Wikipad announces detachable mobile controller, Gamevice

Wikipad, the company behind the 7-inch Android tablet of the same name, is working on a detachable gamepad for mobile devices called the Gamevice, the company announced today.

The Gamevice brings controls akin to a console gamepad or dedicated gaming handheld — dual analog sticks, a D-pad, four face buttons and four shoulder buttons — to smartphones and other mobile devices. As seen in the product image above, the device sits in the center of a shell with the controls split to either side; the shell expands and collapses to wrap around the device.

Wikipad is producing two different versions of the Gamevice, one for Android devices and another for Windows 8 devices. As for a model that supports iOS, Wikipad president Fraser Townley said, "We have not forgotten other important OS systems and we hope to announce additional support those in the near future." Controllers with native support for iOS, such as the Moga Ace Power, have been underwhelming so far.

Wikipad also announced today the release of an over-the-air update for the 7-inch tablet that upgrades the device to Android 4.2 Jelly Bean and adds controller support, a copy of Dead Trigger 2 from Madfinger Games and access to a variety of additional games from WildTangent Games. Six premium WildTangent titles will be installed for free along with the update: Polarbit's Reckless Racing and Raging Thunder 2, Mediocre's Sprinkle and Granny Smith, Madfinger Games' Shadowgun and Zen Studios' Zen Pinball HD.