We’ve seen iPad games that have utilized the bundled AirPlay feature to output game video to the Apple TV, but JoyPad is taking this concept one step further with the release of its iPhone app and accompanying SDK. Joypad turns your iPhone into a functioning controller for iPad and/or Mac games.
As a user, you simply need to download the Joypad controller app on your iOS device, and an app that has the SDK embedded on your iPad. Once you launch a compatible app and the Joypad controller app , the two sync up and you can start controlling the game from your iPhone or iPod touch.
Pair this with iOS5’s ability to AirPlay pretty much every app to your Apple TV, and you’ve just converted your iPad into a full fledged gaming console.
The Joypad controller can pair with your iPad via Bluetooth or Wi-Fi, and supports as many players as you’d like to build in to your app.
I had a chance to download the SDK and poke around and it’s super easy to get started implementing. As a developer wanting to take advantage of Joypad, you literally copy the Joypad SDK classes to your project and import one file in your view controller.
#import “JoypadSDK.h”
From there it’s just a matter of adding a few methods to search for a Joypad on your network, pair up and watch for actions on the Joypad remote. The syntax couldn’t be more obvious either. For example, if you want to look for a Joypad device;
[joypadManager startFindingDevices];
Just throw the above into an action and you are good to go. It was probably not necessary to make it so easy to understand for even a novice, in order for the platform to take off, though I truly am happy they did and I’d like to thank them for that.
The controller interface is advertised as being customizable, though I haven’t dug deep enough to figure out how they would allow you to send your config and artwork to the controller device.
There is no doubt that this is an amazing platform that developers should start taking advantage of immediately! The library of compatible games is small at the moment but something tells me that is about to change. It may be advantageous to make your app compatible as quick as possible, as this seems to be where the mobile gaming industry is headed, back to the source.
If you are a developer and want to get started implementing Joypad into your games, you can pick up the SDK for free from their website.
Developers: SDK
