Getting your game on with the Arcadie #DadApproved

Hi all, 

With fathers day zooming towards us the lovely people at Moonpig invited me to join the Dads' Institute, testing fathers gifts to give your dad the best gift possible. We love hugs and pancakes too, just saying. 

In the name of retro fun we were sent the Arcadie Arcade cabinet from Zeon Tech. While not a full size cab with a Jamma board slapped inside, it makes use of the Apple iPhone and iPod touch to become your portable arcade machine with the ability to play your tunes or make calls in between game time. 

On first appearance it looks true to arcade cabinet from the 80's thankfully without the CRT burn in and cigarette burns on the side. Using this is as simple as loading the game you wish to choose and inserting your device into the docking connector nestled inside when prompted. Once calibrated it's ready to go with this taking very little time in total before playtime.

The Games are all in the Apple A

The controls feel solid, with a satisfying click many of us will remember from the arcades or from posh joysticks with microswitches.

pp store with a mix of free and paid apps from a host of developers and the vast majority are real good fun to play with easy controls.

There is the odd issue with some games, and this with the third party ones - some seem to struggle with the controls. This varied with the iPhone 4s and iPod 4th Gen with the iPod liking more games, I assume this is from the screen protector as some games use carefully positioned touch pads inside the unit to control games.

Even with this in mind, it's an enjoyable addition to your iDevices bringing with it lots of fun and a growing catalogue of  games that ask for nothing more than your imagination and attention. We've been having score contests here. With the loser having to do the housework (me again - pfft!) I can happily say it's Approved by me and the kids! If your dad loves 8bit, arcade and has an iDevice - he'll love this. Click here to buy one from your dad. To learn more about Moonpig's Dad Approved gifts for fathers day click here 

Paul