Earlier this week we learned that Mark DeLoura had been named Developer Advocate for games at Google. This signals that gaming will become a future development strategy for Android, among other Google projects. I haven’t gotten around to much gaming on my Nexus One, though I can see why people would be drawn to mobile gaming on some Android devices. The screen size can make it feel like a portable gaming system in the mold of the Nintendo DS.
That is one cool looking controller. It comes from Game Gripper, and it is designed for the Motorola Droid. Yes, the Droid already has a d-pad, but it’s on the wrong side of the device. Gamers are used to having the pad on the left and the action buttons on the right, so this new style attachment should go over well.
As Engadget notes, it appears the pad simply hits the buttons that already exist on the Droid’s slide-out keyboard, so it doesn’t appear to be a realistic option for any of the touch-only devices. Perhaps Game Gripper or another company will work on such a peripheral in the future. If Google does plan to put a greater emphasis on gaming, these attachments make perfect sense.
For gamers who have a Droid, you can get Game Gripper for $14.99 plus $5 shipping and handling. It’s currently listed as pre-order, though, so you’ll have to exercise patience. In the meantime, you can watch this video of the device in action.
