Kickstarter has brought some amazing iPhone and iPad accessory concepts to life, right from small enhancements like the Smarter Stand to the full-blown Elevation Dock. Continuing this trend comes a new Kickstarter project for an iPhone case named Flipside that packs in a solar-powered Bluetooth 4.0 game controller.
The idea of a case doubling up as a game controller isn’t new at all, in fact even Apple’s said to be working on this internally. But somehow, these sort of cases haven’t caught on, presumably due to the ever-present bulk added by the controller, which is useless when not playing games. However, Flipside’s reliance on solar energy, Bluetooth 4.0 and its sleek design set it apart from earlier attempts at augmenting the iPhone with a game controller.
The case is just 3mm thick, and its two control pads snap to the back when not being used, thus getting out of your way while checking email or calling. To connect to the iPhone, the controller uses Bluetooth 4.0, which significantly reduces response time, and at the same time decreases power consumption. The solar powered battery can charge even when the light panel isn’t directly facing sunlight.
The team behind the case is also in touch with Apple to ensure that the controller works with most iOS devices.
You can reserve for yourself the Flipside case for $60, which is likely to ship to you by June 2013.
