LGR Oddware - ICONtroller Input Device

It's still there, just check the link above!

LGR

Why did this video get pulled?? Hadn't watched it yet :(

Chad Keck

I'm glad to hear that. :) I'm hoping to send you a cute Amiga 600 some day too. ;-)

Maximilien Noal

I'm still really hoping to cover the Amiga 1000 and 1200 at some point!

LGR

I think it may have been, mine looked like the one in the picture it had a single button and worked for GEOS on the c64 as well as the 128. It attached to the keyboard with double sided tape but would never stay on.

Daniel Nelms

I think it would be already a lot better if it would not be so damn small ! Also, I enjoyed a lot this video : feels a lot like old videos : mostly static view, very comfy & relaxed, and with floppy disc controllers sounds. :-) A VHS filter over it would make it perfect ! ^^ As for the next thingy to review you know me : I'd love anything Amiga-related. :-)

Maximilien Noal

looks like the most frustrating mouse device. in that sweet spot between odd and useless. none the less super interesting. thanks again for the content Clint. ^__^

Gregory Brech

YUP

LGR

Was it the C64 one I showed in the video?

LGR

Am happy to remind of such things :)

LGR

LOL this video is a reminder of what a pain in the ass computers could be back in the day.

Kevin Furr

I had something similar on my C64/128 and used it to navigate GEOS.

Daniel Nelms

OMG-ODDWARE-OMG!

The idea totally makes sense. The execution totally blows. That seems to be how most Oddware episodes are going these days!

LGR

Hey, it at least has a use now after two decades of being *utterly* useless!

LGR

To complete what you were saying at the end, it is what it is: a piece of junk (that is now only useful for our entertainment and your popularity!)

Sabrina

The iCONtroller? Apple won't be amused. Great Oddwarepisode again, LGR! Thanks.

icezolation

I see you have decided to do Oddware videos sitting in front of your Wall of Swag. Good move. ;) Sadly, I don't see much use for this device, at least IMHO; it just looks like something you would use if you were really desperate for a backup joystick or mouse - if you could even keep it stuck to the side of your keyboard!

Lindsay Michelle

The idea of it seems sound, but the size feels way too small to be usable properly - which smells of bad ergonomics! Had it been larger, and not needed to be fixed to the side of the keyboard, I don't think it would have been as bad, which is funny, because the design of the C64 one looks more reasonable in that regard (which makes sense, as it's a fixed design). Always interesting to see the odd paths of input devices though :)

Rob Caporetto

Everybody's brain farts sometimes... :-P

RetroSwim

True that! Interesting that it went through a couple different versions from 1987 to 1990, I wonder what kind of market they really had.

LGR

You can tell a device is completely NOT ergonomic when absolutely none of the pictures or instructions tell you how you're supposed to use it. The thing said, "hold it like a pencil", and that was about it. I get the distinct impression that this was a project that went too far in before they realized it was a bad idea and they decided to just get it done and out and cut their losses. :P

Kris Asick

Patreon knows about this issue and they're currently looking into it. :B

Kris Asick

Ha! I'll never think about tweaking the dead zone the same way again.

LGR

Sir, I will have you know The Dead Zone is my favorite work of Stephen King.

It sold well enough for them to continue making them over the course of 6 years or so (1987-1993!) But yeah, the market for this was always going to be quite limited.

LGR

Hehe, yes indeed, it does sound like an Apple device when you say it out loud

LGR

Did that for me as well, til I cleared out all my cookies and other login creds and it was fine!

LGR

Oh yeah, the idea was sound. It's just that it really needed some way to properly connect to the keyboard/laptop.

LGR

It works well enough, yeah! It's just awkward to use being so small and since it doesn't attach to the keyboard very well.

LGR

Argh, I always say parallel even when I do know otherwise. Will add an annotation, thanks!

LGR

It looks so uncomfortable to use.. Would people really buy it over a mouse? I was born 92, so im wondering if that kind of stuff ever sold well?

Same here, Went through the profile settings, no options to remain signed in..

In before Apple Copyright complaints... Oh wait.. ICONtroller, not iController... nevermind. :P

Zem Hysong

Patreon has been consistently signing me out lately so I have to sign in every time I wanna watch one of your videos. No idea what's up with that. Interesting review though!

Alyxx the Rat

Serial to parallel? 9-pin serial to 25-pin serial man. You should know that! ;)

RetroSwim

I really like the idea. Actually it was kinda execute in some way for laptops. Remember the ones with the little Red Nob in the middle of the keyboard? Worked pretty damn good. But today with mousepads it is kinda obsolete. Even there are people liking the red nob the mousepad has so many funktion today. I tell yeah if playing games wouldn't be so ackward for it I would use one of the PC because they are actually pretty cool when you get used to it. Except when they are so over sensetive that it reacts to your hand everytime you write something on the laptop.

Ezydenias

Great review, Clint! It really seems uncomfortable and odd. Does it work better than it seems?

Johannes Koch