Self funded and financed project for the development of a MFI compliant game controller and case for Apple iPhone. As an avid mobile games player and while in the process of developing iOS games, the need of tactile control for the games that I was designing for the experience that I wanted to deliver, after evaluating current controller and cases available in the market, I came to the conclusion that the first generation of MFI game controllers released by hardware companies were inadequate.

It seemed the products were committee designed more for sales, rather than to deliver a product that catered to mobile game play. After research on the products and looking through statistics it seemed that was indeed the situation. I thought long and hard about how I would design a game controller device for actual game play on mobile devices and created a set of targets, rules, criteria the product had to meet.

With zero experience in product design, I rolled up the sleeves and jumped in the deep end, first contacting a mechanical engineer, who introduced me to an electronics engineer, who in turn introduced me to software developers. From providing initial sketches to the technical engineer to flesh out the product as a 3d mock, the journey was long and arduous and I could really fill up a short novel on the process, the dedication and the money it requires to go from a sketch of the design to a product ready for market.

There were enormous hurdles to overcome, the complete disarray of technology vendors such as Qualcomm which were tied to the Apple MFI program as a supplier of exclusive components, licensing fees for technology and so much more. I invested five years and more into this project, while the landscape changed rapidly, putting it down as well paid experience producing product design, I decided to shelve this project for time being to bring it back once the industry becomes more stable on mobile gaming front.

Further exploration of the product design

Technical requirements of product design sketch

Skeleton overlay of design on iPhone product for design trouble shooting

Render of design and function of product

Render of design and function portrait and landscape view

Diagrams on how the product can be used

Extended use of product as a multi-platform gaming peripheral

Configuration Application interface

Realistic product shot render

CAD Product design, development of electronics and case by iDeation Design Australia

CAD Product design, development of electronics and case by iDeation Design Australia

Rendered CAD Product design, development of electronics and case by iDeation Design Australia

Rendered CAD Product design, development of electronics and case by iDeation Design Australia

Rendered CAD Product design, development of electronics and case by iDeation Design Australia

Rendered CAD Product design, development of electronics and case by iDeation Design Australia

Rendered CAD Product design, development of electronics and case by iDeation Design Australia

Product renders