Preview: Take your iPad gaming to the next level with the Fling Game Controller

TASTY:
Suffering from “finger drift” when using the virtual joystick in your favorite games? The Fling controller attaches to your iPad to give you a whole new level of tactile control.

BUMMER:
Only comes with three accent colors (clear, purple, black). Surely every standard iPod color could have been replicated? Shocking orange, please!

COOL:
Looks to be a must-buy for all serious iPad gamers. This physical joystick has the potential to take your scores (and app enjoyment) to the next level.

PREVIEW:
The new year is only a few days old, but the eyes of the tech/mobile world are locked on Las Vegas, where an incredibly dynamic Consumer Electronics Show is well underway.

A number of iPad add-ons, cases, and other products are making their debut at the show, with Ten One Design’s Fling Tactile Game Controller for iPad ($24.95) capturing lots of press in the early going.

If you’re like me – a serious iPad gamer – you may have found the on-screen joysticks offered in many first-person shooters, racing titles, and adventure games to be lacking. I find my fingers drifting away from the specific location of the visual stick after a few minutes of game play, resulting in sloppy cornering, missed attacks, and (let’s be honest) lowered scores.

The developers at Ten One Design have come up with a novel solution in the Fling controller. It’s a physical controller that mimics the circular on-screen directional pad (D-Pad) found in most games, and it adheres to the iPad through a pair of suction cups.



It looks to have smooth, 360-degree rotation, offering a bit of physical resistance to give users solid control.

So no matter if you’re addicted to Pocket Legends, Across Age, or Super Megaworm, the Fling stands ready to take your game to the next level. And with the ability to move the device to any location on your screen, there’s no worry about the actual location of the on-screen D-Pad. Just move it to where you need it and off you go. (Given the usual location of this control, users of specific cases or screen protectors may have an issue.)

The icing on the cake? The device is transparent, so you can see right through it. Plus, the small bag the Fling ships in doubles as a screen cleaning cloth, so you can buff up your iPad screen anytime you want to get your game on.

A full hands-on review will follow later this month once the device begins shipping. It will be a long wait! You can order yours via Ten One’s website at http://www.tenonedesign.com.