Dive into those retro decomps with the 8BitDo FlipPad, available today
Things have been going wild in the retro gaming world recently with more decompilations to shake a stick at.
While you might be utilizing your PC to dive into these, what if you could get the physical button presses on your phone instead? Well, that’s where the 8BitDo FlipPad comes in, and you can buy it today.
8BitDo FlipPad is available in the US and Europe
I hate gaming on a touchscreen and almost always find a way around it by getting some sort of controller paired up instead. When I saw that 8BitDo was bringing out a cool retro physical controller that slots right onto my phone, I was all ears.
Available for $29.99/£24.99/€29.99, the FlipPad is compatible with both iPhone and Android devices, giving you a tangible D-pad, as well as full ABXY button functionality without having to lug around a full-sized mobile controller.
As its name suggests, the big selling point here is the fact that the FlipPad can be ‘hidden’ using its hinged design. It connects directly to the bottom of your phone before folding down over part of the screen, essentially transforming your device into something resembling a classic handheld, just with a crispy resolution.
If you need access to the touchscreen, or want to answer a message, you can simply flip the controls away without disconnecting the accessory. 8BitDo says the hinge has been tested for more than 6,000 open and close cycles, so hopefully you’re getting a bit of robustness here.
As previously mentioned, rather than relying on Bluetooth, the FlipPad plugs directly into your phone using USB-C. That means there’s no separate battery to worry about and, importantly for gaming, no wireless connection introducing additional latency or potential dropouts.
Obviously, due to where you’ll be plugging it in, it’s very much aimed at portrait gaming, making it a solid option for those of you dabbling in emulation or arcade-style games.
8BitDo has also designed it to work with most phone cases, meaning you hopefully won’t have to strip your phone down every time you fancy squeezing in taking down a Gym Leader in the 2.5D version of Pokémon Yellow.
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