Freedom Bluetooth Gamepad: Coming Soon?

[Pat Logsdon]

<div class='os_post_top_link'><a href='http://www.theinquirer.net/?article=20626' target='_blank'>http://www.theinquirer.net/?article=20626</a><br /><br /></div><i>"Tucked away on the Freedom stand here @ CES was another Bluetooth offering, a Bluetooth gamepad which is designed to make playing games on smartphones much easier. The gamepad is naturally designed to have a PS2 look and feel. The product was so new it only had one driver for a Nokia smartphone. So the INQ snapped the gamepad with its own Nokia cameraphone. There should be quite a demand for that product once it's finished."</i><br /><br /><img src="http://www.pocketpcthoughts.com/images/web/2003/logsdon_20050113_freedombtpad.jpg" /><br /><br />A bluetooth gamepad that works with my Pocket PC? Yes, please. Firstborn son, one of my kidneys, a pile of silver dollars and a slightly used stuffed wolverine? All yours, Freedom Input - just make it happen! I have (of course) already started a cunning campaign of begging, pleading and whining for a review unit. ;) Anyone else excited about this? :drool:

[foebea]

I want this last week and I want this today and I want this next week!

[gregmills]

I'd be happy if I could just get drivers to make a USB controller work with my device. Bluetooth would be cool too if the thing doesn't cost $50 or more.

[surur]

I'd be happy if I could just get drivers to make a USB controller work with my device. Bluetooth would be cool too if the thing doesn't cost $50 or more.

As and ye shall be provided :)

In this thread over at firstloox is a driver for usb gamepads available to download.

http://www.firstloox.org/forums/showthread.php?t=2719

No promises, but then its also free :)

There is quite a community growing around the USB hosting ability of the loox, as can be seen in this thread.

http://www.firstloox.org/forums/showthread.php?t=2356&amp;page=1&amp;pp=15

Six pages of devices tested to see if they work or not. Happy to say the majority do. Its even possible to print via USB.

Surur

[EnsignRam]

Look at the size of this contoller...look at the size of your PPC or smartphone... Why would you want to lug around this big controller to play games on your small mobile device.

Makes no sense to me!

[Evee Ev]

i agree. the controller is enormous - a lot bigger than the ppc. i just need to fix my mail button b/c i've been playing 5 consecutive seasons on tecmo super bowl 2004 and it's finished.

[marcm]

It looks like the perfect thing for games like Anthelion, Flux Challenge, Geo-Rally, and LEGACY!!! :drool: And FpseCE!!! :drool: And any other Action-like games!!! :drool: Can we pre-order??? :D

[Alpha2004]

a snes bt controller would do...

[Vincent M Ferrari]

Anyone else excited about this? :drool:

If it works, yes. I would definitely enjoy tinkering around with this. It would be nice to play a game or two with something other than a d-pad in the middle and the buttons on the side.

You know, when Casio designed its first few handhelds, the dpad was on the left and the "action" buttons were on the right; making it a great setup for playing games. Oddly enough, no one has deviated from the pad-in-the-middle-buttons-on-opposing-sides design we see now.

Kind of odd that no one has taken the opportunity to slide things around to attract a wave of people who like playing games and such. I mean, Pocket Nester is a great emulator for NES games, and runs like a dream for most old ROMS, but the control scheme sucks when you have to try to cramp two thumbs into half of the buttom of a pocket pc.

I'm rambling.

I'll stop now.

[Darius Wey]

It's nice to see gamepads coming back into the market. And a Bluetooth one is definitely one to drool over.

However, this one just doesn't fit the criteria of portability. If I ever come across a Bluetooth controller that resembles the Sony PEGA-GC10 (used for the CLIEs), I'll be all over it. ;)

[beq]

Look at the size of this contoller...look at the size of your PPC or smartphone... Why would you want to lug around this big controller to play games on your small mobile device.

Makes no sense to me!
I think I agree with this. Trying to imagine someone lugging and using both, seems like a comical scenario in my mind :mrgreen:

[jimski]

A bluetooth gamepad that works with my Pocket PC? Yes, please. Firstborn son, one of my kidneys, a pile of silver dollars and a slightly used stuffed wolverine? :drool:

A slightly used stuffed wolverine......what exactly would you use a stuffed wolverine for anyway? 8O

[Pat Logsdon]

A bluetooth gamepad that works with my Pocket PC? Yes, please. Firstborn son, one of my kidneys, a pile of silver dollars and a slightly used stuffed wolverine? :drool:A slightly used stuffed wolverine......what exactly would you use a stuffed wolverine for anyway? 8O
For menacing stuffed squirrels, of course!

&lt;watches as jimski backs away slowly>

:mrgreen:

[zetsurin]

Look at the size of this contoller...look at the size of your PPC or smartphone... Why would you want to lug around this big controller to play games on your small mobile device.

Makes no sense to me!
I think I agree with this. Trying to imagine someone lugging and using both, seems like a comical scenario in my mind :mrgreen:

I think it needs a screen magnifier built-in so you can hold it above your PDA screen :D

[Guttrhead]

If you're going to carry something this big around with you for the purpose of gaming, why not just get a psp or a ds? You'd have to get some sort of stand to set your phone on too, so thats 2 extra things.

[rhorton]

I truly believe that this will go nowhere. If you have room to carry around the gamepad, why not simply take a Gameboy, PS1, or any number of other devices that would have better graphics and more games? So, at least, using it for cel phones, to me, seems ridiculous. PCs with BT? maybe...

[Vincent M Ferrari]

Okay... After hearing the same "size argument" here fifty times, I have to respond.

I have a bag. In that bag goes my Gameboy advance, Ipod, Ipaq, and phone. Adding something the size of a game controller to my bag wouldn't make a hell of a difference.

It's not about graphics, carrying yet another device, etc. The suggestion is "just carry around a PSP!"

Well duh! But that's only if you want to play games on the PSP!

The idea here is to improve the game experience on the PPC (most likely, for most people, games they already have) and maximize that experience, not spending another $200 on another system and $40 each on a few new games.

Buying another game system and a few more games does nothing to improve the game experience on your existing device. That's the point.

[equlizer]

I use the gamepad drivers with my Toshiba E830 and the Gravis USB Gamepad Pro and the pad works in all directions and all 10 buttons work(smallest gamepad i could find) Only thing i did was shorten the cable cause it was too bloody long. I Can play anygame that allows you to map the directional pad and the buttons with "ZERO" lag

Just to let you know, the gamepad DLL provided works with any PPC with usb host. You just have to search for a gamepad that actually works with the driver. I hear the old Microsoft sidewinder USB works like a charm too

[Totono]

Yes I would get this gamepad for my PPC even if it is bigger, After all it is wireless, I would find a way to keep them together, like velcro or something. I would't mind though if it was smaller, and would wait to see if a smaller pad comes out, unless an N64 emulator for the PPC comes out first :D

I believe this is just the first of many bleutooth gamepads to come. We just have to wait. Small, big, basic, advanced, programable, etc. should become available in the near future. This could be the beginnig of cooler two player games using one PPC and emulation with two player support.

Oh, and for the ones using USB in their PPC, I've seen a USB GamePad that is flat and small, only 6 buttons though. You should chek that out, if it works it wold be very easy to carry around in your pocket.
I don't remember the model, but I think GENIUS is the brand.

[jickbahtech]

Hey,
Just wondering if anyone had heard anything about this.
It's been about a month since I've seen anything new.