Provides: Better grip for iPhone and iPod touch gaming
Developer: Tunewear
Minimum Requirements: iPhone 3G/S or iPod touch 2G
Price: $19.95
Availability: Now
As much as Apple wants you to think the iPhone and iPod touch are gaming devices, the fact remains that they’re simply not built that way. The screen? Yes. The processor? I suppose. The input and ergonomics? No, no, no, a thousand times no. They aren’t comfortable to hold, and the lack of any physical buttons for input makes controlling many of the games an exercise in frustration.
At this point, I’m convinced there’ll never be an adequate iDevice input attachment for games, so we’re permanently stuck with virtual d-pads and accelerometer controls where they shouldn’t exist. However, Tunewear has addressed the comfort issue—imperfectly but efficiently—with the GameHandle.
Nearly everything you need to know about this device can be gleaned from the photo above. It’s simply a handle into which you place your iDevice. The rubber coating is soft and easy to grip, and the PlayStation controller-style palm rests provide a comfortable hold that feels much more natural than holding an iPhone or iPod touch on its own.
The palm rests can prove problematic for some games, however, depending upon the controls. If you’re mainly just tilting the device or tapping virtual buttons on the edges, great. But if the game requires you to tap all over the screen, to use your fingers at all, or to hold the iDevice in a portrait orientation, you’ll find the GameHandle just gets in the way.
Each Game Handle ships with adapter frames for the iPhone 3G/S and iPod touch 2G, so if you switch from one to the other, you’re covered. I imagine Tunewear will release new frames as Apple introduces new models, provided the design isn’t so radically different that it wouldn’t fit in the handle itself.
Regardless of which iDevice you use, a sound cavity funnels the audio from the speaker out behind the back of the device, and even seems to amplify it a bit. I loved that design choice, as my hand naturally covers the speaker when playing games on my naked iPhone.
Of course, the speaker vents are necessary as the headphone jack is completely covered when your iDevice is in the GameHandle. In fact, everything is, aside form the home button. With the iPod touch, this probably isn’t much of a hinderance. On the iPhone, however, it can be problematic if a call comes in while you’re playing. To accept it, you have to completely remove the iPhone from the GameHandle. It’s likely you’ll be able to do so before the call goes to voice mail, but it’s something to consider.
Also note that if you normally have your iPhone or iPod touch in any sort of case larger than a skin, you’ll have to remove it from there in order to place it in the GameHandle.
With all of this in mind, whether you should consider buying the GameHandle comes down almost entirely to what type of iDevice gamer you are. If you mainly play racing games or others driven by the accelerometer, I say go for it, especially if you tend to play for longer periods. But if you prefer puzzle oriented games or only play in short bursts, the GameHandle won’t really do you much good.
If only someone would design an ergonomic case for day-to-day use… I love my iPod Touch, but it's not ergonomically sound at all. After about five minutes, I find myself shifting my hand constantly, trying in vain to find a comfortable position. Even cases on the market aren't good enough. I'd pay $40 in a second, but can't find anyone to take it.