Motorola Blogged

Having a plethora of game apps at your disposal does really seem to attract the masses. That is probably why so many mobile phones are trying to tap the gaming market these days. When compared to game centric handheld devices, the only thing that is missing from mobile phones is really good controls. Sure those keys may look classy and tiny. Sure, the mobile phone does fit in your teensy weensy pocket, but can you play games in it?

Now Motorola Droid owners can, with the advent of the Game Gripper. The Game Gripper is a peripheral for the Droid that allows users to get that old-school game pad feel when they are playing games. Being the open source platform of course, emulators are a must to relive those childhood memories and maximize your mobile phone gaming.

The Game Gripper only comes in one color, floppy gray with red, semi see-through buttons. It features the classic D-pad as well as eight control buttons. While it is not exactly for professional gaming it does seem to do the job nicely by pressing on the keys below the toy-like buttons. According to the official site, they try to keep the cost down with their choice of materials (hence the air bubbles and lines):

“Buttons have small lines on them and air bubbles in them (this kept the cost way down and I think makes them look better). The Game Gripper is loose fitting so it slides on and off easily.”

The Game Gripper team is working on several new designs for other phones. The site also has a request page wherein people can give ideas on which phones to focus on. Looks like Droid gets a one up on this one, it is quite a simple solution to a problem that GameBone and Patent 0081505 have been trying to fix.

See the video at Engadget.