The ‘Fling’ game controller is making an appearance on the iPad in the near future for a $25 — U.S. dollar — price tag. The controller seems to take the shape of an analog design and appears to stick to the screen.

According to Ten One Design products website — the creators of the product — “When the screen illuminates, Fling melts away and becomes invisible, so you’ll never miss any action on the screen.”

Some explanation is also available regarding positioning and attaching the controls:

“Launch your game of choice. Position Fling’s center control over the directional pad in the game (usually found in the bottom left corner of the screen). Press down on the suction cups to secure Fling to your iPad screen. Use your thumb on the thumbstick to navigate easily through the game. When you’re done playing, you can store Fling in its handy drawstring bag.”

Ten One Design’s also claims the attachment will increase your skill level but what remains to be seen is how well diagonal or z-axis movements will work.

This new control scheme came as a surprise and could be a welcome addition for gamers playing many dual-stick shooters and arcade games on the iPad. Other genres that could take advantage of this are Gameloft’s 3d games like Spider-Man: Total Mayhem HD and racing games that offer virtual-stick steering. I always thought the iPad would be more ideal for control attachments due to the real estate the larger screen provides. There is more leeway for such a device not to get in he way of the action as it would probably need to be a real small attachment on an iPhone screen for it to have any practical use.

Pre-orders begin Jan. 6, according to the Fling website.

[Kotaku]

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