The Bluetooth syncing took several seconds the first time I paired them, but now it connects really quickly.
The Atari app is OK since you can download all the games for $9.99 (not a bad investment.) I've mainly been playing games through the iMAME4all app (available in the Cydia store for jailbroken devises). The iMAME4all app supports around 2000 classic arcade ROMS like Metal Slug, 1941, Gauntlet, Mortal Kombat, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Galaga, etc. That alone makes it well worth the price.
I've also used it with a Super Nintendo emulator and played games like Super Mario World, Super Castlevania 4, Mega Man 7, etc. I'm sure it will work with other emulators too, but these are the only two I've used thus far.
There are also several standard App Store apps that are now compatible:
Compression HD [Free]
Emerald Mine [Free]
Deflex [$1.99]
Freeesh [Free]
GoatUp [$1.99]
HungryMaster [$2.99]
IronStar Arena [$.99 / Lite]
Meganoid [$1.99]
Minotaur Rescue [$.99]
Minotron: 2112 [$1.99]
Mos Speedrun [$1.99 / Lite]
No Gravity [$4.99]
Plum Crazy [$.99]
Sideways Racing [$.99]
Silverfish MAX [$2.99]
Space Inversion [Free]
Space Inversion Puzzle [Free]
Super Mega Worm [$.99]
Super Mega Worm Vs. Santa [Free]
Super Drill Panic [Free]
Velocispider [$.99 / Lite]
Warblade HD [$2.99]
I can only see this list getting bigger with time.
The cabinet is very well constructed and solid with little rubber feet to prevent sliding. The buttons and joystick are good quality and make that clicking sound when used. The Bluetooth syncing took several seconds the first time I paired them, but now it connects really quickly.
The Atari app is OK since you can download all the games for $9.99 (not a bad investment.) I've mainly been playing games through the iMAME4all app (available in the Cydia store for jailbroken devises). The iMAME4all app supports around 2000 classic arcade ROMS like Metal Slug, 1941, Gauntlet, Mortal Kombat, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Galaga, etc. That alone makes it well worth the price.
I've also used it with a Super Nintendo emulator and played games like Super Mario World, Super Castlevania 4, Mega Man 7, etc. I'm sure it will work with other emulators too, but these are the only two I've used thus far.
There are also several standard App Store apps that are now compatible:
Compression HD [Free]
Emerald Mine [Free]
Deflex [$1.99]
Freeesh [Free]
GoatUp [$1.99]
HungryMaster [$2.99]
IronStar Arena [$.99 / Lite]
Meganoid [$1.99]
Minotaur Rescue [$.99]
Minotron: 2112 [$1.99]
Mos Speedrun [$1.99 / Lite]
No Gravity [$4.99]
Plum Crazy [$.99]
Sideways Racing [$.99]
Silverfish MAX [$2.99]
Space Inversion [Free]
Space Inversion Puzzle [Free]
Super Mega Worm [$.99]
Super Mega Worm Vs. Santa [Free]
Super Drill Panic [Free]
Velocispider [$.99 / Lite]
Warblade HD [$2.99]
I can only see this list getting bigger with time.
18 of 21 people found the following review helpful
Amazon Verified Purchase
I fell in love playing Gridrunner and some other games on my iPad 3 with the iCade. Then I tried it on Mame4droid on my Galaxy Nexus, over 2000 games! I loved that so much I bought an Asus Transformer tf300 tablet to use as a Mame device with the iCade. This is the most awesome tablet accessory in history!
The build is quality. It has a better joystick response and button response than many standalone arcade "fightsticks." The cabinet is solid, it is easy to assemble, pairs with my iPad and android devices quickly and easily.
This is the most emphatic 5 star review I've ever given.
The build is quality. It has a better joystick response and button response than many standalone arcade "fightsticks." The cabinet is solid, it is easy to assemble, pairs with my iPad and android devices quickly and easily.
This is the most emphatic 5 star review I've ever given.
Most Recent Customer Reviews
5.0 out of 5 stars
Awesome for those over 40 that remeber coin-op video games
What makes this product really shine is when you get MAME for your iPad or your Android tablet.
Yes, this poduct works just fine with Android tablets too. Read more
Yes, this poduct works just fine with Android tablets too. Read more
Published 6 days ago by D. M. Cook
5.0 out of 5 stars
If you have a iPad complete it with one of these
Great product for the iPad so much fun if you have make or other games installed lots of fun compact but very vintage looking
Published 15 days ago by R. King
4.0 out of 5 stars
Good Buy
I downloaded PAC MAN and a few other games. Assembly was easy just read the directions on how to pair with the IPAD keep in mind the buttons are coded with numbers. Read more
Published 16 days ago by JP
5.0 out of 5 stars
AMAZING!
This is totally awesome especially at it's lower price of $50. Everybody in my office has ordered one for their kids, man caves and offices as well. Read more
Published 28 days ago by Danger
5.0 out of 5 stars
Great Arcade
Works really well with the I Pad and has real arcade buttons and joystick.
I pad can be set both ways to play games.
I pad can be set both ways to play games.
Published 1 month ago by Keith Miles
5.0 out of 5 stars
Sweet little Arcade
I love this little cabinet we use it all the time with our Ipad it makes playing the arcade games a blast.
Published 1 month ago by Robert H.
4.0 out of 5 stars
Arcade in a box
I liked the look of the cabinet. My teenagers say it is the coolest thing yet! The bluetooth connection is amazing. It has a real arcade feel.
Published 1 month ago by ed preston
5.0 out of 5 stars
I f-ing love... LOVE... this thing.
Holy crap am I happy with the icade! And if I wasn't, I could change out the buttons... but I am happy. The construction is rock solid. Just wow.
Published 1 month ago by Adam R
5.0 out of 5 stars
Gets you right back in the 80s :-)
Finally a way that I get some "real" use out of my company issued ipad. Downloaded some games, paired it up and started the time machine to get me back to the old days. Read more
Published 1 month ago by Thomas Runge
2.0 out of 5 stars
CHEAP
Its cheap, but for the novelty of it, it is cool. It works and that is what counts. The app on the iPad, on the other hand, is an upsell and looks to really drain your account.
Published 1 month ago by Kevin Hardin
