Gamepads for iOS devices have been around for several months but thus far, they’ve failed to catch fire for a number of different reasons. Perhaps that’ll all change in the near future as gaming peripheral maker Razer on Tuesday announced the Junglecat, the company’s first gamepad for the iPhone.
The Junglecat isn’t all that different from the current crop of gamepads already on the market like Logitech’s PowerShell in terms of button layout. It features a traditional directional pad on the left side, a button in the center, four pressure-sensitive action buttons on the right – A, B, X, Y – and bumpers on either side.
What is different, however, is the overall design of the gamepad.
Unlike the Logitech offering or the MOGA Ace Power, the Junglecat doubles as an iPhone case. The controller slides out from beneath the phone when it’s time to play and retracts back when you’re done. The case measures 20mm thick so it’ll add a bit of girth to the iPhone but Razer is hoping that’ll be offset by the level of convenience it affords.
The gamepad is only compatible with the iPhone 5 and 5s at this time. No word yet if Razer plans to release a version for the iPhone 6 later this year.
The Razer Junglecat carries a retail price of $99.99 – expensive but still in line with the competition – and will be available worldwide starting next month in black or white.
