Craig Grannell lays out some of the ways in which Apple botched the MFi controller program, and some of the ways they could improve it.
The original MFi controller release was a mess. Apple seemingly didnât understand that it was splitting the iOS ecosystem into two camps â games with or without support â and then fragmenting it further, due to offering alternate controller specs. The âstandardâ controller has a D-pad, four face buttons, and two shoulder buttons. The âextendedâ controller adds two more shoulder buttons and analogue sticks. Oddly, the industry standard Start and Select buttons were omitted entirely (in favour of Pause, recently itself replaced by Menu on controllers designed for Apple TV), which I have on good authority very much annoyed several developers.
In retrospect, including reduced-layout “Standard” controllers in the MFi controller program seems like a mistake. I don’t particularly care about the absence of Start and Select (and L3 and R3), but Apple should have stuck to a consistent layout.
It’s that time again: WWDC. World Wide Developer Conference. Apple’s big event.
I’ve covered my predictions already. Well we see a new Apple TV? Stability-focused OS updates? Multitasking? Another awkward Tim Cook celebrity finger touching?
All these questions and more, answered, tomorrow morning. 10 AM California time.
I’ll be watching it live on my Apple TV. Then hopefully rushing to the Apple Store to buy a new Apple TV. If you want to watch along, tune in to Apple.com/live tomorrow morning.
One of the most popular forms of MFi controller on the market is the Xbox-style layout Bluetooth pad, and I’m happy to be able to reveal the latest controller to fit this style.
Codenamed the “PXN Speedy” is manufactured by an MFi-certified OEM responsible for building multiple controllers for well-known companies. Most of the MFi controllers currently available, as well as hundreds of controllers from the past 18 years, are from the same team. These guys know how to build controllers.
Now, for the first time ever, they’re planning on launching an MFi controller of their own. Their new pad is the spitting image of an Xbox 360 controller – staggered analog sticks, elevated circular dpad, large ABXY buttons, bumpers and triggers – everything an Xbox gamer would want out of an iOS gamepad.
But the “Speedy” takes it one step further by adding an attachable iPhone grip to the back, similar to the Mad Catz C.T.R.L.i pad. These grips are always a welcome addition, and I always find it surprising when a controller ships without one.
As this controller is already MFi certified, we shouldn’t have long to wait until it is released. Pricing and availability has yet to be nailed down, but considering that design, manufacturing, and marketing is all being handled in-house, I’d be shocked if the price wasn’t reasonable.
I’ll be going hands-on with this one soon, and putting together a full preview for the site, as well as providing feedback and suggestions. With any luck, when this “Speedy” controller is released later this year, it will wind up being a compelling option for iOS gamers.
Good deal on the Mad Catz CTRLi on Amazon right now: the red version of the controller is on sale right now for $46, which is over 20% off its usual $59 asking price.
Not sure why the controller is on sale, but if you’ve been holding out on what I consider the best controller for iPhone gamers, this is the lowest the price has ever been; now is as good a time as any to grab one for cheap.
TouchArcade finishes their excellent E3 coverage with a round-up of all of their previously posted MFi controller videos.
I expected we’d see a lot of mobile gaming stuff at E3 this year, as even though mobile still plays second fiddle to all the console and PC gaming stuff at the show, its presence has only been growing year after year. What I didn’t expect is the ridiculous number of MFi controllers that would be on the E3 show floor.
While we’ve linked to these videos individually in the past, the whole article is worth a read; lots of great information there from people who were able to try them all.
Elyse Betters at Pocket Lint goes hands-on with the upcoming SteelSeries Stratus XL MFi controller, and publishes a handful of pictures in the process.
These pictures, which I’ve taken the liberty of color-correcting (seriously Pocket Lint, it takes two minutes), show what appears to be an early prototype of the upcoming controller. The d-pad is a non-standard design that is not in compliance with Apple’s MFi controller requirements and the analog sticks lack polish and texture. Both of these are different than the officially revealed press shots, which suggest further design changes occurred after these demo models were built.
The officially revealed version, with altered d-pad and analog sticks
