ThinkGeek?s iCade Turns iPad into Retro Arcade Cabinet

The iCade cabinet will make you feel like a giant living in the 1970s

Remember the iCade? Sure you do. It was ThinkGeek?s 2010 April Fool gag, a tiny tabletop arcade machine which used the iPad as its screen. Now, just over a year later, the iCade is real, and can be pre-ordered for $100 at ThinkGeek?s store.

Along with the price drop (the joke unit was $150) there have been some changes to the imaginary specs. Now the iCade connects to the iPad by Bluetooth, not through the dock connector. It also has more buttons ? eight instead of just two ? but it keeps a coin slot so you can feed it with quarters.

But best of all is that ThinkGeek has teamed up with Atari. The legendary game company recently released Atari?s Greatest Hits, which brings 100 classic titles to the iPhone and iPad. These games have built-in support for the iCade?s joystick and buttons. ThinkGeek has also released an API so any developer can bake support into their own games. This rather practical addition raises the iCade from mere novelty to actually pretty awesome.

So popular is the iCade that, despite only being available for pre-order, it is already back ordered. Thus, you?ll have to wait for the second batch. International buyers will have an even longer wait, as worldwide shipping will only start once the iCade is in stock. My $100 is ready.

iCade product page [ThinkGeek]

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Source: http://www.wired.com/gadgetlab/2011/04/thinkgeeks-icade-turns-ipad-into-retro-arcade-cabinet/

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