Caffeinated Pixels

Fueled by obscene amounts of coffee and a love for all things 8-bit and shiny, Pete wants to share his experiences with you. He'll try not to twitch and fidget too much, so as to not distract you from sharing his Apple vs. PC thoughts and comparisons, wistful yearning for a return to classic gaming, and focused spout-offs inspired by a life circling around computers, video games, and gadgets

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Peter Redmer's blog

Fling iPad Joystick Review: Just Like A Real Controller... Sort Of

Hardcore gamers often dismiss the iPad and iPhone platforms as being for "casual players only" or not having the depth of traditional console games. However, it's becoming more and more relevant as a gaming platform due to the sheer volume and popularity of titles available--along with the technical capabilities of the platform.

One technical capability the iDevice family does not have, however, is a joystick (or joysticks.) You're left with only a capacitive touchscreen, which, though usable, can often be pretty miserable for gaming. Especially for those of short fingers, like yours truly--effective dual stick gaming on a touchscreen usually ends up being a painful. achy affair.

ToodleDo for iPhone, iPad (and More) Syncs with the Cloud and Gets Things Done

Ever notice how in real life, the engineers, mechanics, and managers behind the scenes often go unnoticed by the media and company peers? Usually, it's their much flashier counterparts such as outgoing salespeople, super-social marketers, and artsy designers that tend to steal the thunder.

I Don't Need No iPod Nano: It's the Sansa Clip (with Rockbox) for Me

I'm always interested in staying at the forefront of technology--as long as it makes sense, is reasonably affordable, and fits somewhere into my life. This usually comes in the form of being the first in line for a new Apple tablet or perhaps adopting brand new gadgets far before they hit their prime, if ever.

One notable exception, however, is the world of MP3 players. Being a self-professed Apple guy and iDevice fan, you'd think my primary music player of choice would be an iPod--but you'd be thinking wrong.

It's a Sansa Clip.

iOS--Giving Retro Gaming a Burst of Life on the iPhone and iPad

Now that all the kids of the 80's and 90's are all growed up, there's a sort of "neu-retro" revival in gaming. Of course, it's been going on for years, especially in the PC scene--but lately, the library of retro (and retro-inspired) games has exploded on the App Store. I couldn't be happier.

Whether you love or hate the App Store, its power to bring unknown indie developers to the forefront in a matter of days is undeniable. Many of these indie developers crave and love retro influences, and many people who are gaming on the iOS platform do too--and that ecosystem has really injected some Miracle-Gro into the scene.

I'd like to highlight some of my favorite titles for iPhone/iPad that are either retro remakes or retro inspired. I hope you enjoy them as much as I do!

Apple's iPad 2: Incremental Money Grab or Must Have Upgrade?

For every raving Apple fan who will be camping outside their local Apple Store, there's a naysayer dissing Steve Jobs and the fruit collective, and the release of the iPad 2 is bringing no different behavior.

Sick of Waiting for Diablo III? Give Din's Curse a Try

I love dungeon crawlers, roguelikes, and generally bashing in the heads of multiple monsters while obsessively collecting loot and items through randomly generated labyrinths. Sometimes, though, I'm in the mood for something not-ASCII rendered (ruling out many roguelikes) and a bit more dynamic than something like Torchlight. I'm also sick of waiting for Diablo III to come out, although it will be epic when it does.

So, are you ready to scratch the itch? Give Din's Curse a whirl.

What is Din's Curse?

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